Backyard Swimming Pool

This photograph of the backyard swimming pool built by President R. Gerald Ford was taken by Erik Kvalsvik in 1996. During the pool's excavation, the government unearthed burned bricks and a marble fragment that is a part of an original White House mantel. These discoveries imply that this location was used as a trash pit after the 1814 fire, and reveal the rich history embedded throughout the White House Grounds.