Did the White House in the United States get its name when white paint was used to cover the burn marks it sustained after the British attacked it in 1814?
A popular myth claims that the home of the US President, The White House, gets its name after white paint was used to cover the burn marks the building sustained after the British attacked it in 1814 during the War of 1812, fought between 1812-1815.
Despite the popularity of the myth, it’s just not true. And while we’d like to say the truth involves an even more exciting tale, it really doesn’t.
The story of the White House started in 1792 as construction begins on the creation of Irish-born architect James Hoban. Initially called “The Presidents House”, it finally became habitable in 1800 when the first owner moved in, the second US President John Adams (meaning that the first US President George Washington never actually lived there.)
The colour of the White House was already white, though perhaps not the crisp white we know the White House to be today. This was because of the lime-based whitewash used on the walls to protect the porous stone on the inside from weathering.
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As such, “The White House” soon became an unofficial title for “The Presidents House” soon after, well before the US and British declared war and before the White House had been burned by the British.
For example, in March 1812, months before the war began, a congressman Bigelow wrote to a friend, stating ” There is much trouble at the White House, as we call it, I mean the President’s”
Even before that, retiring British ambassador Francis Jackson wrote in 1811 that his successor would have to “satisfy the claim of the United States to a minister of the same rank as their own to act as a sort of political conductor to attract the lightning that may issue from the clouds round the Capitol and the White House at Washington”.
Other examples can be found that suggest that – although not widespread – the term “White House” was in common usage before 1814.
After 1814, and during the reconstruction of the building, a lead based white paint was used to paint the building, and after 1818 the term “White House” steadily became more popular. But it was not until 1901 that the White House officially became as such after an executive order by Teddy Roosevelt.
So the White House gets its name because it’s a house that is white. And that’s really it. It has nothing to do with the British, 1814 or the 1814 invasion. In this case, the reality really is rather mundane.