Event White House History Live: The Life and Legacy of Lady Bird Johnson
Join us in learning more about White House History right from your own home. Our Facebook Live series, White House...
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Have you ever wondered...
There is a popular misconception that the White House was first painted white to cover the scorch marks left by British soldiers who burned the house on August 24, 1814. In fact, the White House first received a lime-based whitewash in 1798 to protect its sandstone exterior from moisture and cracking during winter freezes. The term “White House” was occasionally used in newspapers and periodicals throughout the nineteenth century, but most journalists, citizens, and visitors referred to it as either the “President’s House” or the “Executive Mansion.”
On October 17, 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary George B. Cortelyou sent a letter to Secretary of State John Hay. At Roosevelt’s direction, Cortelyou asked Secretary Hay and his staff to change “the headings, or date lines, of all official papers and documents requiring his [Roosevelt’s] signature, from ‘Executive Mansion’ to ‘White House.’” Similar directives were sent to other cabinet secretaries, and Roosevelt changed the presidential stationery shortly thereafter as well.
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Join us in learning more about White House History right from your own home. Our Facebook Live series, White House...
The White House Historical Association in partnership with Iowa State University’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and the Wh...
Join us for a special episode about presidential transitions and a book by author David Marchick, "The Peaceful Transfer of...
Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her father’s family, that they were direct descendants of...
The White House Historical Association will host its eighth annual “White House History Teacher Institute” this summer. Applications are now open...
The White House Historical Association released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today, “Jacqueline Kennedy: Art in Cu...
First ladies and civil rights have a mixed history. As the White House Historical Association project "Slavery in the President's...
Early on the morning of December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley arrived at the White House and requested a meeting with President Richard...
The White House Historical Association will host the Presidential Sites Summit at the historic Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C....
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was the driving force behind a brilliant act of cultural diplomacy: bringing Leonardo Da Vinci’s ma...
Join the White House Historical Association as the host a special holiday book signing at the Mayflower Hotel with author...
The White House Historical Association today announced its Quarterly Lecture Series for 2023, White House History with Frank Sesno. The Emmy...