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Video
Lyndon B. Johnson's favorite form of vacation relaxation
Historian Lawrence Knutson talks about President Lyndon B. Johnson's favorite form of relaxation while on vacation.
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Video
Special presidential retreats - Soldiers' Home and Shangri La (Camp David)
Historian Lawrence Knutson talks about two special presidential retreats, the Soldiers' Home and Shangri La, now known as Camp David.
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Video
Sports and pastimes of vacationing presidents
Historian Lawrence Knutson talks about sports and pastimes of vacationing presidents.
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Video
The submarine rides of Harry S. Truman and Theodore Roosevelt
Historian Lawrence Knutson talks about the submarine rides of Presidents Harry S. Truman and Theodore Roosevelt.
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Press Release
New Book: "Away from the White House: Presidential Escapes, Retreats, and Vacations"
The White House Historical Association has released Away from the White House: Presidential Escapes, Retreats, and Vacations. Author Lawrence L. Knutson presents an in-depth history of the presidential time spent “away from the White House.” Through 37 chapters profusely illustrated with hundreds of period images and photographs, we witness the president escaping by horseback, steamboat, railroad, automobile, and ultimately Air Force One,
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Event
2nd Annual White House Holiday Shopping Event
Join us for a fun, festive day of holiday shopping, music, and treats in the White House Historical Association’s Carriage House. Guests can enjoy shopping special holiday displays and pick up their 2016 Official White House Christmas Ornament.We will also have many of our authors at this two-day event to sign books. December 14 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Aut
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Event
History Happy Hour: Presidential Summer Retreats
History Happy Hour is a weekly virtual program hosted by the White House Historical Association. Join us as experts weigh in on a variety of historical topics, share their insights, answer audience questions, and enjoy presidential-inspired libations.As History Happy Hour prepares to take its own summer vacation, join us in learning more about the summer retreats of Presidents Lincoln,
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Press Release
Background: A History of Presidential Summer Vacations and Memorial Day
Since the creation of the American presidency, the country’s leaders and their families have taken vacations away from the White House. A brief history of summer vacations away from the White House and Memorial Day activities: Summer Vacations During the summers of 1862, 1863, and 1864, President Abraham Lincoln and his family resided at the Soldiers’ Home, approximately three miles north of the
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Press Collection
Presidential Vacations & Retreats Press Collection
Since the creation of the American presidency, the country’s leaders and their families have taken vacations away from the White House. Presidents have found different ways to escape the pressures and politics of the position. For early leaders, it was a matter of course that they would leave the White House for the summer to tend to personal businesses or
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Gallery
New Year's Day Receptions
On January 1, 1801, the first public reception was held in the President's House, and a democratic social custom began. From 1801 until its end in 1932, the New Year's Reception at the White House was a tradition met with anticipation by diplomats, government officials, military officers, and the public alike. Everyone from the common citizen to the highest-ranking diplomat was welcomed. By the
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Gallery
The United States Marine Band: Music as Diplomacy
Music has been an essential part of life in the White House from the earliest days of our nation, not only as a "companion" to divert, delight, and "sweeten many hours," as Thomas Jefferson professed, but also as an element of the pageantry accompanying international diplomacy. Through the years the United States Marine Band has musically represented the nation before
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Gallery
Presidential Vacations & Retreats
Presidents have found different ways to escape the pressures and politics of the position. For early leaders, it was a matter of course they would leave the White House for the summer to tend to a personal businesses or farms. The modern-day presidency is a year-round job. While the work often follows, the countryside of Virginia or seaside of Maine