112. The White House Chief Usher
The White House 1600 Sessions
Gary J. Walters was an integral part of White House history during a 37 year career in which he served seven presidents and their families. Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House HIstorical Association, sat down with Gary to recount some of the moments he witnessed which are also captured in the new book White House Memories 1970 - 2017: Recollections of the Longest Serving Chief Usher. Gary started his tenure at the White House during the Nixon presidency as an Executive Protective Service officer. In 1976 he became an assistant usher under President Gerald Ford. When Gary was named...
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112. The White House Chief Usher (VIDEO)
The White House 1600 Sessions
Gary J. Walters was an integral part of White House history during a 37 year career in which he served seven presidents and their families. Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House HIstorical Association, sat down with Gary to recount some of the moments he witnessed which are also captured in the new book White House Memories 1970 - 2017: Recollections of the Longest Serving Chief Usher. Gary started his tenure at the White House during the Nixon presidency as an Executive Protective Service officer. In 1976 he became an assistant usher under President Gerald Ford. When Gary was named...
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111. Recreating the White House: Netflix and Shondaland’s The Residence (VIDEO)
The White House 1600 Sessions
U.S. Presidents and the White House have been depicted on film, television, and now on streaming platforms, for over a century. The White House facade and reproductions of the Oval Office are instantly recognizable and often help in the telling of a story. Sometimes, the White House even becomes a main character like in The Residence, a Netflix and Shondaland series released in 2025. The comedic murder mystery set in the White House during a fictional presidency features a unique look at the Executive Mansion and at the hardworking residence staff who operate behind the scenes. But when you...
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111. Recreating the White House: Netflix and Shondaland’s The Residence
The White House 1600 Sessions
U.S. Presidents and the White House have been depicted on film, television, and now on streaming platforms, for over a century. The White House facade and reproductions of the Oval Office are instantly recognizable and often help in the telling of a story. Sometimes, the White House even becomes a main character like in The Residence, a Netflix and Shondaland series released in 2025. The comedic murder mystery set in the White House during a fictional presidency features a unique look at the Executive Mansion and at the hardworking residence staff who operate behind the scenes. But when you...
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110. Presidential Pets
The White House 1600 Sessions
The White House has been home to a menagerie of pets, from working animals such as horses and sheep, to companions of the Scottish Terrier and Siamese cat varieties - with the odd raccoon, cow, or badger thrown in, as well. Like the almost 90 million American households who have a pet, many First Families have brought animals home even when the address was 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin meets Alan Price, director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and takes a tour of their new exhibit, Presidential Pets. Museum...
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110. Presidential Pets (VIDEO)
The White House 1600 Sessions
The White House has been home to a menagerie of pets, from working animals such as horses and sheep, to companions of the Scottish Terrier and Siamese cat varieties - with the odd raccoon, cow, or badger thrown in, as well. Like the almost 90 million American households who have a pet, many First Families have brought animals home even when the address was 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin meets Alan Price, director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and takes a tour of their new exhibit, Presidential Pets. Museum...
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109. History Revealed: The Kennedy Gravesite
The White House 1600 Sessions
While people around the world mourned President John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated on November 22, 1963, there was a remarkable group of young men who had to perform an unimaginable mission: burying their Commander in Chief. In this episode of The White House 1600 Sessions, White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin speaks with James L. Felder, who was a U.S. Army Sergeant when he led the Honor Guard Ceremonial Unit that buried President Kennedy. Felder helped carry and protect the casket of President Kennedy from the moment his body returned from Texas, until the...
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109. History Revealed: The Kennedy Gravesite (VIDEO)
The White House 1600 Sessions
While people around the world mourned President John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated on November 22, 1963, there was a remarkable group of young men who had to perform an unimaginable mission: burying their Commander in Chief. In this episode of The White House 1600 Sessions, White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin speaks with James L. Felder, who was a U.S. Army Sergeant when he led the Honor Guard Ceremonial Unit that buried President Kennedy. Felder helped carry and protect the casket of President Kennedy from the moment his body returned from Texas, until the...
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108. Road Trip to the Presidents Heads
The White House 1600 Sessions
There are many fun, wonderful opportunities to learn about White House history all across the country. Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, takes a road trip to the outskirts of Williamsburg, Virginia, to see what has become a social media hotspot: the Presidents Heads. Situated within a recycling facility on private property is a collection of 42 massive, decaying statues featuring the likenesses of U.S. presidents from George Washington through George W. Bush. Each statue is made of concrete and steel, averaging 15 feet in height, and weighing approximately...
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108. Road Trip to the Presidents Heads (Video)
The White House 1600 Sessions
There are many fun, wonderful opportunities to learn about White House history all across the country. Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, takes a road trip to the outskirts of Williamsburg, Virginia, to see what has become a social media hotspot: the Presidents Heads. Situated within a recycling facility on private property is a collection of 42 massive, decaying statues featuring the likenesses of U.S. presidents from George Washington through George W. Bush. Each statue is made of concrete and steel, averaging 15 feet in height, and weighing approximately...
info_outlineBlair House, known as the president's guest house, is located mere steps from the White House. 2024 marks the bicentennial of the building of Blair House, which for 200 years has been a quiet but integral part of our nation's history. Today, Blair House is actually a complex made up of four townhouses. Originally built in 1824 for Doctor Joseph Lovell, the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, the Blair family purchased the property in 1837 when Francis Preston Blair became publisher of the pro-Andrew Jackson newspaper, The Washington Globe.
Blair was an influential member of President Jackson's inner circle and remained an informal adviser and confidante to Presidents Martin Van Buren and Abraham Lincoln, the latter of whom was a frequent visitor. As the city began to change, it would be Blair’s grandson, Gist, who sought President Franklin Roosevelt’s help in preserving the home. In the 1940s, the federal government purchased Blair House and began transforming it into the president’s guest house for visiting dignitaries. It's also become the place where the president-elect usually stays before every presidential inauguration, and a welcoming sanctuary for many of the grieving presidential families during a state funeral. Blair House is a living, working space that is maintained with the utmost care: the staffing and structural needs are supported by the U.S. Department of State, and since 1985, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Blair House Foundation has raised private funds to preserve the rooms, gardens and amenities.
Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, speaks about the history of Blair House and its importance to American diplomacy with the Honorable Capricia Marshall, former U.S. Chief of Protocol and vice chair of the Blair House 200th Anniversary Campaign, and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, former U.S. ambassador for special political affairs at the United Nations and trustee of the Blair House Foundation. Stewart also takes a tour of the complex with Matthew Wendel, the assistant chief of protocol and general manager of Blair House. Since Blair House is closed to the public, this is a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes and see the museum-standard artifacts, diplomatic spaces, and the principal suite where queens, presidents, and other dignitaries have stayed.
An updated edition of the White House Historical Publication Blair House The President's Guest House by William Seale is available at shop.whitehousehistory.org.