The Entrance The employee fixture at the door through the previous four administrations was “Old Edward Moran.” He was there when President Lincoln first came to the White House and he continued to amuse the President:   “He is intensely absorbed in something,…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Family Dining Room Family lunches and dinners were frequently held here when both Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln were home — and not at the Soldiers’ Home. According to bodyguard William Crook, “Mr. Lincoln ate heartily but not to excess; he was particularly fond of certain things, especially apples, and…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

State Dining Room The Lincoln’s White House entertainments were largely free of either real entertainment or extensive refreshments. Some small dinner parties were held mid-week in the State Dining Room. It may have been in the State Dining room where the Lincoln family and their guests sat down to their first meal… Abraham Lincoln’s White […]

East Room The largest room in the White House, the East Room was the site of major social occasions and other events such as such the funerals of Mr. Lincoln’s friend Elmer Ellsworth and President Lincoln himself. The Lincolns held their first “levee” in the East Room just four days after Mr. Lincoln took office. […]

Blue Room The Blue Room filled many presidential purposes. It was used by the Lincolns for social events, reception of diplomatic envoys, and as a waiting room for visitors seeking to see the President. When Prince Napoleon visited the White House in August 1861, an aide described the drawing room as… Abraham Lincoln’s White House […]

Green Room Mrs. Lincoln took pleasure in her redecorating of the White House — especially of the Green Room. It had been one of the centerpieces of Mrs. Lincoln’s work in the summer and fall of 1861. One of its major features was its purple drapes. She took no pleasure in subsequent events there… Abraham […]

Red Room There were three public parlors on the first floor of the White House. The Red Room — with a new red carpet installed by Mrs. Lincoln — was used by the President and his wife as the family parlor and a place to entertain close friends, especially after dinner. Mary Todd Lincoln’s historically-minded […]

Vestibule and Corridor From the North Portico of the White House, all visitors entered a vestibule and then a hallway which served many purposes — as an occasional playroom for Lincoln’s children, as a coat room for visitors, as a music room for social events. Tad once kicked a ball into a mirror in the […]

William S. Wood William S. Wood was the Interim Commissioner of Public Buildings at the beginning of the Lincoln Administration. Before the Civil War, Wood had been a hotel manager and a railroad official. At the suggestion of New York Senator William… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

John Watt John Watt was a talented gardener and dishonest head groundskeeper. Mary Todd Lincoln protected Watt from the accusations of others about his expense padding, just as he abetted her in misallocation of public funds. He quickly ingratiated himself with Mrs. Lincoln through his agreeable demeanor and daily bouquets. He accompanied the First… Abraham […]