The 2024 National History Day (NHD) theme is Turning Points in History. The White House Historical Association offers a variety of resources to assist students working on NHD projects.
2023
2023 Best Book Awards
Furnishing the White House: The Decorative Arts Collection, Finalist, Art
Life in the White House, Finalist, History: United States
The Official White House Christmas Ornament: Collected Stories of a Holiday Tradition, Winner, Novelty & Gift Book
Rocco at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Finalist, Children's Nonfiction
Rocco at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Finalist, Children's
Official Residences Around the World by Abby Clouse-Radigan This survey of the official residences and offices of some fifty nations around the world represents nearly one thousand years of building and renovating. Who lives in these residences? What were their original purposes and how have they been adapted for modern use? How do they project and preserve each nation's heritage?
Authors
JAMES ARCHER ABBOTT is currently the executive director at Wright’s Ferry Mansion in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Abbott has served as director of Johns Hopkins University’s Evergreen Museum & Library, curator of American and European decorative arts for the Baltimore Museum of Art, and curator and educator for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boscobel House and Gardens, and Hist
Jim AdamsJim Adams has been gardening in Washington, D.C., for over 25 years. His D.C. career began at the U.S. National Arboretum, where he worked in the Fern Valley Native Plant Garden and then became Curator of the National Herb Garden. Following this, he served as Head Horticulturist for the British Ambassador’s Residence and then moved to th
Samford University
On November 9, 2023, Stewart spoke to Legacy League members at Samford University where he shared the story of Mrs. Kennedy’s work as first lady, her legacy, and the mission of the White House Historical Association.
James Archer AbbottJames Archer Abbott currently serves as the Executive Director of the Lewes Historical Society in Lewes, Delaware. A graduate of Vassar College and the State University of New York/FIT, he has previously served as a museum director and/or curator for Johns Hopkins University’s Evergreen Museum & Library, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Boscobel House and Ga
Tham Kannalikham is a New York based interior designer. She is passionate about incorporating traditional craftsmanship into the contemporary residential work her firm specializes in. Tham is a current member of the President’s Council at the ICAA. In 2019 she was appointed to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. She is an active supporter of The Alpha Wo
As part of the White House Historical Association’s 60th anniversary celebration in 2021, the Next-Gen Leaders (NGL) initiative was announced. The NGL cohort is a group of influential young professionals representing a wide variety of fields, bound together by a passion for history, civics, and education.
NGL members serve as ambassadors for the Association's nonpartisan, nonprofit, and historic mission and to
The Blue Room with the Yellow Oval Room above and the Diplomatic Reception Room below it, form the most elegant space of James Hoban's plans for the White House. For the south wall of the Blue Room, he designed French doors flanked by long windows. An oval portico with curving stairs that descended to the South Lawn was included in
Ascending from the Ground Floor Corridor, a marble stairway leads the White House visitor to the State Floor level. Off the landing to the right is the East Room. The largest of the State Rooms, it was designed by James Hoban and George Washington to be a "Public Audience Room." Second President John Adams and his wife First Lady Abigail
The Cross Hall and large Entrance Hall are at the center of the original plan by James Hoban for the State Floor of the White House. The basic floor plan has not been altered substantially, although modifications have been made to the design and placement of the principle staircases. The plan is arranged so that the Cross Hall connects all