Was the First 'Oval Office' Really in a Tent?

Before the modern Oval Office was established, the original command center of the United States was a mobile field headquarters made of linen. During the American Revolution, General George Washington plotted the defeat of the British forces.

The effort was managed from inside an oval-shaped field tent, known as a "marquee". So yes, the first Oval Office was in a tent.

This marquee was both Washington's office and his sleeping quarters throughout the war. Measuring about 23 feet long and 14 feet wide, the tent was likely ordered during the harsh winter of 1777 at Valley Forge and manufactured in Reading, Pennsylvania, in early 1778.

The space was divided into three main sections: an office, a sleeping chamber for Washington, and a luggage and sleeping area for his enslaved valet, William Lee. From this canvas headquarters, Washington led the Continental Army, and the tent was present for many dramatic moments.

The fact that this "first Oval Office" survived to the modern day is  remarkable. After the Revolutionary War, the tent was returned to Mount Vernon and eventually passed down to Martha Washington's grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, and later to his daughter, Mary Anna and partner Robert E. Lee.

When the Civil War erupted, Union soldiers ransacked General Lee family's Arlington House. The historic tent was saved by Selina Norris Gray, the Lees' enslaved housekeeper, who bravely protected the Washington artifacts until Union troops ultimately confiscated them.

The tent was subsequently stored at the U.S. Patent Office and remained in federal custody for decades. Forty years later, the Lee family fought a legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court to reclaim it.

Finally, in 1909, an Episcopal minister named Rev. W. Herbert Burk purchased the tent from Mary Custis Lee for $5,000, raising funds from everyday Americans to secure the relic for a future museum.

Today, the artifact is displayed at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. To prepare it for display, textile conservator Virginia Whelan spent over 500 hours meticulously repairing the fabric.

To allow the public to truly experience this historic space without damaging the delicate original, the Museum launched the "First Oval Office Project". Partnering with the Historic Trades Department at Colonial Williamsburg, they created a fully functional, hand-stitched, full-scale replica.

This elaborately designed "stunt double" tent now travels to different historic sites, offering visitors a highly immersive look at the canvas oval office where the survival of the American experiment was planned.