It was an "ill-kept and dirty rickety concern," according to presidential secretary John G. Nicolay. "I wonder how much longer a great nation, as ours is, will compel its ruler to live in such a small and dilapidated old shanty, and in such a shabby-genteel style." A Nicolay associate in the President's office, was less critical, describing the White House as "a very respectable building of brick and stone, painted white, built in the form of a parallelogram, two stories high fronting north; but, owing to the declivity, three stories fronting south toward the Potomac."
President Abraham Lincoln himself once called it "this damned house," and when he was besieged by office seekers and afflicted by bad news from the war front, the White House must have seemed truly damned. But, despite its drawbacks, the White House was a clear improvement on the family's previous living accommodations. Indeed, the President also declared it was "better than any house they have ever lived in." For the four years and one month of Mr. Lincoln's presidency from March 1861 to April 1865, it was home to the Lincoln family and the center of efforts to restore the Union and abolish slavery.
You're going to feel like almost like you've actually been there once you've taken this state-of-the-art virtual tour.
1 comment:
Dear Mark Grimsley,
I am the webmaster for the Abraham Lincoln sites that you found enjoyable.
Following is a list of the sites. We are a non-profit organization. Our mission is to help promote study of the life of American's 16th President and the impact he had on the preservation of the Union, the emancipation of black slaves, and the development of democratic principles.
Mr. Lincoln and the Founders
www.mrlincolnandthefounders.org
Mr. Lincoln and the Founders examines the impact of the Founders, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution on Mr. Lincoln's life, political thinking and political actions in the 1850s and 1860s.
Mr. Lincoln and Freedom
www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org
Mr. Lincoln and Freedom details the progress of Mr. Lincoln's opposition to slavery from his years in the Illinois State Legislature to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery.
Mr. Lincoln and Friends
www.mrlincolnandfriends.org
Mr. Lincoln and Friends reviews the many men and a few women whose friendships helped determine Mr. Lincoln's political progress and success in the state capital in Springfield, Illinois and the nation's capital in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Lincoln and New York
www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org
Mr. Lincoln and New York appraises how the center of political, media and economic power in 19th century America interacted with, supported and tormented Mr. Lincoln both before and during his Presidency.
The Lincoln Institute
www.abrahamlincoln.org
The Lincoln Institute concentrates on providing support and assistance to scholars and groups involved in the study of the life of American’s 16th President and the impact he had on the preservation of the Union, the emancipation of black slaves, and the development of democratic principles which have found worldwide application.
We are starting a new website called Lincoln’s classroom at the end of August and think that your links would be a great addition to our links library that we will be opening in this new website.
Thank you very much for your time
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