Harry S. Truman Little White House

Last updated
Little White House
Truman Little White House, Key West, FL, US (05).jpg
USA Florida location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Harry S. Truman Little White House
Interactive map showing the Little White House’s location
LocationNaval Station
Key West, Florida
United States
Coordinates 24°33′23″N81°48′25″W / 24.55627°N 81.8069°W / 24.55627; -81.8069
Built1890
ArchitectScott, McDermott & Higgs; U.S. Navy
NRHP reference No. 74000652 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 12, 1974

The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida was the winter White House for President Harry S. Truman for 175 days during 11 visits. The house is located in the Truman Annex neighborhood of Old Town, Key West.

Contents

History

The house was originally on the waterfront when it was built in 1890 as the first officer's quarters on the U.S. naval station. The house was designed in 1889 by Scott, McDermott & Higgs, a local architectural firm. [2] The wooden duplex contained Quarters A for the base commandant and Quarters B for the paymaster.

In 1911, the building was converted into a single-family dwelling to house the base commandant, and additional land was filled in front of the house. The waterfront view was eventually blocked by a new building at the station.

The first President to visit the site was William Howard Taft in December 1912. [3] He arrived by Flagler's Overseas Railroad and stayed in Key West before sailing to Panama to inspect the canal then under construction. During World War I, Thomas Edison resided in the house while donating his service to the war effort. [3] He perfected 41 underwater weapons during his six-month stay. [3] The house remained command headquarters through World War II.

Truman's use

In November 1946, President Harry S. Truman had finished 19 months in office, but was physically exhausted. His doctor, Wallace Graham, ordered a warm vacation. Truman arrived in November 1946. As he was leaving, he promised to return whenever he felt the need for rest. His second vacation came in March 1947. This set the pattern for additional visits every November–December and every February–March. Changing technology allowed the President to communicate with multiple political or world leaders at one time and he could summon staff to Key West for a meeting in three hours' flight from Washington. Most importantly, Truman realized that where the President was, the White House was. Documents issued from the Little White House read "The White House, US Naval Station, Key West, Florida." Truman spent 175 days of his presidency at the Little White House.

In 1948, James Forrestal met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to hammer out the creation of the Department of Defense. This was called the Key West Agreement, named after the place where the basic outline for the document was agreed to at a meeting that took place from March 11 to March 14 on the base at Key West.

During the Truman visits, Cabinet members and foreign officials were regular visitors for fishing trips and poker games. Truman visited Key West shortly after his 1948 re-election and Division Street was renamed Truman Avenue in his honor.

After Truman left office, he returned to Key West several times and stayed at various other places. [3]

Post-Truman government use

In 1948–1949 General Dwight D. Eisenhower held a series of meetings that resulted in the creation of the Department of Defense. He returned in December 1955 and January 1956 as President to recuperate from a heart attack. [3]

President John F. Kennedy and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan held a one-day summit here in March 1961. President Kennedy made a second visit in 1962 immediately following the Cuban Missile Crisis. [3]

The house served as the Naval Station’s commanding officer’s quarters until March 1974, when the submarine base was closed due to the Navy's conversion from diesel to nuclear submarines. On February 12 of that year, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. [3]

Conversion into a museum

On January 1, 1987, it was deeded to the State of Florida and is held in trust as a public museum. In 1990 almost a million dollars was spent restoring the house to its 1949 appearance. A 501(c)(3) organization is attempting to further the restoration and hold education conferences each Spring on Truman's impact upon today's society.

In 1991, the house opened as a state historic site & museum. Today regular guided tours take visitors through the site, and one can enter the rooms where the Trumans lived, worked and relaxed. Items such as President Truman's briefcase, books, telephone, and his famous "The Buck Stops Here" sign are still at his desk. (The reverse of the sign says, "I'm From Missouri.")

The information sign outside the museum Museum Sign.jpg
The information sign outside the museum

Former President Jimmy Carter and his family had a reunion here in 1996. In April 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell opened a week of OSCE peace talks, led by Minsk Group Co-Chairman Carey Cavanaugh between President Robert Kocharyan of Armenia and Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan. [5]

In January 2005, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, then Senator Hillary Clinton, spent a weekend relaxing at the house. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key West</span> Island and city in Florida, United States

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it constitutes the City of Key West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum</span> Library and museum for U.S. President Harry S. Truman, located in Missouri

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), his wife Bess and daughter Margaret, and is located on U.S. Highway 24 in Independence, Missouri. It was the first presidential library created under the provisions of the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act and is one of thirteen presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Monroe</span> Moated, six-sided, historical bastion fort in Hampton, Virginia

Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service, and the city of Hampton as the Fort Monroe National Monument. Along with Fort Wool, Fort Monroe originally guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads—the natural roadstead at the confluence of the Elizabeth, the Nansemond and the James rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Zachary Taylor</span> United States historic place

The Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, also known simply as Fort Taylor, is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry S. Truman National Historic Site</span> National Historic Site of the United States in Missouri

The Harry S. Truman National Historic Site preserves the longtime home of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, as well as other properties associated with him in the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area. The site is operated by the National Park Service, with its centerpieces being the Truman Home in Independence and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview. It also includes the Noland home of Truman's cousins, and the George and Frank Wallace homes of Bess Truman's brothers. The site was designated a National Historic Site on May 23, 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry S. Truman</span> President of the United States from 1945 to 1953

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Missouri from 1935 to 1945 and briefly in 1945 as the 34th vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Assuming the presidency after Roosevelt's death, Truman implemented the Marshall Plan in the wake of World War II to rebuild the economy of Western Europe and established both the Truman Doctrine and NATO to contain the expansion of Soviet communism. He proposed numerous liberal domestic reforms, but few were enacted by the conservative coalition that dominated Congress.

<i>Ferdinand Magellan</i> (railcar) U.S. presidential railroad car

The Ferdinand Magellan is a former Pullman Company private car that served as Presidential Rail Car, U.S. Number 1 from 1943 until 1958. It is named after the Portuguese explorer. The current owner, Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami-Dade County, Florida, acquired it in 1959. The Ferdinand Magellan was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service on February 4, 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fagatogo, American Samoa</span> Village in American Samoa, United States

Fagatogo is the downtown area of Pago Pago. Located in the low grounds at the foot of Matafao Peak, it was the location of the first American settlement on Tutuila Island. It includes the sub-village of Malaloa. Today, Fagatogo is the government, commercial, financial, and shipping center of Tutuila. It is also the administrative capital of American Samoa. It is the location of the American Samoa Fono (legislature), and is listed in the Constitution of American Samoa as the territory's official seat of government. Its population is 1,737.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truman Annex</span>

Truman Annex is both a neighborhood and military installation in Key West, Florida, United States. It is the part of the island that is west of Whitehead Street, with the exception of Bahama Village. The winter White House for President Harry S. Truman was located there, from its days as part of the former Naval Station Key West. The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida was the winter White House for President Truman for 175 days during 11 visits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key West Historic District</span> Historic district in Florida, United States

The Key West Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Key West, Florida. It encompasses approximately 4,000 acres (16 km2), bounded by White, Angela, Windsor, Passover, Thomas and Whitehead Streets, and the Gulf of Mexico. It contains 187 historic buildings and one structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Naval Station (Key West, Florida)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Naval Station in Key West, Florida, United States is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry S. Truman Historic District</span> Historic district in Missouri, United States

The Harry S. Truman Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing sites closely associated with US President Harry S. Truman in Independence, Missouri. It includes the Truman Home at 219 North Delaware, Truman's home for much of his adult life and now a centerpiece of the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, and the Truman Presidential Library. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974. When first listed, the district included only the two buildings and a corridor joining them. It was substantially enlarged in 2011 to include more sites and the environment in which Truman operated while living in Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Jefferson (Florida)</span> United States historic place

Fort Jefferson is a former U.S. military coastal fortress in the Dry Tortugas National Park of Florida. It is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas, covering 16 acres (6.5 ha) and made with over 16 million bricks. Among United States forts, only Fort Monroe in Virginia and Fort Adams in Rhode Island are larger. The fort is located on Garden Key in the lower Florida Keys within the Dry Tortugas, 68 miles (109 km) west of the island of Key West. The Dry Tortugas are part of Monroe County in Florida.

The campus of the George Washington University (GW), originated on College Hill, a site bounded by 14th Street, Columbia Road, 15th Street and Florida Avenue, NW in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. After relocating to the downtown financial district in the 1880s and then to Foggy Bottom in 1912, GW now has three campuses. Foggy Bottom is the location of the university's main campus in Washington, D.C. Also in Washington's Foxhall neighborhood is the Mount Vernon Campus, formerly the Mount Vernon College for Women. Additionally, the George Washington University Virginia Campus is located in Ashburn, VA.

Truman House may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Street (Key West)</span> Street in Key West, Florida, USA

Caroline Street is an iconic and historically significant local road on the island of Key West, Florida. It extends approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) northeastward to Grinnell Street from Whitehead Street at its southwest end. One of the oldest roads on the island, Caroline Street is surrounded by many old houses, inns, and historic landmarks, which are known for their seclusion from the street by dense landscaping. From its mostly residential origins between Whitehead and Elizabeth streets, Caroline becomes more commercial, punctuated by numerous businesses. Situated within the historic "Old Town" district, Caroline Street was part of the original infrastructural layout of the island at the time of its 1829 mapping by William Whitehead. Other than changes to both its termini, the majority of its route has remained unaltered since then. Caroline Street was named for a sibling of Whitehead; his brother, John, became interested in the island after a shipwreck left him stranded in 1819. The street and some of its surrounding area have been subject to long-term improvement and beautification efforts, beginning chiefly in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White House Reconstruction</span> Refurbishment of the White House from 1949 to 1952

The White House Reconstruction, also known as the Truman Reconstruction, was a comprehensive dismantling and rebuilding of the interior of the White House from 1949 to 1952. A century and a half of wartime destruction and rebuilding, hurried renovations, additions of new services, technologies, the added third floor and inadequate foundations brought the Executive Residence portion of the White House Complex to near-imminent collapse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tingey House</span> Official residence of the Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Navy

Tingey House, officially known as Quarters A, is the official residence of the Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Navy. Built in 1804, it is located at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and is part of the Yard's historic Officers Quarters. The residence is known as Tingey House in honor of its first resident and yard commandant, Commodore Thomas Tingey. According to popular legend, Tingey's ghost haunts the property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Key West</span>

Thousands of years before European discovery, the island of Key West was largely occupied by the Calusa and Tequesta Native American tribes. Brief settlements by transient Seminoles in the late 18th century introduced temporary trade in the region; early fishing and wrecking revenues became notable amongst passing Natives in the region. The island's first documented discovery by Europeans occurred in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de León while attempting to reach Florida's Gulf Coast. The island soon adopted the Spanish name, Cayo Hueso, literally meaning "bone cay", referring the scattered bones believed to be left behind from warring natives. Although ownership was claimed by the Spanish explorers, no permanent settlement had been established, and possession of the island was briefly asserted by the British in 1763.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Report of the Secretary of the Navy; Being Part of the Message and Documents Communicated to the Two Houses of Congress at the Beginning of the Second Session of the Fifty-First Congress. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1890.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Key West Museum History".
  4. "Daily Appointments of Harry S. Truman | Harry S. Truman". www.trumanlibrary.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  5. Gutterman, Steve (2001-04-04). "Key West Relaxing Place for Peace Talks". ABC News.