The cornerstone of the White House was laid in 1792 in a Masonic ceremony. It is the oldest public building in Washington. It has been the residence of every U.S. President since John Adams, who was the first to live in the White House.

During the War of 1812 the British Army set the mansion afire in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring the exterior walls. Renovation began and President James Monroe moved into the half-completed house in 1817. Abraham Lincoln's little son Willie died in the White House in February, 1862, of typhoid fever. He laid in state in the Green Rom. Three years later he would travel home to Springfield on the Funeral Train with his father.

President Theodore Roosevelt made the name White House official in 1902.

Washington, DC

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This watercolor painting is part of a larger historical painting series by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois.
Visit Kay Smith's website to see additional paintings.