When Was the White House Named?

There is a story about the White House that says the name came about after it burned in 1814. Supposedly, the White House was made of sandstone and when it was rebuilt and painted white was when the name came about. But is this true? Not at all.

When it was finally decided to have the US capital in a special area of land from Maryland and Virginia, it was also decided that the President should get his own special residence. Construction on the house was completed during John Adams's Presidency. There was no official name for the house at that time, but many people called it the President's House. In 1812, war broke out between the US and England. Washington DC fell to the British in 1814, and the President's House and other government buildings were burned. The President's House was rebuilt and a white oil-based paint was used on the building.

Some have pointed to this as being the proof that the name White House came out after the fire, but that isn't true. As early as 1798, the house had been painted in whitewash to protect it from the elements, so it was already white before this point.

And you might say "Well, it was white, but no one called it the White House until after the fire." This is also not true. 'White House' was a name for it in an unnofficial sense before the fire. In 1811, the former British minister to the US wrote in a letter a reference to the White House, and in 1812, a congressman wrote a reference to the White House.

It is true that the name gained prominence after 1817 when the reconstruction was completed, but the name existed before. The name of the house was more commonly called the Executive Mansion by 1850, and it wasn't until 1901 when Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order naming it the White House that the name became official. However, the name had been around before the burning of Washington DC.

Bet you didn't know that!