South Fountain at Night

Creator: Erik Kvalsvik, c. 1972.

The South Fountain and White House glow with lights. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln installed the first fountain on the south grounds. The designer was Major B. B. French, and it never properly functioned. President Ulysses S. Grant installed the current circular fountain in 1871. At that time it was powered by steam. Today 8,000 oxford tulips and 16,000 grape hyacinth are planted around the South Fountain.

Credit: White House Historical Association

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The Kennedy Rose Garden

It is hard to imagine that it was something as casual as a lunch conversation between a newly elected president and an amateur gardener that gave rise to one of our nation's most iconic outdoor spaces. In this collection, Rose Garden designer Rachel Lambert Mellon explains how the grounds were so thoughtfully transformed, while others detail the White House's diverse
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White House Easter Egg Roll

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Life & Work in Charleston, S.C.

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