First White House of the Confederacy

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The First White House of the Confederacy was believed to have been built in 1825, but was not made famous until it became the primary residence of President Jefferson Davis and his family. This house was located right outside the capitol of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama. This landmark was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. After being placed on the Historic Places list, it has opened up to the public to show what that time period was like and to give more information about Confederate President Davis and family.

Images

Built around 1825, this house became the home of Jefferson Davis from February-May 1861, thus becoming the first White House of the Confederacy.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Confederate President Davis lived in this house from February 1861 until the end of May that same year. President Davis moved this home once the Confederate capitol was moved to Richmond Virginia. The house had several private owners over the years. Efforts to help preserve the house began in the late 1890s by United Daughters of the Confederacy. Some women from this organization established the White House Association to take up the cause to save the building. As a result of a variety of issues, this process to twenty years, during which time it became a boarding house and was not well maintained. The association was able to buy the home and have it moved several blocks to its current location. It opened to the public on June 3, 1921.

Sources

Floyd, W. Warner. "First White House of the Confederacy." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. June 25, 1974. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/90a52628-0dca-409c-9f2f-31bc964e6bbf.

"History." First White House of the Confederacy. Accessed July 29, 2017. http://www.firstwhitehouse.org/history.

Additional Information

http://www.firstwhitehouse.org/