Main Content
In 1810 an enslaved woman named Alethia “Lethe” Tanner purchased her freedom with $275 dollars she had earned selling vegetables in the area we know today as Lafayette Square. Enslaved people used the open air markets to their advantage, by growing fruits and vegetables on small plots of land and selling them to raise money. Before being landscaped and named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the land on the north side of the White House was part of public grounds known as President's Park. It was a large open space where many of the daily activities of life in the city – such as buying and selling vegetables and other food – took place. There were no tall buildings surrounding the area, so in the distance you could see the low-lying hills dotted by the occasional farmhouse or outbuilding.
An engraving of Washington in 1800. West end of capitol grounds and Pennsylvania Avenue are shown.
Through her business in President's Park, Alethia Tanner also saved enough money to purchase the freedom of other members of her family. Self-emancipation either by an enslaved person purchasing their freedom, petitioning the court for freedom, or running away was fairly common in the Washington, D.C and greatly bolstered the vibrant free African-American community in D.C. Her nephew John F. Cook, Sr. went on to found the 15th Street Presbyterian Church, becoming the first black Presbyterian minister in the city. In 1870, the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth was organized in the basement of this Church, and in 1892, the school moved into a new building at 128 M Street, NW and was renamed the M Street School. Among the many influential graduates of the M Street School was Charles Hamilton Houston, who fought important legal battles against segregation and discrimination in the early 20th century and established the Howard University School of Law as the leader in legal challenges to segregation that ultimately resulted in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. Alethia Tanner's to obtaining her and her family's freedom helped lay the foundations educational, civic, and religious institutions that would contribute to the success of the civil rights movement.
Modern aerial view of Lafayette Square.
In 1821-1822, Susan Decatur requested the construction of a service wing. The first floor featured a large kitchen, dining room, and laundry; while the second floor contained four rooms designated as living quarters. By 1827, the service wing was being used as an urban slave quarters. Henry Clay brought enslaved individuals to Decatur House, starting a trend that was solidified by
Today, the celebration of Halloween conjures images of costumed trick-or-treaters, sweets, and jack-o'-lanterns; but there was a time when All Hallows' Eve focused more on the night's thinning boundary between this world and the next. Tales of ghosts and haunted places naturally bubble to the surface this time of year, and with such rich history radiating from its halls, there
First Lady Lou Hoover's invitation to Jessie L. DePriest to a White House tea party in 1929 created a storm of protest and indignation. This traditional act of hospitality toward the wife of the first black man elected to Congress in the twentieth century created a political crisis for the president and first lady. This collection explores the "tempest" from the
Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to have influence—have bought property and built homes and offices along the streets surrounding the White House. For more than two centuries, this neighborhood has been the setting for political decision-making and diplomacy, social gatherings and protests, wartime expediencies and
From the beginning of its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior of the White House, the fourteen paintings of this series examine the history of a national icon. Through meticulous research and tireless attention to detail, numerous sources inspired the brush of Peter Waddell to create a vision of the White
The White House observance of Christmas before the twentieth century was not an official event. First families decorated the house modestly with greens and privately celebrated the Yuletide with family and friends. President Calvin Coolidge was the first chief executive to preside over a public celebration during the holidays with the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in 1923. In 1979, President
Featuring Katherine Malone-France, Vice President for Historic Sites at National Trust for Historic Preservation and Osborne Mackie, author and antiques & fine arts expert
In 1816, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr. and his wife Susan moved to the nascent capital city of Washington, D.C. With the prize money he received from his naval feats, Decatur purchased the entire city block on the northwest corner of today’s Lafayette Square. The Decaturs commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe, one of America’s first professional architects, to design and buil
Featuring David Rubenstein, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Chairman, The Carlyle Group
For more than a century, thousands of Americans have gathered in Lafayette Park across from the White House to exercise their First Amendment rights and bring awareness to their respective causes. In this collection, explore how individuals, groups, and organizations historically used this space to advocate equality, protest policy, and demand action from the neighborhood's most powerful occupant.
Featuring Rev. Robert Fisher, Rector at St. John’s Church
