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Article
Gettysburg and Golf Courses
On July 12, 1957, Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first president in office to employ a helicopter in his transportation service. This event marked a significant development for both the White House and the helicopter industry. In the short term, the helicopter became a key feature of presidential safety in the event of nuclear war. At the same time, Eisenhower’s occasionally co
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Article
The West Wing: 1975-1999
1979: Islamic militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran, and took Americans hostage. The West Wing once again became a crisis center as President Jimmy Carter and his staff planned a response.
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Article
President's Park: A History of Protest at the White House
President’s Park is approximately 80 acres of urban landscape surrounding the White House. A fence encloses the house, providing 18 acres of gardens and grounds for the first family’s enjoyment. To the south is the Ellipse, the site of National Christmas Tree events. To the north of the White House is a seven-acre plot called Lafayette Park. Named after revolutionary war
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Article
Outfitting Jefferson Today
Bill Barker, one of Colonial Williamsburg’s star interpreters, specializes in being Thomas Jefferson. Some Williamsburg costumes are generic, while others, like Barker’s are specific to the characters, for he actually is an actor playing the role of Jefferson in a whole repertoire of historical speeches and Q & A sessions with visitors to the re-created city. Curators, specialists in e
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Article
Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day," 4/11/1939
WASHINGTON, Monday—We came down to Washington yesterday evening to find the trees in bud, the fountains playing outside the White House and the daffodils all in bloom along Pennsylvania Avenue and in the little garden on which my window looks down. One magnolia tree is completely out and everything looks as though spring has arrived. Yet, in Hyde Park, we
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Article
Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day," 6/9/1939
WASHINGTON, Thursday—I have just made the rounds of every room in the White House with Mrs. Nesbitt,1 the housekeeper. We even inspected the third floor, which, this time, instead of housing grandchildren, will have our royal visitors' personal servants. Ordinarily, when the house is going to be filled. I tell Mrs. Nesbitt to get in touch with the nurses to
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Article
White House Brides and Envisioned Flowers
The first really grand White House wedding was Nellie Grant’s. For this President and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant had the East Room redecorated entirely, adding to James Hoban’s original architectural detailing matching columns and extending the cornice into beams, all gleaming white, with accents in gold leaf. Andrew Jackson’s three chandeliers were replaced by much grander “French” models, bo
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Event
The Kennedy Rose Garden: Traditionally American
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy began to envision a "traditionally American" garden located just outside the Oval Office. His idea became the Rose Garden, which was installed the next year. This garden has had a strong presence on the White House grounds and in the American presidency ever since. It is a White House institution, a special place for official
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Video
The 1600 Sessions - Our Work and Recent Events: A Q&A with David M. Rubenstein
In this special episode of The 1600 Sessions, financier and philanthropist David Rubenstein interviews White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin to discuss the work and mission of the Association during the recent period of the COVID-19 pandemic and protests in Lafayette Square, and how the history of “The People’s House” provides context to the challenges of the present day.
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Press Release
New Issue of White House History Quarterly “Art, Artists, and the White House”
The White House Historical Association today released the 68th issue of its award-winning magazine, White House History Quarterly on pre-sale. The issue, “Art, Artists, and the White House,” focuses on the evolving White House Collection of Fine Art including the progression of styles and the lives and works of artists represented in the collection. Marcia Anderson, editor of the Quarterly, writ
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