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The White House Grounds began as approximately 85 acres of land chosen by George Washington and were cultivated by garden-loving President Thomas Jefferson. These shifting grounds around the Executive Mansion have seen retaining walls, green houses, vegetable gardens, and beautiful flowers. Changes to the landscape came in long intervals and evolved to fit the era and the needs of the residents.
For thousands of years before construction of the White House began in 1792, Native Americans, including the Nacotchtank (also referred to as the Anacostan) and Piscataway people, lived in the region that is now Washington, D.C. As the United States expanded westward throughout the 1800s, thousands of Native Americans were forced from their ancestral lands. Presidents played a significant role
In several ways, James Hoban’s life resembles the classic immigrant success story. Born to a modest family in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Hoban studied at the Dublin Society School of Architectural Drawing before seeking greater opportunities abroad. He arrived in the new United States by 1785 and was settled in Charleston, South Carolina, by 1787, where he and his business partner Pierce Pu
Uncovering the lives of enslaved people poses many challenges. Because enslaved people were denied the right of literacy, as a result, most did not leave behind written records of their lives or experiences. The enslaved were also treated as commodities to be bought and sold, rather than as human beings, further excluding their thoughts and voices from the record. Therefore,
At the end of World War I, over 200,000 wounded soldiers returned home to the United States. To help these veterans cope with their physical and psychological injuries, post-war presidents hosted annual garden parties at the White House. These events took place on the South Lawn and included wounded veterans from local military and naval hospitals. The veterans, along with their
Benjamin Banneker, a free African-American man living in a slave state in the eighteenth century, never knew the weight of iron shackles or the crack of an overseer’s whip. A native of Baltimore County, Maryland, his experience diverged from those of most African Americans living in the early United States. He received a formal education during his youth, maintained hi
This video showcases the afternoon session of the White House Gardens Symposium on May 2, 2019. The White House Gardens Symposium was a day-long event, hosted by the White House Historical Association and Rachel Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden Foundation, featuring the history and development of the White House gardens, specifically the West and East Gardens. This informative gathering brought together experts in
This video showcases the luncheon speaker of the White House Gardens Symposium on May 2, 2019. The White House Gardens Symposium was a day-long event, hosted by the White House Historical Association and Rachel Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden Foundation, featuring the history and development of the White House gardens, specifically the West and East Gardens. This informative gathering brought together experts in
This video showcases the morning session of the White House Gardens Symposium on May 2, 2019. The White House Gardens Symposium was a day-long event, hosted by the White House Historical Association and Rachel Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden Foundation, featuring the history and development of the White House gardens, specifically the West and East Gardens. This informative gathering brought together experts in
