Whether it’s a sprawling rural plantation or an urban two-story edifice, these residences are now museums that celebrate and commemorate U.S. leaders, the times in which they lived, and the values they espoused. Let’s take a tour through four of the most popular homes of former presidents.
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George Washington’s Mount Vernon, The New Room
Washington added this stately room to his Virginia home to celebrate elegance, beauty, and craftsmanship, qualities he valued in both architecture and politics. The bold green wallpaper and the 21 pieces of fine art signaled prosperity.
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The high ceiling added grandeur to a salon made for large parties and receiving high-ranking guests. Two exterior doors allow cross ventilation during hot Virginia summers. According to his wishes, the first president’s body lay in this room for three days after his death in December 1799.
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The Grand Palladian Window
This north-facing window is based on a design by Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Its central arched window is wider and taller than the square sidelights, divided by Doric pilasters with delicate, ornate carvings.
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The Gift of a Marble Chimneypiece
When Washington asked friends to find the perfect centerpiece for his New Room, Samuel Vaughn offered this fireplace surround with carvings depicting rural life in Essex, England. It was installed in 1786 and probably inspired the motifs on the ceilings and walls.
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A Pair of John Aitken’s Sideboards
Staff served food and drinks from this pair of mahogany sideboards crafted by Scottish immigrant John Aitken. When Washington was near to retirement, he ordered 27 pieces of furniture from Aitken, including two dozen chairs and a bookcase.
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George Washington’s Mount Vernon, The West Parlor
Before the New Room was designed and constructed, Washington considered the West Parlor ‘the best place in my House’. The room was the social center of Mount Vernon.
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Here, guests were served coffee or tea when the weather kept them indoors, and the family often gathered in the evenings to read or play cards or games.
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A Gallery of Family Portraits
Two portraits show Martha Washington’s children from a previous marriage before the widow met the future president. On the wall to the right of these is the earliest known portrait of Washington, created by Charles Wilson Peale in 1772.
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A Painting with a Secret
One of the few pieces of art that still hangs in its original place, this is the earliest known oil painting purchased by Washington. Secret: a recent digital scan revealed that this historic landscape was painted on top of a previous painting.
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Prussian Blue Paint and Imported Carpet
The Washingtons kept updating this room. They painted the walls Prussian blue and added an ornate plaster ceiling, both in 1787. They laid a jacquard-woven Wilton carpet ten years later. Everything was imported from England, and no cost was too high.
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James Madison’s Montpelier, The Library
The 4th U.S. president, James Madison, came from a wealthy family who owned a 4,000-acre tobacco plantation in Virginia. James and his wife Dolley moved there in 1797. Madison did some of his most important writing and work in this library on the second floor.
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He poured over books about ancient republics and democracies, ideas that inspired the U.S. Constitution. Many consider this library to be both the birthplace of American democracy and a shrine to the documents that shaped it.
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Madison’s Lost Books
Sadly, half of Madison’s 4,000 volumes were lost. The President willed his library to the University of Virginia, but the transfer did not occur, and many of the books were lost in a fire in 1895. These are replicas of some of his favorites.
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Maps and Globes
Madison’s library reflects his fascination with and devotion to a global and cyclical view of history. He subscribed to many newspapers, wrote editorials throughout his life, and welcomed visitors to discuss current events.
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The Spilled Ink
On the pine floorboards of this quiet room, visitors can still see a splatter of ink, spilled by Madison himself. He likely used a quill pen like the replica that sits on the desk.
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James Madison’s Montpelier, The Dining Room
After James Madison married his young wife, Dolley, he decided to expand his home to include this formal dining room where the couple loved to entertain.
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An extensive restoration was completed in 2008 which restored Montpelier’s rooms to their 1820 appearance, complete with authentic horsehair plaster, historic replications of decorations and furniture (including some originals), and of course, a visitors’ center.
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Wallpaper from France
Historians tells us that the Madisons were enamored of all things French, including furnishings. In 1815, they purchased wallpaper from Henri Virchaux, a French designer who was popular among wealthy homeowners. This paper is a replica of their choice.
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The Guests at the Table
The ghost-like figures seated around the table include Andrew Jackson, the Marquis de Lafayette, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. The man of the house sits on the side of the table, not at the customary head.
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Dolley at the Head
Dolley sat at the head of the table, managing the dinner and the servants and orchestrating conversation. She had a flair for words and loved being the center of attention. Her husband, the president, was more subdued.
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Madison’s Study
Madison lived to be 85. In his later years, he had trouble walking, but his mind was still sharp. He worked, slept, and ate in this room off the busy dining room.
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James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland
Located near Charlottesville, Virginia, and next-door to the estate of Thomas Jefferson, this plantation was home to the 5th U.S. president from 1799 to 1825. Today, it is operated by the College of William and Mary as a working farm, museum, and performance site.
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Monroe called it his “castle cabin”. He named it Highland, and a later owner changed the name to Ash Lawn. Today, the property uses both names.
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A Surprising Discovery Rewrites History
The building once thought to be Monroe’s house (behind this one) was really a humble guesthouse. Monroe’s house burned down, but the foundation was excavated. The two-story building you see here was added by a private owner—it is not part of Monroe’s home at all.
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The Gardens
The Highland grounds, including the boxwood gardens, are lush and bountiful. There are vegetable gardens, flower gardens, and herbs for cooking and medicines. Elizabeth Monroe would have also used plants for dyeing fabrics and flowers for fresh and dried bouquets.
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The Witness Tree
A 300-year-old white oak still stands from Monroe’s time. It is one of several “witness trees” that dot the American landscape. These are trees that were present at key events of the American Civil War.
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Monroe’s Statue
Originally, this statue was sculpted as a gift to Argentina to celebrate the Monroe Doctrine, but history brought it “home.” If you look closely, you’ll see that this Monroe is missing a finger.
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James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland, interior rooms
Ash Lawn-Highland offers visitors a showcase of period pieces, both originals and reproductions. For example, the china cabinet in the corner contains dishes from the Monroe presidency.
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Manufactured in Paris in 1817, this was the first set of china designed solely for presidential use. (Many presidents have commissioned new china when they moved into the White House.) A Napoleonic eagle sits in the center of each plate carrying a red, white, and blue banner that reads “E Pluribus Unum,” the national motto.
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An Eclectic Mix
This room combines simple American furniture with ornate European touches, reflecting the Monroe’s time spent in Europe and James Monroe’s dedication to building relationships between the young United States and its more mature European relatives.
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Dependence on Slaves
Domestic slaves or “house servants” included cooks, maids, and personal valets. The family relied on them constantly for food, cleaning, maintenance, sewing, and spinning. This dress is a replica of what a female house servant might have worn.
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The Clocks on the Mantles
These elaborately decorated and gilded timepieces were made in France during the early 19th century. French clockmakers of the period often combined marble or alabaster with bronze or even gold. These smaller clocks are protected by glass bells.
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The Heppelwhite Table
This table can be expanded to seat a dozen guests. It is reproduction of one made by British cabinetmaker George Heppelwhite, whose style featured curved shapes and slender designs. No original pieces by Heppelwhite are known to exist.
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The President Woodrow Wilson House, Study
This brick home in the Kalorama-Embassy Row area of Washington, D.C., is where President and Mrs. Wilson retired from the White House in 1921. The 28th U.S. president lived here until his death in 1924, and his wife lived in the house until 1961.
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It features a marble entryway and a solarium that overlooks a formal garden and holds a 100-year-old Steinway piano and a wall-sized tapestry presented by the people of France after World War I.
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Wilson and King George V
This famous photograph of Wilson and King George V was taken in December, 1918, the first time a sitting U.S. president travelled to England to meet a reigning royal. Wilson was traveling to the Paris peace conference that ended World War II.
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Princeton Pennant
Wilson attended Princeton University and graduated in 1879 with high honors. At Princeton, he studied history and political philosophy, wrote for the literary review, and was a member of the debate society.
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Hello, Mr. President
This is a candlestick telephone, a popular style developed for the Bell System. When not in use, the receiver rests on a hook on the side of the stand. This one looks like a Western Electric #20B, patented in 1904.
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A model of an icon
This wood-and-ivory model of an armored cruiser, such as those used in World War I, was a gift from Wilson to his personal aide and physician, Cary T. Grayson. The Wilson House recently re-acquired the model for its collection.
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The President Woodrow Wilson House, Kitchen
After Wilson suffered a stroke in 1919, his wife, Edith, became the de facto president until his term ended in 1921. Wilson bought this house as a gift to his wife in 1920.
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She must have been pleased to discover this modern, spacious kitchen, especially since she supervised Wilson’s care until his death in 1924. After living here for another 37 years, Edith bequeathed her home to the National Trust as a museum to honor her husband.
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An Early Intercom
Telephone-based intercoms, developed in the 1890s, allowed inter-household communication. This one was likely used by kitchen staff to let the Wilsons know that dinner was about to be served.
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Early Indoor Plumbing
The Wilson House was among the first private homes in Washington D.C. to install indoor plumbing. From 1929 to 1954, plumbing sales boomed in the United States and saw a nearly 400% increase.
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An Icebox to Keep Food Fresh
This oak cabinet icebox was typical of well-to-do homes. Its walls were lined with tin and insulation such as cork, sawdust, or straw. Iceboxes were entirely non-mechanical and worked efficiently as long as daily ice deliveries were made.
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Cast Iron Stove
The overhead hood indicates how much heat this kind of cook stove generated. This one may have burned wood or coal. Gas-fueled stoves were on the horizon, but nothing warmed a house from the basement like one of these cast iron dragons.
