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White House 200th Anniversary Dinner 11/9/00 [1]
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White House 200th Anniversary Dinner 11/9/00 [1]
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FOIA Number:
2006-0467-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting
Series/Staff Member:
Jeff Shesol
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
21462
FolderID:
Folder Title:
White House 200th Anniversary Dinner 11/9/00 [1]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
S
91
6
10
2
Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
001. note
Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
11/2000
P6/b(6)
002. note
Phone Numbers. [partial] (1 page)
11/2/2000
P6/b(6)
003. note
Attached to e-mail. Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
10/30/2000
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Jeff Shesol
OA/Box Number: 21462
FOLDER TITLE:
White House 200th Anniversary Dinner 11/9/00 [1]
2006-0467-F
vz239
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - |44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - 15 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office |(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency |(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Rclease would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy |(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
COPY
*435590*
Final 11/09/00 4:45pm
11-11-01
50002
Jeff Shesol
'00 NUV H PM5:20
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT DINNER CELEBRATING THE
200ᵀᴴ ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE
THE EAST ROOM
November 9, 2000
1 rot budge Bud get
1
only 11-9-00 in
ma chene
Acknowledgments: Mrs. Johnson; President & Mrs.
Ford; President & Mrs. Carter; President & Mrs. Bush;
the First Lady; and let me also acknowledge two people
who could not be here tonight: Mrs. Reagan, I know, had
hoped to join us - but of course one of the things we all
admire about her is the loving dedication she has shown
to President Reagan, especially in these past few difficult
years.
Also: Sen. Robb & Mrs. Robb; Bob Breeden, Hugh
Sidey & members of the White House Historical
Association, who have done so much to make this
celebration possible; the U.S. Marine Band; Chief Usher
Gary Walters; and the many, many unsung heroes of the
White House staff who have made this place function, day
in and day out, for two centuries now.
1
[A little more than a week ago, on November 1ˢᵗ, we
celebrated the 200th anniversary of John Adams' arrival
here at the President's House. It's interesting to note that
during his four months living here, Adams held very few
dinners or parties like this one: there was simply too
much bitterness over the election of 1800. Well, I think
it's wonderful that tonight, amid the hard fought contest
of 2000, we can come together to celebrate what unites us
- our common history and our love of this house and all it
represents.]
I have been delighted just to sit and listen to the
stories that Presidents Ford, Carter and Bush have shared
with us tonight. It strikes me that all of us who have
served and lived in this remarkable house have
experienced so many of the same thoughts and emotions.
2
The feeling of profound privilege
the overpowering
presence of history and the knowledge that we are all,
in the end, short-term residents. (I'll try not to dwell on
the latter tonight.)
The stories we've shared tonight are personal
reflections, but also part of our national heritage. In this
and so many ways, the White House is a paradox: It is
the President's home, but also the people's house. It is a
historic treasure, but also a living, changing place. It
gives quiet refuge to a single family, and functions, at the
same time, as the face that America shows the world.
3
History tells us that, even as the city's planners
debated the final design of this house, masons laid its
stone foundations more than four feet thick. Like our
nation's Founders, these men were building a monument
to freedom, and they wanted it to last. Over the course of
two centuries, this house has withstood war and fire and
bulldozers; just as its inhabitants have faced the sternest
tests in times of national crisis.
In this remarkable audience are former residents of
the White House, its stewards, and its historians. There is
little I can tell you that you don't already know. But I do
ask you to marvel at the history of this one room alone,
and how it tells the story of America.
4
The East Room began, as many of you know, as the
Adams' laundry room, criss-crossed by clothes lines but
otherwise empty. It was here, soon after, that President
Jefferson unrolled maps of a bountiful continent, to plan
the Lewis and Clark expedition. It was here that
President Lincoln introduced his new general-in-chief,
Ulysses S. Grant, to well-wishers so enthusiastic that the
General had to stand on a sofa to avoid being trampled. It
was here, more tragically, that Lincoln lay in state; and
here, a century later, that President Johnson signed the
Civil Rights Act, to further the freedoms that Lincoln died
for. In this same room, nearly 25 years ago, Gerald Ford
took the oath of office and was sworn in as President.
5
In these two hundred years, the White House has also
been home to 40 Presidents and their families - including
mine. For me, every day here has been an honor. From
mornings with my family in the Solarium
to
evenings
alone in the Treaty Room, which serves as my study and,
so often over the years, as my sanctuary. It has been a
thrill simply to work at the desk in the Treaty Room - the
grand walnut table used by President Grant and his
Cabinet; by you, President Carter, in signing the Camp
David accords; and, six years ago, by Yitzhak Rabin of
Israel and King Hussein of Jordan in ending the state of
war between their two nations.
6
Hillary and I have loved this house. It is where our
daughter, Chelsea, has grown up; it is where we have
spent our most precious moments with family and friends.
We will be forever grateful to the American people for
letting us make it our home for nearly eight years.
Hillary, as many of you know, has taken an active
interest in saving America's treasures, and regards the
White House as one of our greatest treasures of all. From
the day we moved in, she has devoted herself to
preserving the White House itself, overseeing everything
from the restoration of public rooms to the selection of the
bicentennial china which flatters our tables tonight.
7
I thank her especially for installing sculpture in the
Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, and for her vision of the
White House as a living museum, a showcase for the full
diversity of our national culture. Hillary has significantly
expanded the White House Endowment Fund - which
Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Bush helped create - to preserve the
house and its collections, so that all future visitors will
better understand our nation's past.
Soon, some of us will be part of that past. And when
I leave here - as you have, as we all must - I will depart
with a deep feeling of gratitude. For the White House has
never belonged to any one of us; it belongs to all of us. It
is the American people who have granted us the privilege
to walk these corridors, to live within these walls, and I
know I will never forget that.
8
I think tonight of the words of an Englishman,
Charles Dickens, who visited this house in 1842. Dickens
attended one of the functions they called "Levees"; and as
he walked through the White House, listening to the
Marine Band play, he marveled at the crowd assembled.
Here is how Dickens described it in his American Notes:
"Every man, even among the miscellaneous crowd in the
hall who were admitted without any orders or tickets to
look on, appeared to feel that he was part of the
Institution."
We are all part of this institution - all Americans,
however humble, whatever our origins. That, I believe, is
the true majesty of this house. I thank you all for your
part in its history, and for joining Hillary and me in this
celebration. Now, I hope you will join us in the Grand
Foyer for a special, bicentennial performance of the
Marine Band. Thank you.
9
THE PM
11-13-00 3-00
Final 11/09/00 4:45pm
'00 NUV y PM5:20
Terry Edmonds
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
TOAST AT DINNER CELEBRATING THE
200ᵀᴴ ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE
THE EAST ROOM
November 9, 2000
Mrs. Johnson, President and Mrs. Ford; President and
Mrs. Carter; President and Mrs. Bush; distinguished
guests.
It has been said that an invitation to a White House
dinner is one of the highest compliments the President can
bestow on anyone. Well, tonight, Hillary and I would
amend that to say that an even higher compliment has
been bestowed by your presence here this evening. Never
before, in two hundred years of history, have this many
former Presidents and First Ladies gathered at the White
House. This is truly a remarkable occasion.
1
Hillary and I are grateful beyond words to have
served as temporary stewards of the People's House these
last eight years. The honor of living here is exceeded
only by the privilege of service to the American people
that comes with the key to the front door. In the short
span of 200 years, those who have been lifted by the
wings of history and set upon this place, have not only
shaped their times they have left behind a living legacy
for our own.
All of you, in ways both big and small, have cast
your light upon this house and left it, and our country
brighter for it. For that Hillary and I and all Americans
owe you a great debt of gratitude.
2
I salute you and all those yet to grace these halls with
the words of the first occupant of the White House, John
Adams, who said, "I pray to heaven to bestow the best of
blessings on this house, and all that shall hereafter inhabit
it. May none but the honest and wise rule under this
roof."
Thank you.
3
IntroSpect
ORM
SCANNING INSERT SHEET
REMAINDER OF CASE NOT SCANNED
Draft 11/09/00 4:15pm
Jeff Shesol
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT DINNER CELEBRATING THE
200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE
THE EAST ROOM
November 9, 2000
Acknowledgments: Mrs. Johnson; President & Mrs. Ford; President & Mrs. Carter;
President & Mrs. Bush; the First Lady; and let me also acknowledge two people who could not
be here tonight: Mrs. Reagan, I know, had hoped to join us - but of course one of the things we
all admire about her is the loving dedication she has shown to President Reagan, especially in These past
during these difficult years.
few
Also: Sen. Robb & Mrs. Robb; Bob Breeden, Hugh Sidey & members of the White
House Historical Association, who have done so much to make this celebration possible; the
U.S. Marine Band; Chief Usher Gary Walters; and the many, many unsung heroes of the White
House staff who have made this place function, day in and day out, for two centuries now.
[A little more than a week ago, on November 1ˢᵗ, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of
John Adams' arrival here at the President's House. It's interesting to note that during his few four
months,here, Adams held very few dinners or parties like this one: there was simply too much
bitterness over the election of 1800. Well, I think it's wonderful that tonight, only two days after amid
living
the hard fought contest of 2000, we can come together to celebrate what unites us - our (common
history and our love of this house and all it represents.]
I have been delighted just to sit and listen to the stories that Presidents Ford, Carter and
Bush have shared with us tonight. It strikes me that all of us all who have served and lived in
this remarkable house have walked these halls and experienced so many of the same thoughts and
the same emotions. The feeling of profound privilege the overpowering presence of history
and the knowledge that we are all, in the end, short-term residents. (I'll try not to dwell on the
latter tonight.)
The stories we've shared tonight are personal reflections, but are also part of our national
heritage. In this and so many ways, the White House is a paradox: It is the President's House, home but
also
but belongs to the American the people! It is a historic treasure, but also a living, changing place. It gives
is a quiet refuge for a single family, while oud functioning at the same time, as the face that America
shows the world. to
History tells us that, even as the city's planners debated the final design of this house,
masons laid its stone foundations more than four feet thick. Like our nation's Founders, these
men were building a monument to freedom, and they wanted it to last. Over the course of two
centuries, this house has withstood war and fire and bulldozers; just as its inhabitants have faced
the sternest tests in times of national crisis.
In this remarkable audience are former residents of the White House, its stewards, and its
historians. There is little I can tell you that you don't already know. But I ask you to marvel at
1
do
soon
after
the history of this one room alone, and how it tells the story of America. The East Room began,
as many of you know, as the Adams' laundry room, criss-crossed by clothes lines but otherwise
empty. It was here that President Jefferson firstunrolled maps of a bountiful continent, to plan
the Lewis and Clark expedition. It was here that President Lincoln introduced his new general-
in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant, to well-wishers so enthusiastic that the General had to stand on a sofa
to avoid being trampled. It was here, too, that Lincoln lay in state; and here, a century later, that
President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, to further the freedoms that Lincoln died for. In
this same room, nearly a quarter century ago, Gerald Ford took the oath of office and was sworn
in as President.
25 Wr.
more transfullif
In these two hundred years, the White House has also been home to 40 Presidents and
their families - including mine. For me, every day here has been an honor. From mornings with
my family in the Solarium to evenings alone in the Treaty Room, which serves as my study
and, so often, my sanctuary. It has been a thrill simply to work at the desk in that room!- the
over
grand walnut table used by President Grant and his Cabinet; by you, President Carter, in signing
the
the Camp David accords; and the same table we used six years ago in ending the state of war
years,
between Israel and Jordan.
by Yitzhale Rabin + king Hussein
Hillary and I have loved this house. It is where our daughter, Chelsea, has grown up; it is
where we have spent our most precious moments with family and friends. We will be forever
grateful to the American people for letting us make it our home for nearly eight years.
Hillary, as many of you know, has taken an active interest in saving America's treasures,
and regards the White House as one of our greatest treasures of all. From the day we moved in,
she has devoted herself to preserving the White House itself, overseeing everything from the
restoration of public rooms to the selection of the bicentennial china which flatters our tables
tonight. I thank her especially for installing sculpture in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, and for
her vision of the White House as a living museum, a showcase for the full diversity of our
national culture. Hillary has significantly expanded the White House Endowment Fund - which
Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Bush helped create - to preserve the house and its collections, so that all
future visitors will better understand our nation's past.
Soon, some of us will be part of that past. And when I leave here - as you have, as we all
must - I will depart with a deep feeling of gratitude. For the White House has never belonged to
any one of us; it belongs to all of us. It is the American people who have granted us the privilege
to walk these corridors, to live within these walls, and I know I will never forget that.
I think tonight of the words of an Englishman, Charles Dickens, who visited this house in
1842. Dickens attended one of the functions they called "Levees"; and as he walked through the
White House, listening to the Marine Band play, he marveled at the crowd assembled. Here is
how Dickens described it in his American Notes: "Every man, even among the miscellaneous
crowd in the hall who were admitted without any orders or tickets to look on, appeared to feel
that he was part of the Institution."
We are all part of this institution - all Americans, however humble, whatever our origins.
That, I believe, is the true majesty of this house. I thank you all for your part in its history, and
for joining Hillary and me in this celebration. Now, I hope you will join us in the Grand Foyer
for a special, bicentennial performance of the Marine Band. Thank you.
2
Withdrawal/Redaction Marker
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
001. note
Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
11/2000
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Jeff Shesol
OA/Box Number: 21462
FOLDER TITLE:
White House 200th Anniversary Dinner 11/9/00 [1]
2006-0467-F
vz239
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office |(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute |(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
BETTY
THE WHITE HOUSE
MONKMAN
WASHINGTON
62550
Audience has livedhere a studied here
Avoid the obtions
Eisenhower +
civic Rts Act
Ford sworn in in East Room
7 Presidenter have laid in state in rest Room
Hasnt been an event like this - 1st time ever
4 Pres (+ wives)
POTUS personal:
5 First ladies
living in old house
- constant work
SHARON
more 40 than any recent p
KENNEDY
- knows work involved
HRC role
66749
he chose to
lincoln ptg.
pust this
"The Peacematiers" (his on in office) a
selected Pres. Grant's table (also)
get pamphlet
John Brig. ben
(menn) for dinner
- Ensenhower+ wife
- Benj. Adams (7th gen
- coroline tennedy descendent)
- inda Robb sen? TBD
[001]
Neil Horstman
P6/(b)(6)
- exec VP aft WHHA
- mostly WHHA Board
- will put me in tonds w/ sidey
- committee for
presew. of bd.
Brief opening toast
- Historians
- Nat'l Humanities
HRC will attend but may nor speak
- untertainers
Be sure to sary someting about Reagant Naning
//
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
? 800-word post-election reflection for Wash Post
m prus.
67136
CAPRICIA
66342 Emily Feingold- asst.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WHHA
WASHINGTON
main#
NYT 11/2/00
737-0025
$1.78 renovatignbegan in 1993
and remarks:
Invite everyone into Grand Foyer
special selection for anniversary
last 4tm John
pog. (coe. Foley (din) will give remarks there)
POTUS will thanks - nothing special/
Max Doebler- Liaizon 62150 mil.office
John Adams created (see JP'4remarles)
(POTAG johe)
New WH china intro'd tonight
- purchase made by WHHA for bicentennial
Pole of private donour - Endowmentfund WB. -ref
cartect
FL - nonorary chain of presew. ete
Busk
- more "American" over time
- supervise even smallest details
- actists of this past c. (o'keefe, dek)
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
lt is The Ps use and the peoples use;
it is symbol and
it has been described as refuge + bunker + prison
privilege
It in all these things.
palare
has been
It its a refuge for 40 American families &
the face/dmerica shows the world.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Greatest gatheing of Ps + FLs
1800/2000 elections
FL role (+others) - clina
Endonment, etc.
short-term residents
work involved in living in an old house
SAT
WH greatest
Heanue of all
TOAST
unprecedented gathering
logan quose
Withdrawal/Redaction Marker
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
002. note
Phone Numbers. [partial] (1 page)
11/2/2000
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Jeff Shesol
OA/Box Number: 21462
FOLDER TITLE:
White House 200th Anniversary Dinner 11/9/00 [1]
2006-0467-F
vz239
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office |(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
THE WHITE HOUSE
speectwriters
WASHINGTON
Ford - Ridrard Norton Smith
P6/(b)(6)
Bush - James IncGrata
[002]
Bush office - Honston
P6/(b)(6)
canter people more remore try keii Harmon
Personal anecdores
404-420-5107
to
P6/(b)(6)
private sectify
P6/(b)(6)
[002]
Nancy reuningsmant scheduler
P6/(b)(6)
nex + to
THE WHITE HOUSE
Lincoln
shirley
WASHINGTON
Bedrooms
Her book -he - added much about treaty poom
me Redid map Poom, hought back last map
Burn marks
coming out coon
OEOB 101
I
Withdrawal/Redaction Marker
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
003. note
Attached to e-mail. Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
10/30/2000
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Jeff Shesol
OA/Box Number: 21462
FOLDER TITLE:
White House 200th Anniversary Dinner 11/9/00 [1]
2006-0467-F
vz239
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute |(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information |(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells |(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
Jeffrey A. Shesol
10/30/2000 10:39:03 AM
Record Type:
Record
To:
John Pollack/WHO/EOP@EOP
CC:
Joshua S. Gottheimer/WHO/EOP@EOP, Mara A. Silver/WHO/EOP@EOP
Subject: Adams
JP,
I believe you're the one doing the timewarp event this Wednesday Here's what I know.
We will not be re-enacting the burning of the White House. Unless W. wins.
The pre-brief will take place at the elevator in the residence (no kidding) at noon, and the program runs
from 12:10-12:30. The President will step out onto the Blue Room balcony, overlooking the South Lawn,
and the speaking program is as follows:
1) Director Stanton (of the National Park Service) will welcome everyone.
2) David McCullough will speak on Adams (since he is now writing a big fat and sure-to-be-bestselling
book on Adams) and introduce
3) POTUS.
What he says is largely up to you; Sharon Kennedy (of the Social Office, who has ownership of this event)
thinks he should talk about the White House itself and Adams' stamp upon it. He also has to call for the
re-enactment to begin.
Anyway, Sharon wants to do a conference call at some point today with the speechwriters for Stanton &
McCullough to coordinate all this, and you should take the lead here in directing the others
(understanding, of course, that McCullough is going to do his Adams shtick one way or another). So if
you could, please give her a call (6-6749) sometime this morning to set up the conference call.
In the audience will be members of the WH Historical Assoc. (up on Jackson Place; they should be
providing you with materials at your request); members of the McCullough family; and possibly members
of the Adams family (snap snap).
The press release will go out this afternoon -- someone in the press office named Erica is responsible for
it.
And lastly: I'll be doing the remarks for next week's 200th anniversary celebration, so if you wouldn't mind
keeping me posted, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
Richard Seale Richard Seale
Enjoy
Jeff
[003]
P6/(b)(6)
White-House
Stone Carving
BUILDERS AND RESTORERS
Lee H. Nelson
National Park 500
1 Department of the Image
they took steps to get the work underway even though
House and the United States Capitol. They chose this
no actual plans existed and no architect had yet been
stone primarily because the quarries were served by
selected.
water transportation, making the stone relatively
accessible to the building sites in Washington. Even
though it was unclear whether sufficient Aquia stone
could be obtained to meet their expectations, they
The Stone Problem
purchased'a quarry and began to extract stone for the
foundation walls of the White House. This work
In the late eighteenth century, large cities such as
commenced prior to the preparation of architectural
Boston, Philadelphia, and New York had established
designs or drawings.
stone industries, utilizing local or regional stone
quarries, with the necessary infrastructure to freight
the rough or cut stone by land or water. In
Philadelphia, there was a variety of local stone types
The Aquia Creek
to choose from, including marble in a range of colors.
Stone Quarries
Such stones were used in a variety of ways, including
fine architectural stonework cut for decorative features
The Aquia Creek sandstone used for the White
such as door and window trim, staircases, classical
House was commonly known as a freestone, meaning
columns, and fireplace mantels. Furthermore, stone
a stone that can be worked freely in any direction
carving was a well-established craft No such
because the grain or bedding layers are not sufficiently
large-scale craft or industry, however, existed in or.
pronounced to interfere with the splitting, cutting or
near the newly created District of Columbia. Much of
carving of the stone. In the geologic time chart, this
the stone used for architectural trim on eighteenth-
stone resulted from the deposition of sediments along
century buildings in Virginia and Maryland had been
the coastal plain in the Lower Cretaceous age over 100
pre-carved and importéd from England, such as
million years ago. It is principally composed of quartz
Purbeck or Portland stone. It would have been
sand, with pebbles and pellets of clay, all cemented
relatively easy to build of brick, as there was a plentiful
together with silica. This stone is easy to cut and to
supply of good clay-but the President wanted stone.
carve because of the soft cementation. Unfortunately,
The magnitude of the task-to build a large public
this softness also contributes to poor weathering. The
building of stone-must have been evident to all
quality of the stone will vary even within the same
concerned. Three options existed for obtaining the
quarry due to the amount of cementation present, to
stone. The first was to import it from England. This
flaws such as the clay deposits and pebbles, and to
was probably unthinkable for a building symbolic of
minute cracks that are sometimes hard to detect until
a new nation that had just broken away from England.
the stone is cut or carved. In color, the Aquia stone
Alternatively, stone could have been ordered from one
ranges from a tawny white to a soft pink with vibrant
of the larger American cities, but the logistics of this
streaks of rust caused by mineral deposits.
option were formidable. The third possibility was to
Aquia stone was being quarried from several
engage one of the small local quarries that supplied
locations in Stafford County, Virginia. Small quarries
stone for tombstones and building trim. The
situated on a 15-acre island astride Aquia Creek would
Commissioners exercised the last option, though it is
eventually supply most of the stone for the President's
doubtful they really knew the size of the job ahead.
Palace. Surrounded by tidal marshes and virtually
There were outcroppings of stone along the
invisible today due to the overgrowth of vegetation
Potomac River that had been utilized for many years,
and trees, the exposed stone faces on the island must
but never on a large scale. One of these outcroppings
have been rather prominent in their heyday when
was along Aquia Creek, some forty miles south of the
quarrying was underway. Although the Aquia Creek
newly created District of Columbia. The Aquia stone
is quite wide at this point, it is also very shallow. Only
was selected by the Commissioners for both the White
at high tide could ships load the rough-cut stone
2
blocks and transport them down the creek to the
operation, requiring additional labor, equipment, and
Potomac River. From there they could sail upriver to
transportation.
the new city.
The island had been acquired in the 1670s by
George Brent, and it remained in the Brent family for
generations. Another George Brent, a descendant,
A Scotsman Takes Over
deeded the land to the Commissioners in February,
1792. The extent of the quarrying operations at that
In April of 1792, a Scottish master mason named
time is not known, though local buildings are known
Collen Williamson was contracted to serve as overseer.
to have had Aquia stone as decorative trim.
His duties were two-fold. In Stafford County, he was
Presumably, the Brents had opened the several small
to develop and expand the modest operation at the
quarries sufficiently that both the quantity and quality
quarry in order to provide a large and reliable stone
of the stone was evident to the Commissioners. To
supply for shipment to the Federal city. In Washington,
develop the quarrying operation for the Federal city,
he was to supervise the laying of the quarried stone
however, the Commissioners needed a much larger
for the foundations of the building, once the exact site
Fig. 1 Aerial view of Government Island, site of several quarries that furnished stone for the White House. Located along Aquia
Creek in Stafford County, Virginia, about forty miles south of Washington, D.C., this tidal island is connected to the mainland
by marshy bogs and a man-made causeway. The present overgrowth conceals what was a rather extensive quarrying operation
in the 1790s. After quarrying, the blocks of stone were bauled to a dock, seen here jutting out on the left edge of the island, where
they were loaded onto boats, then floated down Aquia Creek to the Potomac River and shipped upriver to Washington. Thousands
of tons of stone were quarried and shipped from this island for the White House in the early 1790s. photo: Jack Boucher, NPS
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).
3
and design of the building were established. Without
appeared that they had reached good stone, the
an architect or a final design for the White House, it
quarriers used very labor-intensive techniques to free
was all rather chaotic at this stage.
relatively large blocks of stone. First, they chiseled
Collen Williamson seems to have been the right man
(actually picked) a vertical face on an outcropping of
for the job, at least initially. Sixty-five years of age, he
the stone which would serve as a working plane from
was an experienced master mason from the village of
which they could measure and begin to plan the
Dyke, in northeastern Scotland. Coming from a family
removal of blocks, of stone. Using hand-picks, they
of stone masons, he was accustomed to operating as
then cut two trenches four to six feet deep into the
a master builder in the traditional meaning of the term.
stone, perpendicular to the face of the stone and
Why he came to the United States at that point in his
roughly ten to twenty feet apart. To minimize waste,
life is not known, but it was probably for the same
these trenches were only about twenty inches wide,
economic difficulties that led other skilled craftsmen
providing barely enough room for a man to work with
to migrate to America during the next several years.
a pick and cut a relatively smooth surface on each side
It was likely that Williamson took over a sporadic
of the trench. Then a rear trench was cut behind and
quarrying operation with relatively low production.
parallel to the initial stone face, and it connected the
The few quarrymen at Aquia could not begin to deal
two side trenches. This last trench effectively created
with the needed quantity of stone. Initially; the order
a very large rectangular mass of stone that could be
from Pierre Charles L'Enfant (then in charge of laying
split into manageable sizes.
out the city and its principal buildings) called for
The quarriers then chiseled shallow horizontal and
99,000 cubic feet, or over eleven million pounds of
vertical grooves one to two inches wide between the
stone just to build the foundation walls! That was
trenches in the face of the stone. These grooves
roughly twice the amount finally needed, but L'Enfant
provided a plane from which stone blocks could be
had envisioned a much bigger building than was
wedged away from the main mass of stone. The
subsequently built. To begin this enormous task, the
location of these grooves or cutting planes depended
Commissioners hired "twenty five able bodied negro
upon the presence of veins or other flaws within the
men Slaves to be employed at the quarries."
stone itself, as well as the specific size of stone needed.
Williamson had to teach the slaves the task of
The operation required considerable judgement and
quarrying. The names of these quarry workmen have
experience. To split the stone away, a number of iron
gone unrecorded. We only know that they were
wedges were placed in the grooves about one foot
allowed a diet of pork and bread, with a daily ration
apart and systematically and uniformly driven into the
of one pint of whiskey for each man. Working the
grooves, splitting the large block into the desired size.
stone would be a long and arduous task, continuing
It was a very slow process, involving a tremendous
through the long hot summer days and the frozen
amount of hard physical labor.
winter months.
As soon as the stones were split into manageable
sizes, they were moved from the immediate quarry
area on the island. Derricks or cranes were placed
Quarrying The Stone
where needed to help lift out the blocks of stone that
had been split away. These cranes probably consisted
Williamson's task was to continue the quarrying
of large wooden posts set into holes cut in the
operation on the island in Aquia Creek, but on a much
undisturbed stone to support and steady the posts.
larger scale. Vegetation had to be cleared away to
They were equipped with large wooden pulleys with
expose new stone surfaces. Usually, the upper reaches
hemp ropes to provide leverage so the quarry men
of the exposed stone were of little use because the
could lift blocks of stone and set them in an adjacent
stone was damaged by vegetation, tree roots, and the
work area where the stones could be further cut and
continual splitting and heaving caused by frost over
dressed into the approximate sizes required for the
time. Using considerable labor, the damaged stone
White House.
surfaces were cleared away and discarded. When it
To reduce handling problems and to eliminate
4
unnecessary wastage later when the stone was
highly skilled stone masons needed to be brought to
delivered and worked at the job site, the final quarry
the Federal city if this house were to be built of stone.,
blocks were not much larger than what was ultimately
The first problem was more easily resolved than the
needed. However, a great deal of waste occurred at
second.
the quarry. Obvious flaws had to be cut from the stone.
Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State and future
The trenching process also created debris, as did the
President, had a life-long interest in architecture and
process of cutting the rough blocks down to the
strongly believed that the best way to get a
approximate sizes needed by the stone carvers.
distinguished design was to hold a competition, a
Weight and handling were factors of major
practice that was little used in this country but which
importance. Each cubic foot of stone weighed about
was common in Europe. Jefferson drafted newspaper
120 pounds: As a result, each stone that was quarried
announcements for two competitions, one for the
for use in the walls above the foundation was ordered
Capitol and one for the President's House, and
in dimensions corresponding to a specific use, such
obtained approval from President Washington. Dated
as for the wall, cornice, balustrade or other location.
March 14, 1792 and published in the country's major
The dimensions specified for delivery of stone from
newspapers, the announced competition called for
the quarry were only slightly larger than actually
entries to be submitted before the fifteenth of July and
required, reducing weight for shipping and handling
noted that there was a prize of $500 or a medal of that
while allowing for final trimming at the site.
value for the winning entry
After the blocks were cut at the quarry to the
James Hoban won the design competition for the
approximate dimensions, each was marked with
President's House. Born and educated in Ireland, he
identifying letters and numbers, and then probably
was working at that time as a house carpenter in
hoisted onto wood sleds and dragged by teams of
Charleston, South Carolina. For his award, Hoban
oxen down the hill to the stone loading dock at the
selected a gold medal and took the remainder of the
northeast corner of the island. There they would be
$500 prize in cash. Unfortunately, Hoban's original
loaded by crane onto small ships for shipment down
drawings and design have not survived. Hoban
the Aquia Creek and up the Potomac River, some 40
subsequently. modified the winning entry in order to
miles to the Federal city. Three sailing ships, the
meet the expectations and demands of President
Columbia, the Ark, and the Sincerity, were used to
Washington and the Commissioners. Pleased with
transport the stone. Each was capable of carrying more
their choice, the Commissioners awarded Hoban the
than 30 tons of stone.
job of directing the entire construction process.
Millions of pounds of stone blocks thus were
On August 2, 1792, President Washington came to
laboriously split out of the quarry for the White House,
the District of Columbia, surveyed the foundations,
cut to useful sizes, dragged to the water's edge, loaded
and drove the final stakes for construction.
onto a barge or boat, sailed to Washington, unloaded,
Excavations for the basement and part of the
and hauled to the stonecutter's workshop at the
foundations for a much larger house had already
building site, only to be handled several more times
begun under the orders of Pierre .'Enfant, who was
before they were finally placed into the walls.
locating the major buildings and laying out the city. It
is not known how much of these early foundations
were built or what changes were needed to comply
with the adjusted siting, but the work of laying the
Laying The Cornerstone
foundation stones, already delivered to the site from
the quarry, was far enough along to arrange for an
Before any stone carving could get underway at the
elaborate event to mark the "Laying of the
White House, there were two problems that had to be
Cornerstone."
resolved. First, there had to be a design for the
This event took place on a Saturday, the 13th day
President's House with drawings that would show the
of October, 1792, beginning with a parade. Starting in
appearance, the details and the dimensions. Second,
Georgetown, the Commissioners and Freemasons led
6
all the various workmen, commonly called artificers,
Efforts to attract skilled stone masons continued
to the foundations of the President's House where they
throughout 1793. Meanwhile, master stone mason
formally placed the cornerstone. Although its precise
Collen Williamson proceeded with work at the White
location has never been found, a newspaper account
House utilizing the few stonecutters he had and the
of the ceremony reported that the cornerstone was laid
additional laborers that could be trained. Despite the
at the southwest corner of the building. An inscribed
difficult work conditions and pressing schedule,
brass plate was embedded with wet mortar onto the
Williamson's crew did a very credible job, as evident
top surface of the stone. The inscription was as
from the finished stonework on the ground floor. All
follows:
the stones except for the bold projecting window
enframements were neatly dressed with hand-tooled
This first stone of the President's House
vertical furrows covering their entire surface.
was laid the 13th day of October 1792, and
in the seventeenth year of the indepen-
dence of the United States of America.
George Washington, President
The Carvers From Scotland
Thomas Johnson,
Doctor Stewart [sic],
By eighteenth-century standards, the White House
Daniel Carroll,
was to be a very large building, measuring 87 feet
Commissioners
wide, 170 feet long, and 53 feet in height, with
James Hoban, Architect
foundations five feet deep and walls constructed of
Collen Williamson, Master Mason
quarry-faced blocks of Aquia stone. While it was
Vivat Republica
intended to be an all-stone building, only the exterior
walls of the ground story were constructed all in stone,
After the ceremonies, the group marched back to
over four feet thick. Due to cost constraints in 1793,
Georgetown where they celebrated with an elegant
President Washington approved one story height
dinner, replete with 16 toasts honoring every con-
reduction and the Commissioners declared that the
ceivable interest of the participants. Ironically, the
exterior walls on the upper two stories would be brick
cornerstone ceremony had taken place even though
with a stone facing, instead of all stone. Yet even these
the final design of the house was still unsettled.
masonry walls were quite an achievement, measuring
Besides a stone supply, which was difficult to get
three feet in thickness.
in sufficient quantities, and the continuing revisions in
The magnitude of the project perhaps can be best
the building plans, the Commissioners faced an
understood by realizing that each of the many
additional problem that prevented work from pro-
thousands of stones in the outside walls had to be cut;
ceeding very far. Few stone carvers were available to
dressed, handled and laid in place. Even more
carry out Hoban's elaborate design; this was, after all,
impressive, they average roughly three feet long, one
an embellished stone building, one of the first in the
foot high and one foot deep, weighing about 360
land.
pounds. Some wall stones are even twice this length
Though the Commissioners had made earlier futile
and weight.
attempts to lure stoneworkers away from good jobs in
Given the quality of the stonework on the ground
Philadelphia, New York and Boston, they now had to
floor of the President's House, it is unfortunate that
expand their search and follow up on earlier efforts
we know nothing about Collen Williamson's crew at
to obtain skilled labor from abroad.
that stage of the work. About all we know is that
In January of 1793, the Commissioners sent letters
Williamson claimed to have started the work on the
to contacts in Great Britain, France and Holland
8th of April, 1793, and had it completed by the 7th of
inquiring about tradesmen, including stonecutters.
August of the following year-an impressive
With war in Europe, this was not an opportune time
accomplishment.
to travel to North America due to the risk of sea travel.
The ground floor was entirely faced with thick
7
blocks of cut and tooled stone, backed by rough-cut
directly. Reluctantly obliged in this respect, the
stone. In addition, the ground floor windows had
Scottish stone masons were allowed to follow tradition
molded architraves and bold rustication around the
and took on white apprentices. The Scots were more
windows. This amounted to 514 lineal feet of stone
flexible than English craftsmen, who were more
walling, twelve feet in height and four feet thick,
stratified in their craft and specialties. In Scotland,
which required that almost three million pounds of
stonecutters were also stone masons. This meant that
stones be quarried, transported and worked by hand.
Scottish stonecutters would also lay stone, which was
Despite this impressive start, the most difficult and
of particular value in the labor short work force in
skilled part was yet to come, requiring a team of
America. With the additional skilled labor and
exceptionally talented stone carvers.
apprentices now available to master mason Collen
In their efforts to obtain from abroad the services of
Williamson, work settled into something of a familiar
skilled craftsmen, the Commissioners authorized a
but very busy routine consisting of 10 hour days, 6
Philadelphia merchant named George Walker, who
days a week.
was travelling abroad on business, to search for
When the pieces of stone, ordered according to size
stonecutters in England and Scotland. In London,
and location for the White House, arrived in
Walker published a broadside to attract craftsmen to
Washington, they were hauled over land to the large
the new Federal city. According to the broadside, the
stone yard and sheds on the Presidential grounds,
Commissioners were offering the prevailing rate for
north and east of the present building. There, they
work and would pay the sea passage for stonecutters
were inspected for proper size and quality. Architect
to come to America, even providing an advance to
James Hoban estimated that one eighth of the stones
cover expenses while at sea. Single men were
from the quarry were not usable and had to be
preferred, but the same travel arrangements applied
reordered.
to wives.
While Hoban had designed the building, master
Walker's efforts met with no success in London, and
mason Williamson worked out the details and figured
he went on to Edinburgh some months later. This was
how to actually build the structure. A complex maze
a good time to recruit stone masons in Scotland; by
of stone work was involved as well as a tremendous
1793 a number of building projects had come to a halt
logistical effort. There were very few identical pieces
due to the economic effect of Great Britain's entry into
of stone, and little opportunity to mass-produce similar
the European war.
pieces. Except for the ashlar, which were the plain
In Edinburgh, Walker was successful in attracting
rectangular blocks of stone between the windows,
an experienced builder and stone mason named John
most stones were unique. On the south wall alone,
Williamson, who was perhaps related to Collen
approximately forty distinctly different kinds of
Williamson. In addition, six other members of the
architectural stone features needed to be cut: window
same masonic Lodge-Lodge No. 8-George
sills, window architraves with moldings and ears,
Thompson, James White, Alexander Wilson,
decorative consoles under the window. sills of two
Alexander Scott, James McIntosh and Robert
different types, window pediments of two different
Brown-agreed to come to the Federal city in America
types, carved support brackets under the pediments,
and work on the White House. From 1794 until 1798,
projecting pilasters that varied in width from top to
when their stone work ended, there were some 10 to
bottom, very elaborate pilaster capitals carved in the
12 stonecutters working at the President's House.
Ionic Order with scrolls, cabbage roses and leaves, a
Other known stonecutters from the Federal pay
full classical entablature consisting of a molded
records were Alexander Reid, James Reid, Andrew
architrave, hundreds of stone dentils and modillions,
Shields and Hugh Sommerville.
a crown molding, round balusters for the roof railing,
Even with the enlarged work force, the stonecutters
and cap stones. These are just a few of the examples
needed considerable assistance. Unlike other trades at
and some of the variations. Nor does this take into
the White House such as the carpenters, the Scotsmen
account the right hand/left hand variants; the special
objected to using slaves as hired help to assist them
conditions that only occur at the corners; the curving
8
Flowers, Leaves And
The more elaborate pieces of stone carving are
Ribbons Of Stone
comprised of designs well known to students of
classical architecture-in the eighteenth century as
The actual carving of the stone into delicate shapes
well as today. These more elaborate details, some of
such as flowers or leaves required the highest level of
which are illustrated here, include the following:
craftsmanship. While there are few views of such skills
Guilloche: a chain of interlaced curves around a
being performed in early America, the finished works
series of circular voids. Bands of guilloche appear
of art remain. Their beauty and vigor are marvelled at
under each window on the first floor of the north, east
and appreciated even after the effects of weathering
and west walls.
for 200 years.
Imbrication: a pattern representing the overlapping
The carver needed to plan carefully and to visualize
of scales. This decoration is used on supporting
the finished product. There could be no mistakes.
brackets under the window sills of all the first floor
Before taking a tool in hand, the craftsman had to plan
windows except for those on the north facade.
the approach to carving the pieces down to the most
Acanthus Leaf Brackets: carved brackets depicting
precise detail. As the unwanted stone was chiseled
acanthus leaves. They appear under the window sills
away, the delicate rose petals or other features were
on the north wall and the second floor windows of
gradually revealed This was sculpturing, a form of fine
the south, east and west walls.
art in every. respect The delicate carvings executed at
Console: a long carved bracket supporting the
the White House are a tribute to the achievements and
pediments of the first floor windows. The consoles are
talent of the stone carvers. Largely unnoticed for the
adorned with a long rolling acanthus leaf and a
past 200 years, they are truly deserving of the
flowered quatrefoil supported by a label corbel or
recognition and appreciation given to exceptionally
label stop of small acanthus leafs.
high levels of craftsmanship.
Fig. 12 No known views of the original stone carvers working at the White House exist. In fact, there are very few contemporary
views of any stone carvers at work on American buildings. This engraving was made from a drawing by the early American
architect William Strickland 1788-1854). It shows a carver at work with his chisel, tooling furrows into a piece of stone, a craft
technique used on the ground floor stone walls of the White House. Also seen here are the typical tools of the trade, including
the carver's workbench, square, level, hammer, pick, straight edge, dividers, chisels, trowel and frame saw (on the ground at
lower left). Also visible are typical specimens of the stone carver's art, including column capitals, bases, moldings, and mortuary
work. Lawson Scrapbooks, courtesy Library of The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
16
Griffins: mythical creatures resembling winged
lions. Two are centered in the inner arch of acanthus
leaves over the north entrance doorway.
Ionic Capitals: column or pilaster capitals (or tops)
decorated with scrolls, cabbage roses, eggs and darts,
and acanthus leaves. They are used atop all pilasters
and columns. In the center of the capital, the rose
petals are the highest relief carvings on the entire
building. Tilted toward the ground to give the casual
observer a three-dimensional view, the boldness and
complexity of these carvings are barely apparent from
the ground.
Ornament was not just limited to classical
architectural features. Common items became subjects
for permanent decoration on the White House and
Fig. 15 Detail in the stone brackets supporting the first floor
window sills on the south, east and west sides. The pattern,
known as imbrication, resembles overlapping scales. photo:
Tim Buebner, NPS
Fig. 16 A carved bracket under one of the second floor
window sills. There are 64 brackets of this design on the White
House, and while it might be assumed that they are all
identical, each is slightly different, individually carved by
hand and inserted into the wall. Since the bracket and the
Fig. 17 A typical carved console supporting the first floor
wall stone are one unit, a large amount of stone had to be
window pediments. Note the carved stone moldings that are
carved away to make the flat surface behind the projecting
part of the architraves enframing the windows. photo: Tim
bracket. photo: Tim Buebner, NPS.
Buebner, NPS:
18
made the mansion more American. These
with the United States Capitol, it was truly the finest
applications, include the following:
stonework in the new nation.
Oak Leaves and Acorns: features from the great
American forests were intertwined in the outer
archway band over the north entrance doorway. They
are also seen on the brackets framing the door.
They Left Their Mark
Ribbons, Bows and Swags: festive items of
celebration. Two swags festooned with ribbons, two
Pride, craft and self-identity have long been
bows, two large roses, hanging bell-flowers, oak
inextricably intertwined. Stonecutters were no
leaves, and a central medallion are a major ornamental
exception. Mason's marks, geometric designs
motif over the main north entrance doorway.
composed of triangles, X's, arrows, and lines, were
Additional carvings were made for the door and
carved into the stone to identify the work of the
window architraves, and considerable time was
individual craftsman. Generically called banker's
required in constructing the building entablature and
marks because similar symbols were widely used by
the extended roof cornice, which had over 300 large
merchants to identify goods and products, their use
stone balusters carved in the round by hand. The
can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Whether on
richness of detail and the fine quality in the carving
churches, palaces or fortifications, mason's marks are
was an outward expression of the symbolic
commonly found on early stone buildings in Europe.
importance attached to the President's House. Along
In America, they appeared on buildings and
Fig. 23 Typical carved stone balustrade of the White House.
Many of the original sandstone balusters have been replaced
Fig. 22 Many layers of paint had obscured the quality of the
over the years (mainly with Indiana limestone), as their
carvings around the north doorway until this area was
extreme exposure makes them susceptible to damage. photo:
stripped of its paint in 1984. photo: Richard Cheek.
Tim Buebner, NPS.
21
engineering works until about the 1840s, when their
masons who worked on the White House during the
use declined.
1790s, as well as the partial rebuilding after the 1814
In eighteenth century Scotland and England,
fire, and during the addition of the north and south
operative or working stone masons granted a mark to
porticoes in the 1820s.
apprentices upon completion of their training as a
Most of the White House mason's marks are neatly
symbol of the knowledge and worth of the new
carved on the back or hidden surfaces of the building
mason. In many cases, the granted mark was a
stones, unseen until the stones were removed during
variation of the teacher's or master mason's design,
alterations, or restoration work. During the extensive
providing a history and background to the future
renovation of the Executive Mansion in the 1950s,
employer. Registered and protected by the mason's
many mason's marks were discovered and the stones
guilds or lodges, the symbol became the individual's
removed. Some were distributed by President Truman
identity. The marks served a practical purpose when
to state and other Masonic Lodges in North America,
the extent and complexity of the work were measured
while a number of the stones were retained and the
to determine the costs to the owner, based upon
marks displayed in two reconstructed fireplaces on the
certain rules, that is, the specific charges for different
ground floor of the White House.
kinds of stone work.
Looking at the White House mason's marks is
Over 40 characters have been found and recorded
perhaps the closest we can come to identifying with
during periods of renovation and alteration at the
the person who carved the handsomely skilled
White House These marks are the signatures of stone
stonework. It was his signature, his claim to fame
I
Tx
Fₖ
T
3
PP
Historic
Modern
Fig. 24 Examples of the mason marks found upon the various stones at the White House during the renovation and restoration
work. Over 40 marks have been found. It has not been possible to date or link any of these marks with stonecarvers known to
have worked on the building in the 1790s. Carvers working on recent restoration have left their own marks. illustration: Tim
Buebner, NPS.
22
Andrew Jackson
173
daytime to the low area beyond the south fence to graze: Late in the
afternoon they were driven to the stalls in the west colonnade where they
were milked, then, for fear of thieves, locked up for the night. Hog and
8
cattle stealing were common crimes in the federal city.¹
It should be remembered that at this time the house itself still ap-
peared unfinished. The north portico described earlier had not been
built; the place from which its pediment would project was a hole closed
Democracy
up with rough boards. Plaster had never been applied to the exterior
walls of the wings. Raw lathing was exposed in the colonnades. When
Van Rensselaer's committee located the original drawings of the White
House at Hoban's, they ordered construction to begin at once on the
north portico. Soon Hoban appeared before them with a plan including
an elevation for a new stable and coach house at the end of the west
wing. This the committee judged too large, for they feared it would cry
out for a duplicate to balance it on the east. The proposal is of passing
interest, for Leinster House had such a stable complex set to the right of
T
he federal city awaited the arrival of Jackson. General
the principal block. Hoban may well have turned again to his Irish
Van Rensselaer, at 65, was soon to end his years of serv-
model, after 40 years.
ice in the House of Representatives, and he planned to
The stable plan was tabled when the committee decided to accom-
retire at home in Albany. At the last minute he became concerned about
modate the livestock away from the house. Other projects received im-
the condition of the house that was to receive Andrew Jackson and took.
mediate attention: The East Room had never been properly furnished,
steps to improve it. The reason for his sudden interest can only be sup-
though Monroe had bought some chairs and sofas for it; Adams acquired
posed. Intimate with many prominent New York Jacksonians, he was
two small chandeliers and some chairs for the room, for which his politi-
exposed to their exuberance over the recent victory. In glorifying their
cal enemies had attacked him. It remained nevertheless a big, unpainted
President, the White House was an obvious place to begin.
space. Van Rensselaer and his committee decided to have it done up in
style for Andrew Jackson, so they obtained the necessary appropriation.
Preparing for the Hero
The Committee on Public Buildings was remarkably innovative in
its work. It considered piping running water into the White House from
Van Rensselaer asked Charles Bulfinch to make a full report to the
the springs at Franklin Square. This was for fire protection, not conven-
Committee on Public Buildings on the condition of the President's
ience to the household; a fire engine, purchased by Monroe, was kept
House. On receipt of the report in January 1829 the committee rendered
with the White House coaches. Another important effort of the commit-
an immediate verdict: What had been a palace for John Quincy Adams
tee was to try to light the White House, the Capitol, and Pennsyl
was too shabby and run down for the hero-president to occupy. Treasury
Avenue with gas. While gas lighting was rare in the United States in
clerks who came in every day from the country had been allowed- by
1829, the best example in America could be seen on the streets of nearby
Adams to build horse stalls along the east fence of the President's garden.
Baltimore, so the members of the committee may have been familiar
These, together with Ousley's shanty toolhouses, were eyesores in full
with it. Oil lamp light was less than efficient in the vast spaces defined by
view of the windows of the state rooms.
the buildings and streets of Washington. Street lamps on Pennsylvania
The stable at the end of the west wing was well ventilated, but its
Avenue were filled in the morning and lighted at dusk, after which they
location below the windows of the State Dining Room was unfortunate
burned only four hours. Their light was dim and blinking; it took 20
Its eight stalls were not nearly enough for Old Hickory's fine Tennessee
gallons of oil each year to operate a single lamp.²
stock. Cows were also housed in the west wing, being led during the
The increasing use of chandeliers at the White House was evidence
174
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
17
that lighting there was as much a problem as it was on the street. The
between noon and three o'clock, and the general would be glad to re
need for overhead lighting was obvious in a house where crowds assem-
ceive them, but the black band around his arm was the signal that al
bled often. Lamps were dangerous when crowds were thick, for unless
interviews were to be brief. Margaret Bayard Smith wrote, "I never wit
they were set. up on mantels or shelves, they were likely to be knocked
nessed such a dullness, nay gloom as that which pervades society." Or
over. Sconces and chandeliers were the obvious recourse, but their can-
the one hand the old order was "sick and melancholy," and they had
dles dripped hot wax, and oil fixtures smudged the wallpaper and ceil-
packing to do. The Jacksonians were bursting to crow, but in earshot o
ings. Gas was cleaner, safer, and burned more brightly. The committee
the grieving hero they hesitated to make much noise. "A party must be
authorized a temporary gas plant to be set up at the White House for
grave and sober," wrote Mrs. Smith, "to be à la mode." For a moment
experimental purposes, so that some idea could be gained about what
mourning became high style in the federal city.⁴
gaslight would cost.³
Struck hard by his wife's death, Jackson spent as much time as he
Through January and early February the committee worked to ar-
could in seclusion. He and his wife had been the same age, 61, and had
range what it could, then inauguration fever took over. Most of the
lived many happy years together. She had grown fat in the contented
proposed projects, the gas system, plumbing, and others, were laid aside.
Except for repairs in the great kitchen-new stew-holes for hot water, an
remoteness of her plantation, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee,
but the politics of the campaign ended her peace and hastened her death.
extension of the range, whitewashing-nothing was done that could
She and Jackson were dragged mercilessly through verbal mud over the
have disturbed Adams in his last weeks in the White House. The north
shadowy circumstances. of their marriage. Jackson's enemies hurled
portico was commenced within the month after Jackson's inauguration.
charges of bigamy and adultery at the couple, accusing them of being
morally unfit for public position. The charges were not easily dismissed,
The Widower
SO the pain was unrelenting.⁵
Daughter of a great pioneer family of Tennessee, Rachel Donelson
The President-elect entered Washington quietly in a borrowed car-
riage on February 11, 1829, having spent the night before in Rockville,
Jackson had brought Jackson into the most powerful circles of that region
Maryland. Met by a committee of Washington citizens at the Western
in the late 18th century. They had worked hard, taken risks, and pros-
Market, several blocks from the White House, he was escorted up Penn-
pered; he had won fame. She knew much about crops, managing slaves,
sylvania Avenue to Gadsby's Hotel, where quarters had been prepared.
cooking, and remedies, but when presented with the prospect of going to
The "national salute" planned to honor his arrival was canceled because
the White House she had cried, "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the
house of God than live in that palace at Washington."
the official counting of electoral votes was still before the Congress.
Her bereaved husband had laid her to rest in their garden on Christ-
When the counting was done and the Jackson victory proclaimed, the
mas Eve 1828, vowing revenge on those who had slandered her. In
Washington Artillery was mustered on the Mall to fire a 21-gun salute in
honor of the electoral college and Andrew Jackson.
Washington he would take part in no celebrations. The pale, thin Gen-
eral Jackson, clothed entirely in black, save for his white shirt, was a
For several months the city had been filling up with Jackson sup-
surprise to those who expected a strapping man. He stood one inch taller
porters from all over the nation. Many of them were viewed with con-
than six feet, but carried only 140 pounds. Those of his clothes that
tempt by the citizens of the federal city, and particularly by society,
which felt it was out in the cold-or feared becoming so-now that the
survive fit a man with a narrow chest and long skinny legs: They seem
small, even allowing for shrinkage of the fabric over time. Portraits show
Era of Good Feelings was over. Washingtonians, however, have ever
been fickle in their political affections. Once Jackson arrived, his pres-
a face sagging and furrowed by wrinkles framed by snow-white hair,
ence became the fascination of the town. He was not unwelcome: Soci-
which was long and brushed back SO that it seemed to fly about him,
iridescent in the light.
ety was ready for a taste of the democratic court.
But there was to be no court, at least for the time. Jackson and his
There was a military magnificence in his manner; he rallied with
family circle were in deep mourning for Mrs. Jackson, who had died just
the expertise of a fine actor. Most of the time in public he covered his
frail frame with a long full coat, ablaze with gilt buttons. Outdoors
176
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
177
hypnotic, and could rise to Jovian thunder when he was angry. The
William B. Lewis, Jackson's old friend and prime errand runner, or An-
monumentality of the man, however, lay less in these realities than in
drew Jackson Donelson, who was Mrs. Jackson's nephew and who had
the legend he had become to the millions who had never seen him.
been reared at the Hermitage. Which of these made the necessary ar-
In private it was clear that Jackson's political rise had been planned
rangements is uncertain; Martin Van Buren called on Adams, with Jack-
and carried out by the advisers who surrounded him. He had a courtly
son's permission, and he could have brought up the matter. Adams's
manner, but little of the restraint that comes from political experience:
letter of recommendation for his steward opened the door for dealing
Although capable of noble and manly acts of generosity, he could seldom
directly with Antoine Giusta, but it can hardly be imagined that Jack-
raise his level of vision above personalities. He set great store by his
son's agents would have shown themselves at the White House without
private opinions of people, and he was often correct. But his frequent
the President's permission.
tiradés kept his advisers hopping. For in large part they had created
Jackson's incoming staff-if such it coùld be called-knew nothing
Andrew Jackson the President from Andrew Jackson the hero. But they
of managing SO large an establishment, much less feeding thousands of
would find soon enough that their President could not always be relied
people at one time. All of his servants were slaves who had worked under
upon to do their bidding.⁷
Mrs. Jackson's management probably for the better part of their lives.
President Adams sent a cordial note to Gadsby's regarding comforts
They were country folk. So for the time Adams's employees were kept
and arrangements in the transfer of the White House, and the note went
on, including Giusta and Madame Giusta, the housekeeper. The work of
unanswered. Jackson insisted that if Adams had not personally insulted
preparing for the inaugural day reception was left to them.9
Mrs. Jackson, he had permitted his party to do so. A second note recom-
A look into the busy streets was enough to indicate that the callers
mending Adams's steward, Antoine Michel Giusta, for employment was
at the White House after the inauguration would be numerous. Giusta
also ignored. Martin Van Buren was uncomfortable with Old Hickory's
set up three long tables for food in the East Room; not customary at the
performance, but Jackson despised Adams, and that was that. 8
White House, but his intuition must have told him the State Dining
By the last week in February 1829 President and Mrs. Adams had
Room would be too small. The steward mixed large quantities of lemon-
decided to remain in Washington. Wagons moved between the White
ade and orange punch, which he flavored heavily with whiskey. Freezer
House and a rented brick mansion on Meridian Hill, carrying their
after freezer of ice cream was produced, then transferred to metal
trunks and furniture and boxes of the President's papers. Late in the
containers and carried down long ladders into the cool depths of
afternoon of March 3, the day. before the inauguration, the Adams coach
the icehouse in the west wing, where it was packed in ice and straw
stopped before the north door, and all of the household but the President
until the party began. Coal fired the range. and the Rumford roasters
entered it and were driven to the new house. John Quincy Adams stayed.
in the fireplace walls for baking; the tin pans-which were on hand
behind to look over his garden as he customarily did at day's end, then,
in the White House kitchen in almost unbelievable numbers-yielded
always a devoted walker, tramped down the road alone to join his family.
cakes, pies, and breads. 10
Inauguration day dawned hazy and intermittently misty. A slight
The Inaugural Reception
chill sharpened the air, and coal fires warmed some of the rooms at the
waiting White House. Early risers found Pennsylvania Avenue already a
The President's House was abandoned to the Jacksonians. Like his
sea of people all the way to the Capitol grounds, where only the well-
father before him, Adams did not attend the ceremony that ended his
dressed and presentable were admitted beyond the gate. Those who
Presidency. About three-quarters of a day passed before the new Presi-
passed inspection were numerous. The Capitol was jammed with people,
dent arrived. Contrary to the legend that has him and his people rushing
its windows bristling, its terraces crowded, its parapet lined with the
on the White House unannounced, the house was more than adequately
younger and more agile spectators.
prepared. The process of transfer was undoubtedly well along before
Packed among the columns of the eastern portico were the Demo-
Adams moved out, although Jackson's aides may have kept this from
crats' female luminaries, with their bright "drapery" and "waving
him, lest he fly into a rage over cooperation with his enemy.
Plumes." At last the hero was there. He walked bareheaded in a group of
178
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
179
on the east portico, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds. Of that
unruly. In the oval drawing room, where he had retreated from his ad-
moment, Mrs. Smith wrote a week later that "the shout that rent the air,
mirers, President Jackson was pressed against the wall and began gasping
still resounds in my ears. "11
for want of air.
When the speech was over, Jackson was escorted through the Capi-
Jack Donelson and some others fought through to him and, locking
tol and down the hill on the west side to the gates that opened on
arms, created a barrier, giving him room. Slowly they drew him back
Pennsylvania Avenue. There he could not move until a passage was
through a window on to the south portico, then hurried him down the
hastily cleared through the crowd. He mounted his fine gray horse and
stair to the ground. Lifted into a coach, President Andrew Jackson was
began the slow procession toward the White House. The parade marshals
rushed through the gates and off to his quarters at Gadsby's Hotel.
surrounded him in a circle, two of them mounted, or there would have
Few realized that the President had left. The marshals, who did
been no moving at all. Even so, the trek to the White House occupied
know, no longer assumed responsibility, and no one had shown the fore-
the better part of an hour.
sight to call in a sufficient number of police. Masses of people continued
At the President's Park, the White House must have appeared to
to pour in from the streets. At about three o'clock Mrs. Smith and her
float on the mass of humanity. There were no big trees, those having
party rose from their naps and, thinking that the inaugural crowd would
been cut during the grading and improvement of the square and the
be smaller, went to pay their respects. "But what scene did we witness!"
White House yard; one wonders if John Quincy Adams's smaller trees
she wrote, "The Majesty of the People had disappeared, and a rabble, a
survived the day. People had pushed open the iron gates and covered the
mob, of boys, negros, women, children, scrambling, fighting, romping.
grounds. They were noisy but orderly, and the sea happily parted to allow
What a pity what a pity!"
democracy's Moses to pass to his door. 12
To draw people from the congested house, Giusta sent the servants
Jackson went to the oval saloon, where in Monroe's crimson and
out from the basement with washtubs full of punch, which they set on
glitter he began receiving the congratulations of the cream of his Demo-
the ground in the fresh air. Though a part of the crowd pushed through
cratic followers and the officials of foreign nations. This seems to have
the open windows of the oval drawing room and down the south stairs,
continued for about an hour, with the numbers swelled by prominent
the state rooms were still crammed with people of every character and
ladies and gentlemen, some of whom had journeyed far to enjoy this day.
every class. When the last finally departed, and when the gates were
The weather turned warm. People had dressed against the cold that
closed behind them, is not known.
morning, but in the afternoon, having walked in the sun from the Capi-
Three days later the local newspaper, the Washington City Chronicle,
tol and stood in its glare in Lafayette Park and in the yard, they were
wrote: "We regret to say that the President's hospitality on this occasion
hot. With apparent patience they awaited admission into the crowded
was in some measure misapplied. The disorder was considerable, as many
and stuffy house: At White House receptions heretofore, the stréam
were admitted, perhaps unavoidably, that certainly ought not to have
would have slowed and stopped after about an hour and a half. Not so
been there. There is something due to the dignity of the Presidency as
this time, and it only seemed to increase: When the elite vanguard
well as the character of the nation on such occasions." The chief source,
had passed, great numbers of people came who were readily termed at
Margaret Bayard Smith-no admirer of Jackson-declared that "Ladies
the time "rabble." They joined the push into a house that had once been
and gentlemen only had been expected at this Levee, not the people en
forbidden to them.
masse. But it was the People's day, and the People's President and the
Inside, the eager callers boldly roamed the shadowy interior seeking
People would rule
The noisy and disorderly rabble in the Presi-
Andrew Jackson. Within an hour of his arrival the shuffling of so many
dent's House brought to my mind descriptions I had read, of the mobs in
feet could be felt in the trembling of the wooden floors. The crowd
the Tuileries and at Versailles. "13
poured into the oval saloon through its one hall door; to leave the room
Soon recovered from the brawling afternoon, the town settled back
one had to go out the windows onto the south portico or through the
to normal. The White House seems to have needed mainly a hard scrub-
only other door, that into the adjoining parlor on the west, which led to
bing and cleaning; no damage was recorded. Jackson continued to live at
the State Dining Room. The tendency of the stream was not to goout to
Gadsby's and conducted business there for the better part of a week. He
180
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
181
maintained his mournful solitude. Meanwhile such possessions as he had
posts of steward and housekeeper paid well, the Giustas kept silent. 17
brought from home were unpacked at the White House. It was about
Time passed, and by degrees the house was cleared of the lower level
March 10 when the President returned there to stay. From the wall over
servants left by Adams. Always hard up for money, the free-spending
the mantel in the presidential bedroom upstairs, the portrait of a hand-
Jackson eventually realized that he could save money by replacing hired
some, smiling Rachel Jackson gazed down at her husband, her dark hair
servants with slaves from home. In 1830 the U.S. Census showed 24
veiled by a white mantilla embroidered with flowers. 14
people as being attached to Giusta, including his wife, maids, cooks,
porters, gardeners, stablemen, and the doorman. The number was about
Old Hickory's House
average for the 19th-century White House, By 1833 the hired staff was
hardly more than one-third of the 1830 count, the balance being made
After the boisterous send-off, the Jackson years in the White House
up by slaves from the Hermitage.
were relatively calm. The house was presided over by Jack Donelson's
Antoine Michel Giusta found the Negro slaves difficult to direct,
petite, brown-eyed wife, Emily, who was his first cousin and also a niece
for their master was always near and indulged them, never taking Gius-
of Mrs. Jackson's. She was only 20 when she assumed the duties of offi-
ta's side in a dispute. They shared his suspicions of the foreign steward.
cial hostess. It had been her wish to assist her Aunt Rachel. Standing
Like the other members of the household staff, those slaves who served
beside Rachel's coffin, Jackson had asked her to take his wife's place in
wore the livery established for some time at the White House: blue coats
Washington. She rose to the challenge, and soon wrote to a friend that
with brass buttons, white shirts, and yellow or white breeches. Maids,
she was determined to make the White House a "model American
who did not appear in the public rooms, used the long white apron,
home" for all women to emulate. 15
reaching to their hems at the floor. All the slaves lived in the house,
Emily Donelson was an immediate success. Although old-timers like
most occupying dormitory rooms with two or three others in the base-
Mrs. Smith found her less than proficient in the "useages of good soci-
ment or attic. Few of their names are known. 18
ety," she matured in her position, and had enough Donelson push to
The management of the house seems to have been left mostly to
more than get by. Reared on a plantation, and trained to perform as well
Giusta, although the long-established relationships between Jackson, the
as direct many kinds of domestic work, Emily saw that the house ran
Donelsons, and the Tennessee slaves made discipline a continuing prob-
well. So much among people, she became a keen judge of them, helped,
lem. Emily Donelson, nominally the mistress of the house, was either
doubtless, by instruction from her shrewd husband. She played an impor-
pregnant or busy with her social calling most of the time, so while she
tant role in the Jackson White House not only as hostess but also as the
can be considered a strong hand in the management of the house, she
object of the general's fatherly affections. 16
often deferred to Giusta. There seems to have been little difference be-
The Adamses had encouraged the Giustas to stay at the White
tween Jackson's entertaining and that of his predecessor, except that
House because they might remain for many years on salaries higher than
neither the general nor his family ever seemed particularly comfortable
they could earn in private domestic service. Giusta remained for the
with sophisticated social productions.
duration of the first administration. He and his wife bore Andrew Jack-
Dinner was abundant every evening, with usually a number of
son's tantrums, insults, and general peculiarities patiently, staying per-
guests. Most of the French dishes were put aside in preference for Ameri-
haps because of Emily Donelson. She was gentle and could work wonders
can country fare. More than one guest recorded the presence of a servant
with "Uncle." But the Giustas' loyalty to the Adamses was binding
for each person seated at the table. A Philadelphia man in later years
Frequently on a Sunday they would walk out to Meridian Hill to pay
described a cozy dinner at the White House, where he ate in the glow of
a visit to their old employers. When Jackson learned that the Giustas
many candles, with ample portions served of soup, beef bouille, wild
were spending Sundays with the Adamses, it made him angry. That
turkey ("boned and dressed with brains"), fish, chicken, and tongue,
Madame Giustal sometimes carried gifts of breads and tarts made him
salad, canvasback duck, and celery, partridges, sweet breads, and "old
furious. At the first confrontation Jackson conceded that it would be
Virginia ham." This was mellowed by a liberal pouring of wine. 19
permissible for the Giustas to see the Adamses now and then. Later he
For all the absence of details of Jackson's private life as President,
182
DEMOCRACY,
Andrew Jackson
183
what the White House was like in Old Hickory's time. The inhabitants
President's bedroom and his offices. In the center was the ladies' parlor or
used their rooms rather as apartments; doors to the corridors were kept
"Circular Green Room," where Emily Donelson normally received call-
closed. Bedrooms contained washstands, comfortable chairs, and small
ers during the morning. Richly appointed with silk window hangings, it
tables that could be used for dining. The family gathered on the main
was used at night during parties as a room for women guests; maids were
floor for meals, and guests came along. Official meals might require that
there to comb hair, mend torn garments, and perform other persona
guests have invitations. In the first few years, Jackson's days were fairly.
services. To the west of this was the general's sitting room, a comfortable
much divided between work and incapacity because of illness. He made a
family parlor; beyond it lay his bedroom and dressing room.
splendidly presidential appearance in public, but at home seems to have
Besides the President's, the principal bedchamber was: the guest
shown all his age and infirmities to those closest to him.
room over the north door, known as the Yellow Room. This had been
Surprisingly few details are known of daily life in the Jackson White
established by Monroe as a state bedroom, and existed as such until about
House. No one in the household kept a journal. Jackson wrote numerous
1850, when it was divided into two separate chambers, divided by. a hall.
letters but did not keep a diary. Jack Donelson was too busy to chronicle
The Yellow Room was elaborately done up in yellow silk, with handsome
White House life, being secretary to the President and head of a growing
mahogany furniture. Its usual purpose was less as a bedroom than as a
family. Here four of his children were born. The Donelsons occupied
ladies' retiring room, on formal occasions an adjunct to the Circular
three rooms on the northwest of the second floor, across the hall from
Green Room across the hall. For this purpose it contained dressing room
Jackson. They were protective of their and the President's privacy 20
accoutrements, including washstands and a mahogany "close stool. "23
Major Lewis wrote informative letters, but left only a few. He passed
The President's offices were also on the second floor, but when they
most of his time with the President, and the rest he spent outside; mov-
were put there is uncertain. The inventory John Quincy Adams had
ing among the various political circles in Washington hearing and seeing
made of the house after Monroe left names no office, although the room
and supposedly reporting back to Jackson. By virtue of long years of
east of the upstairs oval room was furnished with a desk and may have
intimacy with Jackson, he knew many well-placed people, and he was
served the purpose. Monroe did have iron bars fixed to some second-floor
also a born meddler. Since Mrs. Jackson's death, it had been assumed
windows, possibly to his office rooms, yet it is known that he often used
that he would live at the White House. His bedroom was on the north
an office in the nearby Treasury building. The first mention made of an
side looking out on the portico.
office upstairs was during the Adams administration, and it seems to have
The Donelsons, Major Lewis, and Mrs. Jackson's great-niece, Mary
included one or perhaps two of the rooms on the south front, running
Eastin, comprised the core of Jackson's circle in the White House. Many
east from the oval room.
visitors came from Tennessee to stay for months at a time, most of them
Jackson's office comprised a suite of three rooms on the south front,
Mrs. Jackson's relatives. Their idea of decorum and costume sometimes
including the rooms probably used by Adams. Each had windows pro-
seems to have embarrassed Emily Donelson. 21
stected by horizontal bars of iron. It can be described collectively over the
A more frequent visitor, and during long periods a member of the
years of Jackson's two administrations. Adjacent to the oval parlor, the
household, was the painter R.E. W. Earl. He had moved to the Hermit
first room was the large, nearly square "audience room," where the Presi-
age many years before, after the death of his wife, Rachel Jackson's niece
dent-received petitioners and other business callers. East of this room was
Earl had painted Jackson and his intimates as they were rising to national
Jackson's own office, today's Lincoln Bedroom. Here the Cabinet met at
political prominence. The portrait of Mrs. Jackson in Jackson's bedroom
efferson's long table, amid his cabinets and bookcases. Maps hung over
was by him. His flat, almost naive portraits, highly colored, evoke the
the wallpaper; an expensive rubber-faced oilcloth covered the floor,
frontier flavor of the Jackson age. Like the Hermitage, the White House
probably painted in a tile or carpet pattern; silk curtains at the windows
had an "Earl's Room," on the north front, over the East Room, today's
were crowned by gilded-eagle cornices, which Jackson purchased. An
Queen's Bedroom. Here he slept and worked, taking advantage, as later
iron "Russia" stove&stood in a shallow sandbox, its pipe piercing a wall-
artists would do, of the north light.²²
papered board that covered the large fireplace opening.
Family and business life centered on the second floor. The large
The third and last room was a narrow chamber on the southeast
the
184
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
18
White House water closets. Across the hall from this, Jack Donelson
the room. At the most the plaster walls were sealed with whitewash. Th
made his office in the northeast corner room, adjoining Earl's room.
four fireplaces had temporary mantels of wood.
Secretive about his business, he kept his office locked at all times when
It was a large and lofty room with floor dimensions of 80 feet by 40
he was away. 24
and a ceiling fully 22 feet high-so that it had been necessary to lift th
Visitors waited to see Jackson or Donelson in the central corridor in
upstairs floor level several feet to accommodate it (and this made the eas
full view of the family quarters. So offensive was this to the household
end of the upstairs two or three steps higher than the central and wester
that the President added glass doors to separate the office end of the hall
parts). Three tall windows admitted the south light; and three matchin
from the family part on the west. Business callers used the stair off the
windows faced the north. On the east the great "Venetian" window wa
entrance hall that Hoban had called the "back stair." The family and its
nearly as wide as three of the other windows combined, and one coul
guests had exclusive use of the grand stair, while the servants-and alleg-
pass through glass doors here and out onto the roof of the basement-leve
edly the famous "kitchen cabinet"-traveled the little service stair.
east wing.
Lewis meant to make the East Room modern. He took advantage o
The East Room
that relatively new convenience of the democratic age, the "furniture
warehouse," as a store stocking everything necessary for interior decora
Most of the details of the President's House fell to Major Lewis. A
tion was called. Matters in the past had been more complicated. Durin
friend of Van Rensselaer's, he was quickly in touch with him about im-
the Monroe rebuilding and decoration Sam Lane had gone to individua
provements inside and out. The north portico, commenced a few weeks
upholsterers, cabinetmakers, and small manufacturers, and had ever
after Jackson moved in, was completed in September 1829. On the vari-
employed an upholsterer to set up shop in the White House until his par
ous other projects, Lewis did not wish to wait. Van Rensselaer raised the
of the work was done. An American businessman living in France ha
money, and Lewis set himself to spending it. Wanting everything done in
shopped around Paris for Monroe's furnishings. Only a little more than
a hurry, the major bypassed Joseph Elgar, the commissioner of public
ten years later, thanks to more modern business practices, Lewis-with
buildings, and a Republican holdover. Elgar cannot have objected to so
certainly less experience than either Lane or Monroe in furnishing
minor an affront, since he must have been delighted at being overlooked
houses-made but one stop in fitting out the East Room.
in the Democrats' purge of the bureaucracy.
He contacted a Philadelphia entrepreneur named Louis Veron,
as
The principal change that heralded the age of Jackson was the north
cabinetmaker who had opened a warehouse in which he stocked tables
portico. Even though it was planned much earlier, it blended with the
chairs, beds, sofas, bookcases, wallpaper, curtains, and cornices, all sort:
newly fashionable Greek Revival in architecture, which bestowed on
of patent lamps, kitchen goods, stoves, carpets and carpeting, rods fo:
Jackson's age the temple theme of columns and chaste whiteness. It was
stair runners, washbowls and pitchers. Much of his merchandise was
by no means the first monumental portico on an American house, yet it
gathered from Philadelphia manufacturers. What he did not have or
may well have been the most influential. Even Jackson himself; in re-
hand, he assured his customers he could find on short notice. 25
building the Hermitage after its gutting by fire October 13, 1834, gave it
Louis Veron journeyed to Washington probably in August or Sep.
a colossal colonnade, replacing the generous two-deck porches that he
tember 1829 to survey the scene with Lewis. They devised a scheme foi
and Rachel enjoyed.
shifting furnishings about and adding touches here and there to give the
Major Lewis addressed himself to the interior of the White House,
Jackson White House a fresh look, without spending too much money.
taking personal charge of the decoration of the East Room. The comple-
Andrew Jackson had made too great a campaign issue of presidential
tion of the great chamber was a matter of practical necessity. All the
extravagance to risk similar accusations. The most money was to be spent
basic architectural work had been finished in 1818. The room was
on the East Room, with good reason, since its being unfinished had been
crowned by the frieze of mighty anthemia, with framing bands of smaller
criticized over several years.
Grecian ornament, all combined into a heavy cornice with a deep cove.
The Brussels carpeting on the principal or state floor was pulled up;
Some of these decorations had been gilded and accented with lampblack
perhaps the inaugural crowds had hastened its ruin, as Mrs. Smith had
186
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
187
waves of guests were not used to the polite custom of pulling off boots
of economy. Three "Imperial rugs" were purchased to protect the carpet
inside the house and putting on thin slippers. Since big crowds would
in times of heavy traffic.
continue to visit, Veron suggested abandoning the loop Brussels for the
The existing furniture, which had been made locally for Monroe
more durable Wilton weave. Though more expensive, it would meet the
and Adams-some 24 chairs and several sofas-was reupholstered and
test if rotated each year. Other modifications were agreed upon, Veron
given white slipcovers for day-to-day protection. New furniture from
making récommendations to Lewis and doubtless pushing his own mer-
Veron's supplemented these earlier pieces, including three mahogany
chandise where possible.
tables with black marble tops on which stood identical gilded lamps with
The only room decorated anew was the East Room. Shown the great
glass globes resting on classical figures of women. One of these rested
hollow space, Veron could only have found American analogies in hotel
beneath each chandelier. Marble-top pier tables were spaced along the
lobbies and ballrooms. When he finished his work, the East Room would
wall, dividing lines of chairs and sofas. Twenty spittoons completed an
be far different from all the other rooms, and not only for its opera house
impression of staccato rows and strict symmetry. 26
splendor. Even before the age had got going full swing, its character had
The finished room must have seemed luxurious and appealing. In
a bluster unmistakably Jacksonian.
the daytime muslin curtains softened the glare of the sun, so that the
That Lewis actually selected furnishings for the East Room is un-
martial boldness of the blues and yellows would not appear tawdry, and
likely. If he did pick them out, Veron must have had pictures or drawings
the light would not glare but shimmer in the watery glass of the chande-
or some sort of a catalogue to show him. Nothing was to be custom made;
liers. At night, with the lamps lighted, what today would be only a glow.
all was from Veron's stock, such as could be bought by any banker,
looked bright indeed to the eyes of the time; under the hazy lamps, the
steamboat captain, planter, saloon keeper, or merçhant with the money
brilliant colors were at their most effective. Surfaces of gilt metal, the
to pay. As the room's interior decoration took form in Veron's mind, he
sheen of the silk curtains, the bright swirls of the carpet, and the black
completed his notes, then returned to Philadelphia to assemble the
marble against the yellow of the wallpaper with its flat tempera-like fin-
goods. He created a room not filled with cast-off imperial finery from
ish must have combined most handsomely.
France, but one of the sort a businessman from Bangor might want, on a
Perhaps Lewis and Veron's success was nowhere more evident than
smaller scale.
in the ornamentation of the great arch to the transverse hall. With
When it was finished, the East Room seemed oddly native, a heroic
ready-made plaster decorations, they gave it a glamour usually reserved
interior composed of materials from the mainstream of American life and
for Masonic temples. From the arch now blazed gilded sunrays, spreading
enterprise. Its walls were covered in a lemon-colored paper, probably
spoke-like over the wallpaper. This heavenly spectacle was washed by a
French, trimmed with cloth borders, probably of blue velvet. Four new
gentle rain of golden stars, which, with the rays, caught the glowing
mantelpieces replaced the old wooden ones, all of fashionable "Egyptian"
lamplight and seemed to shimmer, the perfect frame for the entrances of
marble, black with brindle veining. Plaster centerpieces were fixed to the
Old Hickory.
ceiling in three places, designed like large sunflowers, and from them
Rearrangements in the other state rooms bear little discussion.
were suspended three great chandeliers of gilded brass and cut glass, each
Lewis ordered new curtains; Simon Bolivar's portrait was hung in the
holding 18 oil peg lamps with glass shades.
Green Room, and Monroe's gilded furniture was moved there. Washing-
Rows of "Bracket Lights," or sconces, holding five oil lamps each
ton's portrait remained in the Yellow Parlor, the present-day Red Room,
were attached to the walls, with astral and globe lamps provided for
which came to be known for some years as the Washington Parlor. But
nearly every surface in the room. Long and wide "French plate" mirrors
these splendors were not enough to satisfy the visiting citizens, who all
in gilded frames were hung on the four walls, directly across from each
wanted to see the hero. It was customary for Presidents to allow them-
other, carrying the eye infinite distances into reflected depths. Silks col-
selves to be seen by the public whenever they could. Jackson, in contrast
ored imperial blue and sunflower yellow were combined at the windows
to his predecessors, appeared to be nearly a recluse. Again and again the
in luxuriant Grecian drapery, falling from cornices adorned with the
doorman told tourists no, that the general was not well, or that he was
gilded eagles. This color scheme was repeated in the all-over carpet and
sitting with his Cabinet and could not receive them.
border
all
endless interviews with casual callers.
188
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
18
Andrew Jackson simply lacked the physical stamina to do so, although
not received either in society or at the White House, even though h
when he did see callers he received them with memorable courtesy. So
husband had been a naval officer of good family. Jackson presumab
gracious was he that the ladies and spinsters of the federal city made quite
knew nothing of her reputation, which had developed since his return 1
a rush on the White House in the first months of his administration, but
Tennessee. When his campaign manager, the widower John Eaton,
soon learned that the widower planned to remain a widower. On his
resident of O'Neale's, went in private to the Hermitage, concerned OVE
chest he carried in full view the miniature of Rachel, suspended by a
gossip about himself and Mrs. Timberlake, Jackson encouraged him t
black ribbon. At night he hung it on a table beside his bed.
return to Washington and marry the lady. The wedding took place a
To try to answer the public cry for a glimpse of Jackson, Lewis
O'Neale's on New Year's Day 1829, before the news of Mrs. Jackson
ordered his portrait painted. R.E.) Earl very likely did the job. This
death had crossed the mountains. 29
huge and awkward rival to Stuart's Washington seems to have taken no
Difficulties began soon enough when Eaton was appointed Secretar
longer to paint than from sunup to sundown. It was hung over the marble
of War, giving his wife Cabinet rank in Washington society. Mrs. Eato
mantel on the west wáll of the entrance hall. The hero was shown in
was ignored in the usual process of social calling among the women. I₁
military blue, draped in more braid and golden stars than the East Room
reaction she made a great show when entertained at the White House
itself. He was all symbol, andit was the symbol even most of Jackson's
bringing into full use her sharp tongue and considerable boldness. Oftei
intimates really knew best, not the man.²⁷
handed in to dinner by the President himself, she told him about th
snubs she was suffering. "She is as chaste as a virgin," he declared, and
Society and Politics
drawing a parallel between her situation and that of his late wife, h
became her champion. 30
Mrs. Smith believed that if the occupants of the White House
The more Mrs. Eaton pressed her case in public through insolen
wished to, they could "remain invisible and as much separated from
approaches to prominent women, the more she became the object o
social intercourse, as if on the other side of the mountains. '28 Presidents-
their scorn. At first the husbands seemed to be embarrassed, but officia
had learned early the dangers of this sort of isolation. On the other hand,
etiquette or not, their wives would not call on Peggy Eaton. Again and
involvement with the public also had its perils, if not carefully con-
again Margaret Eaton laid her apparent heartbreak before Andrew Jack
trolled. Trivial issues could become giant killers. The relationship be-
son. Angered, her defender put pressure on those closest to him, hi
tween the White House and society, official life and private life, is some-
Cabinet members, to right the situation. Their wives began to decline
times delicate, as Andrew Jackson found in the "Peggy O'Neale Affair,
invitations to the White House. Under the cover of this controversy
or the "Petticoat War."
pent-up political differences, subdued since before the campaign, begar
The political importance of this imbroglio was that it became the
to surface among the men surrounding the President.
catalyst for bringing into the open serious animosities and questionable
Meanwhile, a palace war was brewing. Next-door neighbors upstairs
loyalties within the President's political family, culminating in the resig-
in the White House, across the hall from the President, the Donelsons
nations of the Cabinet. The central figure in the affair-wherein the
and Major Lewis competed to be closest to Jackson. The Donelsons-
President rose to defend a woman's reputation-was Margaret O'Neale
like all Donelsons of Tennessee-felt that he was theirs. Emily Donel-
Timberlake, a rosy, brown-haired young woman, the daughter of Irish-
son, in a letter, referred to "that sycophant Lewis," and how she detested
man William O'Neale, owner of one of the most prominent taverns
him for using "Uncle" as she believed he did. The opening cannon of the
serving Jackson's followers. O'Neale had begun his career in Washington
first battle was soon to sound. It happened that Lewis's late sister had
hauling stone for the masons building the White House and later fire-
been the first wife of John Eaton, and Lewis and Eaton shared brotherly
wood for Jefferson's kitchen. His crowning moment had come in 1823,
closeness. Emily Donelson had not yet called on Mrs. Eaton. Lewis found
when Jackson had selected his tavern as his temporary domicile in Wash-
in this a point of departure against Jack Donelson, and soon enough,
ington. Both General and Mrs. Jackson had taken a liking to Margaret.
probably at the urging of Mrs. Eaton, President Jackson asked Emily to
By the time of Jackson's election, Peggy O'Neale Timberlake was a
call on the Eatons. 31
190
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
191
Mrs. Eaton's house, where, thinking she had them firmly in her hands,
regarded her as the major's candidate for Emily Donelson's job. Pegg
Peggy impetuously revealed herself and her motivations by ranting and
Eaton, ever more brazen, warned Jack Donelson that if his wife did no
raving, vowing revenge on those who had insulted her. She followed the
mend her ways she would be sent home to Tennessee.
Donelson visit with a letter in which she advised Emily on how a smart
The showdown came at last when Mrs. Eaton declined a White
woman might conduct herself in the capital. The icy response may have
House dinner, writing to the President that her being there would onl
been ghostwritten by Jack Donelson: "As you say I am young and unac-
give his relatives another opportunity "to make me the object of thei
quainted with the world, and therefore I will trouble myself as little as
censures and reproaches." Jackson ordered Emily to receive Pegg
possible with things that do not concern me.
"32
O'Neale Timberlake Eaton; Emily, with contempt for the bad-tempere
Even as this was written, the President of the United States was
and "meddlesome" woman, as well as heart for the feelings of the ladie
sending out a stream of letters of his own in defense of the lady in dis-
of society, began packing and soon had gone to Tennessee with her littl
tress, with Lewis fanning the fire. Mrs. Eaton called at the White House
ones. The President's loneliness for her and her children made him mel
as often as she wished in the fall of 1829, reporting on the latest develop-
ancholy; but she did not return for more than two years, when circum
ments. Jackson was wholly absorbed in the issue, showing his liability to
stances had changed and the Eatons were gone. 35
be influenced by those around him. He blamed Henry Clay, then turned
Jackson's relationship with his Cabinet wholly changed after th
closer to home on his Vice President, John C. Calhoun, whose wife had
session over Mrs. Eaton. Realizing that they were at odds with each othe
been particularly stubborn. With a Westerner's resentment of the ways of
and not supporting his viewpoint, he turned elsewhere for counsel, gath
eastern society, he determined to confront Peggy's detractors face to face:
ering what became popularly known as the "Kitchen Cabinet," an infor
The meeting took place with the Cabinet in the office on Septem-
mal group of intimates, including both Donelson and Lewis. They met a
ber 10, 1829, at about the time Lewis and Veron were planning the
a sort of ad hoc cabinet, in the office on the second floor. In the spring (
decoration of the East Room below. It was 7 p.m. Outside, the columns
1831, ostensibly over the Eaton affair, the members of the official Cab
of the north portico were partially built, rising section by section, stacked
net, including Eaton, began to resign in protest, the two final resigna
like stone checkers. Jackson laid before his Cabinet and several of Peggy's
tions being requested. At the advice of Van Buren, who had played h
accusers the results of a private investigation he had made into Mrs.
cards right and emerged on good terms with the President, Jackson the
Eaton's moral character, aided by Lewis, who had checked hotel registers
reorganized his Cabinet into a cohesive and effective body.
to find if the couple had traveled as man and wife before their marriage.
The verdict of the President was that the lady's virtue was that of an
Arrangements and Rearrangements
angel. He preached almost unceasingly to the gathering. The Reverend
John M. Campbell defended his own accusations, but the Cabinet mem-
With Jackson's political house in order, his health began to in
bers, both surprised and embarrassed by the President's immoderate con-
prove, and he settled into a comfortable pattern of living. The physic
duct, remained quiet. 33
renaissance was remarkable, for those who were close to Jackson feare
The news spread quickly over Washington, and was met with disbe-
him often near death in his first few years in office. One source of h
lief. Peggy Eaton basked in dúbious glory as, on a more significant level,
renewed vigor was his steady routine. At the White House he natural
heretofore concealed political conflicts within the Cabinet manifested
had far less leisure than in his years on the plantation, where someon
themselves in hostility between Van Buren and Calhoun. Within the
else, often his wife, had always taken care of the farm management whi
White House, at Jackson's elbow, the war between Lewis and Donelson
he did as he pleased. In his busy presidential years, he was forced
intensified, with Lewis still decidedly in the saddle. Andrew Jackson
establish regular times for recreation.
piped the players ever closer to the fire: "An indignity to Major Eaton,"
What he enjoyed most were his horses. He was a graceful, we
he said, "is an indignity to me. "34
seated rider; when he did not feel up to a ride, he took a drive in the lig
Late in the spring of 1830, Lewis, ready for the kill, moved his
carriage or the coach, behind the prancing team of grays. When he rod
daughter to the White House, into the stately Yellow Room. The coming
back straight as a board, he seemed to have burst from a portrait
of offensive tn the Donelsons. who accurately
equestrian correctness. He was impeccably dressed in a fine suit of blac
192
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
19
cobalt blue, or snuff brown, a touch of color perhaps on the vest. In cold
One table was for serving, and the other for seating the five diner
weather or in rain, he wore the broad-brimmed hat and the full cape that
"What attracted my attention first," wrote Lieutenant Caldwell to h
were his trademark. 36
father, was not the rich table service but "the very nicely folded Knapk
Changed times were seen in White House activities. The levees
on each plate, with a slice of good light bread in the middle of it
were so large that some people neither saw the President nor got a glass of
President Jackson asked a blessing, then the servants closed in, sa
punch. To be a guest at these events required no invitation. One never
Caldwell, "one to every man." The first course was beef-"Will yo
knew who might appear. It was a time of colorful frontier characters, and
have some roast beef? Some corn beef? Some boiled beef? Some be
such figures as Davy Crockett and Sam Houston were as likely as not to
stake?" When the beef was eaten, the plates were removed and ne
turn up shaking hands.
plates set for the fish course. That being done, "a new plate and the
The Marine Band usually played, seated in the entrance hall beside
some other dish. Then a new plate and some other dish. Then a ne
the columns. Receiving lines were long, and even in winter the heat
plate and the pies-then the dessert." And all the while sherry, madeir
from such thick crowds made the rooms stuffy. Sometimes the President
and champagne were poured constantly by the butler.
did not receive, but merely made an appearance. Before she left, Emily
The wine drinking extended into after-dinner toasts around tl
Donelson did receive in the Blue Room; after she returned from her
table, after the crumb-covered cloth had been taken away. "Then aft
self-imposed exile, Jackson and Donelson nearly always stood with her.
so long a time," Caldwell continued, "we rise from the table and reti
Levees may have been the most numerous public events, but there
again to the chamber whence we had come, where being seated and
were other attractions. In the winter of 1835 great throngs lined the
conversation in high glee, in comes a servant with a dish of coffee f
streets to witness the ceremonious arrival of a 40Q-pound cheese drawn
each of us." At seven the lieutenant rose: "With a hearty shake of tl
by 24 gray horses. Draped in bunting and adorned with Jacksonian slo-
hand I bid the Gen. Adieu-then taking leave of the other gentlemen
gans, it was a gift of one of Jackson's supporters from Oswego County,
retired quite gratified at the hosppitality and friendship I had recd.
New York. For two years the great cheddar shared glory in the entrance
Emily Donelson had not been in good health since her first chil
hall with Jackson's portrait; then, a few weeks before the hero left office
birth. She bore four babies in the White House. The summer journeys
in 1837, the public was invited in for a bite. The cheese was gone in two
coach back to Tennessee were always wearing. But when she returned
hours, but its odor and stain on the wide boards of the wooden floor are
her position as Jackson's hostess after the Eaton affair, she seemed wo
said to have remained for several years. 37
off than ever. In 1834 it became clear that she was seriously ill. Even
At weekly "family" dinners Jackson conversed with the senators and
ally she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis, and she knew her di
congressmen, and Emily Donelson held drawing rooms in the old repub-
were numbered; she asked to be taken home to the fine Grecian mansi
lican manner. A rare account of a small family dinner given by Jackson
Jack Donelson had built for her near the Hermitage. Jackson was rack
in December 1834 probably describes the usual occasion of its kind.
with anxiety, inquiring of every physician he saw, begging her to S
Marine Lieutenant Robert C. Caldwell, son of a prominent Ohio judge,
where the treatments might be more likely to save her. She did rem
was sent letters of introduction by his father when he went to Washing-
awhile, growing worse by the day. When she could no longer perfc
ton. The young man presented himself at the White House, and his
even the slightest social duty, she told Uncle she must go. Jack Donel:
references were on a sufficiently high official level to gain a dinner invi-
remained as secretary to the distraught President, seeing his wife when
tation a few days later.
could spare the three or four weeks it took to go to her in Tenness
He arrived on the appointed day at three in the afternoon, the
Emily Donelson died in 1836, and was buried near Rachel Jackson in
dinner hour. Ushered into the Washington Parlor, he conversed briefly
garden at the Hermitage.
with two other guests, until Jack Donelson and the President appeared.
Her departure from the White House in 1834 was a signal to
All were seated. After about 15 minutes the steward entered and an-
Giustas. There was no chance this time that the good lady would
nounced dinner. The party crossed the hall into the family dining room,
returning, SO: they submitted their resignations. Neither of them li
which had the blinds and curtains drawn against daylight and cold and
Jackson, his black slaves, or his temper. On their own they remaine<
Washington and opened an oyster bar, so successful an endeavor 1
194
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
195
they were able to retire after six years. To John Quincy Adams's delight
north windows. Clean-washed creek sand was sprinkled over the floor of
they purchased a nearby farm where they lived long and peaceful lives. 39
brick pavers to cut the grease and absorb moisture. That the fire in the
Meanwhile, Jackson found them impossible to replace, either be-
kitchen never went out was not in itself unusual, but it is interesting to
cause his humors had become too well known in the world of servants or
contemplate the continuity of this kitchen fire over the long haul of
because he offered too little money. Major Lewis thought in 1833 that he
history, as the Presidency passed from Monroe to Adams to Jackson, and
could flatter a hotel keeper named Brady into taking the job. But Brady
on and on until the advent of gas cooking at the century's end, when fire
protested that "neither he nor his wife has sufficient experience-
could be ignited with the turn of a handle.
particularly as it regards the furnishing and arranging the dinner table on
From the records it seems probable that Joseph Boulanger did not
large dining occasions." What was more, Lewis reported, Brady had
live at the White House. One can hardly imagine him not doing so, yet
three children and "before the end of your presidential term, he thinks
he was already well established in Washington, with living quarters
he may have one or two more." That was too many children for the
above his restaurant. Because most of the servants were Jackson slaves
steward's basement quarters in the White House. 40
who never had a steward at the Hermitage and were accustomed to deal-
A chef was engaged, and he took on most of the duties of steward.
ing directly with the family, Boulanger's presence was not required on
Joseph Boulanger, a Belgian, had a restaurant on G Street, and was
ordinary nights. His office was a large, square chamber in the basement
known as a fine "confectioner." He apparently pleased Jackson on every
which would one day gain fame as Roosevelt's and Churchill's Map
count, but particularly with his desserts, for the President was known for
Room. In it he had a desk and deep locked cupboards for storage.
his sweet tooth. The kitchen was extensively repaired to suit him, and its
The protection of the government's valuables-silver, silver-gilt,
production for the table was better than the White House had known for
gilt-bronze, and china-was a worry to all Presidents in a house so much
many a year. 41
visited by strangers. For Jackson the problem was increased, because in
The basement, with its long vaulted passage, had not changed much
1833 he more than doubled the size of. the silver tableware with the
since Monroe's day. Its walls were still washed in white or yellow; in
purchase of silver serving pieces from the estate of the Baron de Tuyll,
some places the brick floors had been replaced by wood, which was drier
late Russian minister to the United States. This French silver, together
and easier on the feet. Service needs and servants' sleeping quarters ab-
with the large quantity bought for Monroe in France, comprised quite a
sorbed all the rooms and extended into the east and west wings. Some of
collection, much of which survives today. Traditionally the silver had
the personal servants slept in the warren of small rooms in the west end
been kept in the basement room where the steward slept. 42
of the attic; these had steeply slanted ceilings and were lighted by dormer
Probably both because Boulanger did not live at the White House,
windows. Jackson's body servant slept on a pallet in his room, a custom
and because a doorman was on duty round the clock in the porter's lodge,
that seems to have begun early in the administration, when the general
to the west of the entrance hall, Jackson created a pantry on the main
was unwell. A slave nurse slept in the small corner room adjacent to the
floor, called the "locked pantry" or "vault." It was on the northwest
Donelsons' bedroom, and kept the little children.
corner of the house, a narrow room built during Madison's administra-
Those who lived on the basement level were white "undercooks,"
tion by partitioning Jefferson's old state dining room. In the reconstruc-
laundry workers, and general-purpose house servants. The windowless
tion it was made permanent, part of a two-room suite that served the
oval room directly beneath the oval drawing room was the servants'
President's secretary as living quarters. Jackson returned the larger of the
waiting room. Here was a table with benches and chairs; built-in cup-
two rooms to use as a dining room and made the smaller his pantry. 43
boards held supplies of all kinds; a glass door gave light through the arch
When Boulanger was not at the White House, the keys were kept by
beneath the south portico. Rows of spring-mounted bells connected to
the main doorkeeper, Jemmy O'Neil, a great favorite of Jackson's. His
taut wires ran along the wall, and when a pull on some unseen cord or
domain was the porter's lodge. With a window overlooking the north
crank upstairs set one jingling, the particular servant hardly had to look,
grounds, and a good perspective on the hall, he monitored the comings
for by experience he recognized the sound.
and goings of the public. The lodge, which has the appearance today of
Across the hall the kitchen was whitewashed over its grease at least
an office, was in Jackson's time fitted out with a bed, used by whoever
1
196
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
197
Beneath the State Dining Room, in the corner room where the
bed in the Yellow Room upstairs, and 100 yards of silk fringe was sewn to
Madisons had built the Pettibone heating system, was the wine cellar,
the curtains in Jackson's room.
which was greatly improved by Jackson. Barrel and bottle racks were
The upholsterers were gone by November, in time for the Presi-
built along the walls behind heavy wooden bars ("fences") which were
dent's return. Boulanger, faced with storage areas crammed full of useless
painted black. The cellar was dark, with a brick floor. Only the steward
odds and ends, called in the auctioneers Howard and Shortent. When
had the keys to the outer door of the wine cellar and to the gates of the
they saw what Boulanger wished to sell, they decided to make a produc-
protective fences within. Wine for meals, hard liquor for punch, and
tion of the event. Renting a room on Pennsylvania Avenue, they fitted it
beer for master and servant were kept here in great abundance.
with tables, which they covered with green baize, to receive the material
Despite the size of the White House, there was never enough space
from the White House. Boulanger checked off chairs, mattresses, curtain
for service. Laundry, for example, was hung up to dry in the corridor of
cornices and eagle ornaments, chandeliers, lamps, and a wide variety of
the basement, as propriety precluded its being hung outside, or even in
table items, such as decanters, bowls, dishes, and pieces of silver plate
the deep areaway on the north side. Except for the wine cellar, such
which were badly worn or broken. To enhance the battered collection,
storage rooms as coal house, meat house, milkhouse, and the like were
the auctioneers fattened it in the age-old way, with innumerable items of
pushed out into the wings. The gardener's living quarters in the east wing
their own. The sale was so successful that a second one, consisting largely
were taken over for such purposes under Jackson and replaced by a snug
of old window curtains, was held the following March. 47
wooden gardener's cottage.
Because it was being used more extensively than ever before, the
White House needed reorganization and expansion by 1833. The instiga-
Running Water
tor of this program must have been Major Lewis. It began at the climax of
Greater change took place in the grounds. Andrew Jackson put up a
Jackson's war against the Second Bank of the United States, at the com-
new stable building, added running water to the house, and at last under-
mencement of his second term in office. Through the stormy battles of
took an extensive program of landscaping, building upon what John
this war and the others waged against the American system, passersby
Quincy Adams had begun. Most of the work connected with these proj-
saw busy scenes at the White House-painters balanced high on ladders
ects commenced late in the spring of 1833 and continued for well over a
wielding whitewash brushes; freshly painted green blinds being carried up
year. In the case of the garden, the work became such a favorite pastime
to the south windows; canvas-covered vans arriving with wallpaper and
with President Jackson that it continued through the remainder of his
furniture; open wagons with balled trees and crates of seedlings.
second administration.
Two commissioners of public buildings took part in overseeing the
The stable was a necessity. To house Jackson's fine horses required
work of 1833-35: Joseph Elgar, in office until February of 1834, and
all the space in the west wing and overflow in wooden shanties along the
William Noland, a friend of Jackson's, who took his place. The commis-
western fence of the White House grounds. Accommodations were both
sioners found a capable lieutenant in Boulanger. He was a good manager
cramped and too close to the house; odors drifted into the open windows
who could supervise myriad projects; he knew best what was needed at
of the State Dining Room. Elevations for the new stable were drawn by a
the White House. In the summer of 1833 Lewis wrote to Jackson, who
Washington builder named William P. Elliott, apparently based upon
was resting at the Hermitage, "the Upholsterer has the House, at pres-
plans sketched by someone else, perhaps Jackson himself. It was built
ent, pretty much lumbered up, With carpets, curtains, &c &c. "46
outside the arched entrance gate on the southeast, and in full view of it,
The work on the interior was extensive, but it seems not to have
about where the General William T. Sherman statue now stands. Tall
altered the appearance of the rooms drastically. There were new lamps,
and wide, the stable nestled behind a brick fence in its own grassless
upholstery for some of the furniture, and some fresh carpeting. The color
yard. Constructed of bricks, it was stuccoed over, with Aquia stone trim-
of the Washington Parlor, which had been yellow since Dolley Madison's
ming at the windows. Six round columns of plastered bricks, with stone
day, was changed to blue, perhaps the rich bright Orleans blue that had
bases, formed a porch on the south front; its ground-level floor of stone
risen to popularity with the fashions of Louis Philippe's France. Pink
continued through a central hall. Stalls, feed room, tack room, and
198
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
199
this hall and an ell to the side. On the second level was a hayloft and
commissioner of public buildings, with the idea of piping the water to the
quarters for grooms and the coachman. 48
White House in "trunks," or wooden pipes made of drillèd-out logs "for
The stable was finished in late September 1834, when the stucco
the purpose of supplying the President's House and public offices with
was applied and painted. Once the transfer of horses and equipment had
drink and to fill reservoirs as security against fire.' Not until the spring of
taken place, the old stable was quickly converted into service rooms by
1833 did this intention take practical form. An engineer named Robert
the addition of wooden flooring, new partitions, plastering, and heavy
Leckie was given the work.
whitewashing. The whitewash helped kill the lingering odor of animals,
As early as the ground could be broken, in March that year, laborers
which must have been strong.
were set to digging three reservoirs, one at the Treasury, one at the State
In conjunction with the stable project, more suitable arrangements
Department, and the third at the White House itself. The completed
were made for the dairy COWS and the storage of milk. Big herds were
reservoirs were large, orderly looking ponds curbed in brick; one was
never kept at the White House, but throughout the 19th century the
between Treasury and State on the east, and the others were between
presidential household maintained anywhere from one to six milch cows.
War and Navy on the west.
Enormous quantities of milk were used in cooking, as well as for butter,
As the ponds were dug and the laying of pipe got under way, the
ice cream, drinking, and as a liquid base for various household cleaning
engineer. decided to substitute iron pipe for the wooden trunks. At the
formulas, paints, and the like.
reservoirs, stonemasons set bulky platforms or "pedistals" where the pipes
The old "cow house" had been in the west wing as far back as the
came to the surface. Water flowed freely through the pipes, which by
days of Jefferson. Now it was relocated, either in a part of the new stable
means of grading were kept on a decline the whole way to the President's
or in a separate building within the stable yard-the sources on this
Park. At the pedestals the water formed spout-like fountains that shot
point are unclear. There were two milkhouses, a main one which was
directly into the pools. Situated on the pedestals were pumps made of
part of the dairy, where a 25-foot marble water basin, carved by the aged
iron and trimmed with brass, protected by ornamented pumphouses of
Georgetown stonecutter Robert Brown, provided a shallow, tray-like
wood that looked a bit like church steeples. From the pumps various iron
cooler for the crocks of milk, and a smaller one beneath the floor of the
pipes led to the several buildings.
north portico, in the shadowy vault that spanned the areaway. This last
Leckie's system, largely completed by the end of May 1833, worked
was just outside the kitchen, and it was a holding place of some sort
this way: The motion produced by the splashing fountains kept the water
where milk was kept immediately prior to its use. 49
in the reservoirs from stagnating. A deep bed of clean sand laid down
Discussions about putting running water in the White House had
before water was introduced was the filter through which the water
begun- in the Madison administration before the house was burned. But
passed in its movement within the pool. While it seems simple, the
in 1833, water was still provided by two original wells located in the
system was complicated enough to keep Leckie on the job for nearly a
breezeways between the house and the wings: Both were covered with
year, working out the problems. The pipes from the pools to the build-
low brick domes, upon which were mounted hand pumps.
ings were buried in the ground. Since the pipes had to carry water to
In 1829 the Committee on Public Buildings had decided not to pipe
great heights inside the house, hand pumps provided the necessary pres-
running water to the White House, preferring to spend all of its appropri-
sure. A pump attendant who took care of all three reservoirs worked the
ation on the north portico. Running water was a convenience known to
handles at intervals, filling the pipes as well as the small tin cisterns that
most hotels of any size, particularly in their bathing rooms, and private
had been installed to serve each hydrant. 50
mansions in the cities often had it in the kitchen, whether it was fed
Initially the pipes reached only the lower levels, where they poked
from a spring, a well, or a cistern. Many dining rooms, including that of
through the walls, each capped with a brass cock or hydrant. Theoreti-
the Madisons, had sizable cisterns equipped with brass or iron cocks; the
cally, a turn of the handle brought the water forth, but this always de-
convenience of these was not SO much for drinking as for dishwashing,
pended upon the vigilance of the pump attendant, and the condition of
which was nearly always performed in the dining room, and for the
the pumps, which were often out of repair. The Treasury and the State
cooling of wine.
Department buildings had one hydrant apiece, in their basements. The
200
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
201
one in the main floor butler's pantry, where the dishes were washed in a
gardening. The responsibility of the public gardener extended not much
marble sink, and perhaps one in the kitchen. 51
beyond. the Capitol, the Mall, and Pennsylvania Avenue, where he
The beauty of clean, potable water, and the wonder of having it
primarily graded for drainage and planted trees. Most private houses had
available inside the house at the turn of a handle rather escapes late
walled or fenced yards planted thickly with fruit trees, the earth beneath
20th-century sensibilities. There was something especially lovely about it
them packed hard and swept with brush brooms. The larger houses, such
in an age that hauled water in buckets, that drank from creeks and wells
as the Van Ness mansion near the White House, had wooded parks
and, with good reason, feared bad water. As the pipes were being con-
where sheep grazed to keep the grass cut. Letters seldom refer to flowers,
nected at the White House, Major Lewis wrote to the President, who was
though often to vegetables and fruits. Within the White House in the
home in Tennessee, that the water system would be a "very comfortable
1830 the most conspicuous flowers were of wax, arranged in Monroe's
thing.' And comfortable indeed it proved to be, when the kinks were
porcelain urns and protected beneath large glass domes. Fresh flowers
worked out. 52
were the exception.
One luxury usually leads to another, even in the house of a chieftain
Jemmy Maher owned a nursery and also accepted a salary for his
of the common man. Very soon, either in late 1833 or early 1834,
a
official post. A Jackson appointee, he had come to Washington from
bathing room was established in the east wing to take further advantage
Ireland as a child, brought by his father, a refugee from the rebellion of
of the fine water supply. All that is known of the room is that it had a
798 Maher was a good businessman, owning in addition to the nursery,
hot bath, a cold bath, and a shower bath. Coal fires under large copper
a saloon, which in the terminology of the time was known as a grocery.
boilers heated the water. 53
He seems to have solved his labor problems by bringing young Irishmen
Major work on the grounds began in the spring of 1833, and was
to America, boarding them, and employing them on his various projects,
carried on until 1835. Since there is no source to indicate anything else;
including the public grounds. His household was of extraordinary size,
it can be assumed that the plan generally followed the outlines set down
having at one time 23 males between the ages of 20 and 40.
by John Quincy Adams, whose concept, in turn, descended from Jeffer
He worked hard, and often found relaxation in drink. Son of his
son through Bulfinch. A good bit of the work under Jackson was accom
rebellious father, he loathed the British and anything British, SO the man
plished while he was away at the Hermitage in the summer of 1833. The
who had beat the British at New Orleans was a natural hero to him; the
parties who conducted the work answered to Lewis, who, with his daugh
hero found this gardener an amusing man to talk with. Now and then
ter Mary Ann, remained at the White House, with occasional absences
Maher's drinking and his boisterous companions irked the commissioner
in New York and Philadelphia.
of public buildings, who complained to the President, who in turn con-
fronted the public gardener. But Maher found it easy to make Jackson
The Garden
laugh, and always got off the hook. 55
Work progressed through the summer of 1833 on both the north and
Andrew Jackson, farmer and horse breeder, shared the fascination
the south grounds, even though the money proved not nearly sufficient.
of his age with horticulture. At the White House he seems to have been
Between 61 and 65 laborers worked under Thomas Murray, one of
pleased with the work of the gardener John Ousley, first engaged by
Maher's tenants. "Graduating," or grading, was done on the south, and
Adams, for Ousley stayed on. In the work of the early 1830s he also
garden paths were laid out, topped with gravel. No plan survives to give
called in Jemmy Maher, public gardener of the city, who contributed not
us antexact description of the pattern of the walks, the location of shel-
only his experience at managing large-scale works, but also a portion of
ters or seats. Information on that summer's work comes entirely from
his handsome annual appropriation. He attended to the earth-moving
records of payment for materials and services. 56
and to the planting of trees, while acting as purchasing agent for new
The chopping of the earth with hoes and the dragging of the ground
plant material. Ousley, the flower gardener, remained in charge of the
with rakes made powdery clouds that dry summer. Draymen's carts and
delicate plantings of flowers and shrubbery, the general maintenance of
wheelbarrows contributed to the stifling, nearly nauseating dust that slid
the grounds, and the flower garden southeast of the house. 54
through the green louvres of the windows and annoyed the occupants of
202
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
203
intense heat and no rain, that the work was called to a halt. But it was
the vegetables. The division of responsibility suggests a broadening of the
unquestionably the lack of money, more than the lack of rain, that really
gardening program at the Jackson White House, a separation for the first
stopped the work. Most of the cost was borne by the public buildings
time of ornamental and edible plantings. It may well also pin down the
appropriation, and this had been drained after the destruction of the
date when the old garden-which Jefferson had located on the south-
Treasury building by fire in March 1833. So poorly did the new water
east-was redesigned and elaborated, and new ground was broken south-
system serve the fire fighters that the commissioner of public works,
west of the house for the kitchen garden.
William Noland, channeled most of his money to improving the water-
Most of the grading was completed in May. The driveway on the
works in the President's Park. Commissioner Elgar wrote: "the destruc-
north was placed in its present path, laid over with gravel and edged with
tion of one of the offices for want of water seemed to inculcate the
paved walks. It became a wide horseshoe, bordered by paved footways.
necessity of providing against a recurrence of the catastrophe with the
Within the north fence all the ironwork was painted black. The gate
least possible delay." By comparison, the work on the grounds seemed
piers and all parapets were painted white, like the house. There was some
minor. The commissioner asked Maher and Ousley to arrive at a figure
further grading, because drainage had been a problem during the winter;
that would cover completion of the work in the next year. 57
sections of the parapet were cut open as outlets for ditches into Pennsyl-
The main improvement to the White House that we know about for
vania Avenue. The ground was turned up and grass seed scattered. Pro-
the summer of 1833 was on the north front. Noland commissioned a plan
tective boxes were removed from Adams's trees on the north grounds, for
for a parapet wall with an iron railing. This was to run between the
now. The few that survived were of sufficient size to fend for themselves,
foremost four columns, along the perilous edge of the deep areaway-
even when sheep were turned in to crop the lawn.
heretofore unfenced-and all around the lawn that spread between the
The greatest advances were on the south side. By man, shovel, ox,
two branches of the driveway. Andrew Jackson unrolled this plan, took
and plow the surface was graded to seat the south portico on a carpet
his pencil, and made so many changes, Noland observed, that he had
lawn flanked by slopes that hid the littered east and west colonnades,
"more than doubled" the original cost. What Jackson wanted most was
where in the warm months many homely household tasks were per-
the straightening of the wavy, curving north fence built by Monroe. He
formed. The "circular road" was leveled and graveled, although no
also wanted the gates and piers moved wider apart-they must have
change seems to have been made in its path. The White House was not
seemed rather close company in so large a space. The commissioner
visible from the arched gate, but screened by trees as Jefferson had in-
completed the work as the President wished, even after the money ran
tended. Some of the trees had grown quite large. Beside the gate were
out, explaining that he could not stop halfway or "all the cattle of Wash
two weeping willow trees which were in Jackson's day called "ancient,"
ington" would assault the grounds. 58
dating from "colonial times. "59
The source of the new fencing near the house is not known. If it was
Because the flower garden on the east and the kitchen garden on the
not Paulus Hedl, who was still in business in New York, it was someone
west were fenced, the south driveway was segregated into its own open
who made railing that closely approximated what Hedl had put on the
grassy area apart from either of them. Jefferson's high wall, albeit crum-
east front of the Capitol in 1820. Low and heavy, made of wrought iron,
bling in places, was the barrier between this and what Fanny Kemble
the fence evoked the cornice in the East Room. It featured a row of bold
had called in 1833 "a desolate reach of uncultivated ground to the river.
anthemia seemingly outlined in iron, set within circles and running side
It was crossed in several spots by wooden stiles, which pedestrians could
by side, held together top and bottom by rails. This long Grecian border,
climb for an elevated look at the mansion. The popular pride of China,
ran the full extent of the north facade, apparently underlining the White
or chinaberry, trees were planted there in the spring of 1834. 60
House in orderly black. The evenness of this line echoed the now per-
It may be that the celebrated Jackson magnolias, the mighty old
fectly straight iron fence along Pennsylvania Avenue.
trees that gnarl up today as-high as the house and shade the President's
When there no longer seemed a possibility of frost, in March of
bedroom windows, were planted near the west stairway to the south
1834, hoes and shovels again cut the ground. Now there were two White
portico at about this time. No written record places these trees in Jack-
House gardeners. Ousley's time was given over entirely to ornamental
son's Presidency, but the legend began in the late 19th century. How-
204
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
205
surely they would have been sufficiently advanced from seedlings in
from the best nurseries in the United States, principal among which were
12 years to make their presence known. 61
the firms of William Prince & Sons and Bloodgood & Company in Flush-
The work done on the grounds in the spring and summer of 1834
ing, New York. These were also the largest nurseries in the nation. They
was the most extensive landscaping yet. Jackson's personal interest is
were examples of how Jacksonian enterprise, coupled with the advances
difficult to gauge. He had once hired a gardener in Philadelphia for the
in transportation since the War of 1812, had changed American busi-
Hermitage, an Englishman, William Frost, and as a planter he was pro-
ness. Although both had begun as local merchants, they had expanded
fessionally concerned with horticulture. An avid gardener, however, he
to become "national" businesses, with full catalogues supplying plant
seems not to have been. Van Buren, Vice President in Jackson's second
material to buyers as far away as Louisiana. Of the two, the Prince com-
term, was a gardening enthusiast, and in the early. 1830s toured English
pany sold more to the White House. At the Prince company Maher had
country houses and gardens, making extensive notes. King William IV
bought elm trees to replace Thomas Jefferson's short-lived Lombardy
had shown him his garden and retreat at Windsor, saying he loved it far
poplars on Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition he ordered more trees for
more than he did the palace. Possibly Van Buren encouraged the work on
the White House: sugar maples, elms, American sycamores, European
the White House grounds.
sycamores, red-twigged lindens, silver-leaf maples, oaks of all kinds, and
Various building projects were undertaken for the garden. Trellises,
the magnificent horse chestnuts, whose white, wisteria-like blossoms
benches, fences, a hothouse were built in the fall of 1834 by Bryan &
were for some years a Washington trademark. It was an age in which
Wood, a local contracting firm specializing in garden construction. A
ornamental trees were beloved both for summer shade and as shields from
"watch box" was built for a sentry, unquestionably in reaction to the
the sometimes bitter winds of winter.
attempt on Jackson's life made at the Capitol on January 30, 1835. The
Although most of the grounds were planted heavily with trees,
watch box was also a reminder that the south grounds, and particularly
Maher's notes suggest that few were planted on the southeast, where the
the flower garden at their eastern end, were for the exclusive use of the
flower garden spread over some two acres within its board fence. Some
President and his household. One reason very few descriptions of the
trees stood at the edges of the garden, but none in positions to impede
garden survive is that it was never open to public inspection. 62
the southern sunshine. The open, level garden itself was crossed by grav-
The acquisition of plant material was large, and Jemmy Maher
eled walks, which were flanked by grass borders. A daily duty of the
seems to have acted on his own most of the time. His main sources were
gardener's assistants was to take the gravel rakes, made in Washington
nurseries in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. He also attended
especially for the purpose, and pull the gravel neatly to the center of
estate sales when he learned that greenhouses were to be emptied and
these walks. This process did improve the drainage, but, like plumping
plant materials sold. The bills that passed into the records of William
featherbeds to keep them mounded, it mainly testified to the ready avail-
Noland's office provide a worthy, though general, overview of what
ability of low-cost manual labor.
Andrew Jackson planted in the White House garden.
Some of the garden's numerous trellises were specified as being for
Few bills in 1834, 1835, and 1836 are for vegetable seeds or roots:
roses. There was an arbor, the earliest mention of which is in an account
These were not difficult to find. Vegetable planting had been carried on
of Maher's in the spring of 1835 for "running vine trainers for Arbours.
at the White House for many years; beginning with the first Adams, and
The character of this arbor is not known, but the lone photograph of the
a part of the gardener's job was to assure a garden's progeny by taking
old garden, taken in the late 1850s, shows a long, tunnel-like. arbor of
seeds each season to root for the next. Cold frames were built for rooting,
wood, painted white, and arched over a straight segment of graveled
and glass bell jars were purchased in great number for the same purpose.
walk. Perhaps this was the same arbor of Jackson's time, or at least similar
In the winter one can imagine some of the south windows filled, as in any
to it. Other means of training and supporting flowering shrubs and vines
house of the day, with clay pots where seeds were rooting. At the White
were also used. Bryan & Wood made "2 Espalier Frames for Rose Bushes"
House this was William Whelan's responsibility. He occupied a a room
in the spring of 1834 and supplied more the next year. 63
in the west wing, where the stable had been, just adjacent to the vegeta-
Only spotty records remain of the actual species of the flowers and
ble garden which was his charge.
shrubbery used in the garden. Altheas, single and double, were used in
206
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
207
John Quincy Adams. Dwarf rose trees were introduced under Jackson, as
wood framing rotted in spots and glass panes were forever breaking.
well as boxwood "edging." Bills exist for more than 1,000 "roots" pur-
Latrobe's brick walls, however, and the lunettes, matching those on the
chased from the nurseries and at public estate sales. These could be either
east and west wings, remained sturdy until the entire structure was de-
bulbs or tuber roots, in the terminology of the day. 64
molished in 1859.67
Many flowering plants were undoubtedly acquired at no cost
through cuttings-people in that era of popular gardening liked to trade.
Pennsylvania Avenue
John Quincy Adams had acquired many plants for the White House that
way. When they pruned, gardeners might root portions of their clippings
As early as 1832 the local newspapers had taken an interest in im-
in the cold frame so that they could reuse them in their own gardens or
proving the public grounds, including those of the White House. The
trade them for other material.
National Intelligencer suggested that the south wall be knocked down and
Roses, the blossoms of fruit trees, such spring bulbs as hyacinths,
the lawn extended to Tiber Creek. "Within that enclosure," continued
narcissus, and tulips, were the flowers Andrew Jackson could see when
the Intelligencer, "there might be a beautiful lake, or a handsome and
he looked down from his office windows. That there were other flowers is
ornamental canal formed
nature has done a great deal for that
certain. On visits to the White House, Senator Thomas Hart Benton
ground. The canal or lake could contain a beautiful island, directly in
used to take his daughter Jessie along to see the President, and the mem-
front of the house, which might be made, by the aid of art, a little
ory of flowers lingered throughout her life. "I have the beautiful recollec-
paradise. The whole ground enclosed, from North to South, with an iron
tion," she wrote years later, of "stands of camelias and laurestina banked
railing, and certain offices that are within the present enclosure removed
row upon row, the glossy dark green leaves bringing into full relief their
at a distance not to be seen from the south front, would leave great room
lovely wax-like flowers. "65
for improvement. We then, in reality, should have room to introduce
In the garden an orangery surveyed the parterres through tall glass
ornamental as well as useful gardening within that enclosure on a grand
windows; it stood with its back toward Pennsylvania Avenue and the
and beautiful scale. "68
north wind. Very little is known of this structure, except that the shell of
Four years later, with Jackson's work on the garden nearly done, and
it was Latrobe's old Treasury fireproof vault, abandoned after the war and
the old Treasury a toppling skin of scorched brick, the Committee on
used for years as storage. It was turned by Jackson into a "hothouse," or
Public Buildings met with the commissioner and representatives from the
orangery, in 1835, possibly to house a sago palm rescued at Mount Ver-
President's immediate circle. Before them was the question: Why rebuild
non that winter, when Washington's old orangery burned down: When
the Treasury as it had been? All the old executive buildings were inade-
the White House greenhouses burned in the late 1860s much was made
quate, hated by those who had to use them. Why not level them all and
over the loss of a sago palm that had belonged to Washington. Jackson
replace them with one building that would house everyone? The most
had great affection for Washington relics, and he was the owner of the
convenient location for this executive pile might be either on Lafayette
general's desk chair. He had modeled his driveway at the rebuilt Hermit-
Park or on the grounds south of the White House.
age after that at Mount Vernon. 66
It seems to have been Andrew Jackson himself who disposed of both
The exact appearance of Jackson's orangery is unclear, for there is
plans. One alternative would have ruined the park; the other would have
no detailed drawing. A photograph taken much later suggests that it was
plugged the southward vista from the President's House. The President
somewhat like the one that had burned at Mount Vernon. It had a
would have neither. Legend has it that he walked to the ruins of the
similar tall central section for large tubbed plants-which appear con-
Treasury, beyond the White House garden. He took long paces to the
stantly in the records-with low, flanking wings. The middle part, with
south and made a mark with his cane. "This," he is said to have pro-
its great arched window, is in fact the orangery; the photograph shows
nounced, "is where it shall be." And there it stands. 69
the wings as they were 20 years later, with glass roofs. Greenhouses were
History has long abused the general for this act, claiming that he
not in common use in Jackson's time, and these were built in 1853. The
blocked the view of the White House from the Capitol, down Pennsylva-
carpenters' and glaziers' bills of the Jackson tenure show that the or-
nia Avenue. The truth is, in locating the new Treasury he rescued
208
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
209
executive complex. He has also taken an unjust beating with regard to
huzzahs for Andrew Jackson. The hero could not hear him and could
the view from the avenue. L'Enfant's idea for architectural terminations
only see the flags when Major Lewis pointed them out. 70
of the Pennsylvania Avenue vistas had died along with his presidential
Few Americans had ever seen his face except in pictures, and few
palace. General Washington had personally set the smaller house by
would have known him if they had seen him in person. Yet he was a
Hoban to the north, pulling it to the very edge of the avenue's frame,
rather familiar sight in the little city of Washington: He clipped through
where it was barely visible, and even so, seemed squat and unimportant.
the early morning on his horse, riding with Van Buren; he was the host of
Jefferson's sensitivity was understandably offended by the way the White
three-not the usual two-great public receptions each year, the new
House shrank back wretchedly from the commanding axis, so he cut off
one being January 8, a week after the first, to honor his own victory over
what little view there was with a curving driveway and dense plantings.
the British at New Orleans. In the last years he could not stand and
In siting the new Treasury building, Jackson really sacrificed noth-
receive at these events, but sat in one of Monroe's golden chairs, with
ing, but corrected an old shortcoming by giving Pennsylvania Avenue at
Sarah Yorke Jackson "in full court costume" close beside him, while the
last its architectural terminus. Robert Mills's design for the new Treasury
multitudes flowed by. 71
gave the avenue a colossal portico with mighty Ionic columns. Here was
March 4, 1837, he attended the inauguration of Van Buren and
democratic grandeur of which one can suspect L'Enfant himself would
returned to the White House, which was torn up with packing. On
have approved.
March 6, seated in his chair, he listened to a touching farewell delivered
to him by. the mayor of Washington. This was a courtesy that had been
Old Ironsides
accorded all Presidents since Jefferson, and the general had more to say
in response than most of his predecessors, thanking the numerous delega-
The hero of New Orleans was ready to go home in 1837. He re-
tion with great warmth.
joiced that Van Buren would succeed him, and from time to time, in
That same day at about noon he climbed into his coach at the north
anticipation of the terrible campaign, had considered resignation as a
portico to begin the 30-day journey to the Hermitage. The trip would be
possibility for assuring a peaceful continuation of Jacksonianism. Van
softened wherever possible by railroad cars and steamboats. On President
Buren consistently opposed this. At last the idea was dropped, and the
Van Buren's order, over objections from Jackson, the surgeon-general
general waited out the end of his time.
was going along. The coach that now rolled that sunny day through thick
Strange and moving images linger of Jackson's personal experiences
crowds, down the White House drive and into Pennsylvania Avenue
in the White House. Emily's death in 1836 had broken his heart. His
toward the railroad depot was a magnificent vehicle, presented to Jack-
adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr., married in 1831, and eventually
son by the "Democratic-Republican Citizens of New York City. It was
brought to the White House his beautiful wife, Sarah Yorke. Jackson
made of wood taken from the frigate Constitution, the "Old Ironsides" of
liked well-bred women; after Emily went back to Tennessee in 1834
the War of 1812.
Jackson grew very close to his daughter-in-law. The gentle Sarah Jackson
Every detail of the coach was luxuriously finished, the trimmings
and her children would be the light of an old age which might, without
silver plate. Its surface was polished to a lacquer gloss. On the doors
them, have been dark with melancholy and physical pain.
bright paintings of the Constitution, full sail, combined with the inscrip-
His health was poor. Most of the descriptions reveal an old man too
tion "Patri victisque laudatus:" In this dramatic phaeton the hero departed
weak to stand, at least for very long. A compelling glimpse of the gener-
the White House forever, sunk back against crimson satin cushions,
al's feebleness comes from the summer of 1834, when a gallant man
white, thin, weak, but leaving behind him the image of a man as eter-
named Nicholas J. Ash announced that he would ascend into the sky in
nally virile and young as the image in iron, on the rearing horse, that
a balloon in honor of the President. When the day came, the Mall below
would one day become the climax of Lafayette Park. 72
the White House was crowded with spectators, but Jackson was too weak
even to stand on the south portico. The curtains of his office were drawn
back and he sat in the open window. As the balloon rose in the air,