Main Content

Press Releases Index

clear filters

Sixty Teachers Invited to Washington for Immersive Week-Long “White House History Teacher Institute”

The White House Historical Association will host two sessions of its annual White House History Teacher Institute July 16 – 20 and July 23-27. The five-day immersive workshops brings a select group of educators from across the country to Washington to learn about White House history – an experience that includes special site visits, conversations with former White House staffers, lectures from White House hist

New “White House Experience” Mobile App

The White House Historical Association is pleased announce its new free mobile application for both iOS and Android which offers, for the first time ever, virtual educational tours of the White House and surrounding President’s Neighborhood. The app features three separate tour experiences for in-person visitors and those who want to learn about the White House from afar. The ap

New 1600 Sessions Podcast: Exploring the Legacy of White House Architect James Hoban

The White House Historical Association today released the latest episode of The 1600 Sessions podcast. In this episode, White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin talks with historian Dr. Ed Lengel and architect Merlo Kelly, curators of a new volume of essays out in 2019 about James Hoban, the Irish architect who designed the White House. Stewart also speaks with Scottish stonemason

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

Announcing the Jazz on Jackson Place Summer Concert Series

The White House Historical Association is pleased to announce the 12th season of Jazz on Jackson Place, a summer concert series held in the courtyard of its historic Decatur House on Thursdays. The $35 ticketed event includes live music, hors d’oeuvres, and open bar from 6:30 to 8:30PM. Summer Concert Series Schedule: Thursday, June 14: Clarinetist Oran Etkin Voted #1 Rising Star Clarinetist by

NEW Publication - The White House Social Secretary: Personal Reflections

The White House Historical Association has just released its newest publication, The Role of the White House Social Secretary: Collected Reflections. The quarterly journal features interviews conducted by Richard Norton Smith with nearly 20 former White House social secretaries dating to Letitia Baldrige of the Kennedy administration with exclusive insights into the dynamic and integral role the social secretary plays in

NEW BOOK Coming this Summer - The Stephen Decatur House on Lafayette Square: A History

The White House Historical Association will release its newest book The Stephen Decatur House on Lafayette Square: A History, in July. Timed to mark the bicentennial of the house in the president’s neighborhood, the book is the first comprehensive history of the house, its occupants, architecture, collections, preservation, and evolution from private home to historic site, as well as it

Presidential Sites Summit: August 27-30 - Includes Historic Gathering of Presidential Descendants and World-Renowned Speakers, Exclusive Tours, Evening Events

The White House Historical Association will host the Presidential Sites Summit August 27-30. The 4-day national gathering, themed “Back to the White House,” will draw leaders from presidential sites across the country - and from across the spectrum of the historical professions- reconnecting them with the domain that defined every presidency: the White House. The Summit begins with an opening cere

White House Historical Association to Unveil 2018 Ornament Honoring President Truman President’s Day Celebration Hosted by Truman Library Institute

The White House Historical Association will unveil the Official 2018 White House Christmas Ornament, honoring the presidency of Harry S. Truman, during a President’s Day celebration held by the Truman Library Institute in President Truman’s hometown of Independence, Missouri. The ornament unveiling will feature remarks from Association President Stewart McLaurin and Director of the Truman Library, Dr. Kurt Graham. Duri