You Might Also Like
-
-
Page
Amenities & Living Comforts
The first bath tubs in the White House were portable and made of tin; water was hauled in buckets. Running water was piped into the White House in 1833. Gaslighting, installed in the White House in 1848, replaced candles and oil lamps. A central heating system was installed in the White House in 1837 when many people still warmed themselves with a log
-
Page
Rebuilding the White House
President John Adams first occupied the President's House on November 1, 1800. It stood for thirteen years and eight months until it was burned during the British invasion in August 1814. After a concerted effort by Congress to move the capital to Cincinnati, the government appointed two architects to "repair" the Federal City's public buildings: Benjamin Henry Latrobe, an Englishman of skill in
-
Page
White House Tour
Following a competition for the design of the President's House in the spring of 1792, Irish architect James Hoban was commissioned to build a home and office for the President of the United States. With guidance from President George Washington, Hoban employed craftsmen brought from as far away as Scotland and oversaw a free and enslaved labor force that constructed one
-
Page
White House Ghost Stories
1862-1863: Mary Todd Lincoln, grieving over her son Willies death in February, began to participate in spirit circles or seances in the Red Room at the White House and the presidential cottage at the Soldiers Home. Spiritualism was wildly popular during the height of the Civil War as families sought comfort for the loss of loved ones. 1901-1904: Jeremiah Jerry
-
Page
The American Presidency Project
When you want to look up presidential speeches as well as all of a president's public utterances, then the American Presidency Project website can be useful. It's especially helpful if you are looking for dates when presidents gave their State of the Union Address or when they gave press conferences, specifically nighttime ones held in the East Room. The site
-
Digital Library Exhibit
Black Cloth: Mourning Dress and Drapery at the White House
This exhibit explores the power of black cloth as part of public and private displays of bereavement at the White House. Between 1841 and 1963, eight American presidents died while in office. By examining the fabrics used to decorate the White House for their funerals, as well as the mourning fashions of their spouses, one can track displays of grief through the
-
Digital Library Exhibit
Mourning William Henry Harrison
This exhibit explores the power of black cloth as part of public and private displays of bereavement at the White House. Between 1841 and 1963, eight American presidents died while in office. By examining the fabrics used to decorate the White House for their funerals, as well as the mourning fashions of their spouses, one can track displays of grief through the
-
Digital Library Exhibit
Mourning Zachary Taylor
This exhibit explores the power of black cloth as part of public and private displays of bereavement at the White House. Between 1841 and 1963, eight American presidents died while in office. By examining the fabrics used to decorate the White House for their funerals, as well as the mourning fashions of their spouses, one can track displays of grief through the
-
Digital Library Exhibit
Mourning Abraham Lincoln
This exhibit explores the power of black cloth as part of public and private displays of bereavement at the White House. Between 1841 and 1963, eight American presidents died while in office. By examining the fabrics used to decorate the White House for their funerals, as well as the mourning fashions of their spouses, one can track displays of grief through the
-
Digital Library Exhibit
Mourning James A. Garfield
This exhibit explores the power of black cloth as part of public and private displays of bereavement at the White House. Between 1841 and 1963, eight American presidents died while in office. By examining the fabrics used to decorate the White House for their funerals, as well as the mourning fashions of their spouses, one can track displays of grief through the
-
Digital Library Exhibit
Mourning William McKinley
This exhibit explores the power of black cloth as part of public and private displays of bereavement at the White House. Between 1841 and 1963, eight American presidents died while in office. By examining the fabrics used to decorate the White House for their funerals, as well as the mourning fashions of their spouses, one can track displays of grief through the