Truman White House, Key West

Marta our tour guide was informative. She keep the interest of guests of all ages providing info. about the house & Truman family. Marta shared information about Truman, Bess, and Margaret's lives in the Little White House. The rooms were comfortably furnished; we saw his card table, victrola, desk, bed and memorabilia.

The Little White House was built in 1890 on the waterfront as a two-family dwelling for the base
commandant and paymaster, this building was known as Quarters A and B. It served as command headquarters during the Spanish American War. In order to accommodate the larger scale ships, the harbor was dredged in 1909 and the land filled in front of the house. It was converted into a single-family residence in 1911. President William Howard Taft visited this site in December 1912. Scientist Edward Hayden served as base commander from 1912 to 1915 and was involved in hurricane research. In 1918, inventor Thomas Edison lived here for six months while inventing 41 new weapons for the war effort.

Beginning in November 1946,President Truman used this house for 175 days as his Winter White House during his administration of 1945 -1953. He spent 11 working vacations here and the building became known as the Little White House. In 1948, the Joint Chiefs of Staff met at this house to create the Department of Defense by merging the Department of War and Department of the Navy. While here, President Truman discussed the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, the Truman Doctrine that changed American foreign policy, the recognition of the State of Israel. He wrote his fourth Civil Rights Executive Order requiring federal contractors hire minorities and he drafted a letter that called for a two week cease fire in Korea. The reaction of General Douglas MacArthur to this letter led to his dismissal as Allied Commander. While insisting he was on vacation, the President ultimately confessed in a family letter he was signing his name 200 to 600 times a day to official business.

Pres. Eisenhower used the house for meetings in 1955 & 1956 while he recovered from a heart attack. Pres. Kennedy used this site for a summit meeting with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan 23 days before the Bay of Pigs. On November 26,1962 he returned following the Cuban missile crisis for an inspection tour. On April 2-6, 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell opened peace talks in this house between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 2005, President Bill and Senator Hillary Clinton used the house as a weekend retreat. In December 2007, former President Jimmy Carter and family returned for a visit.

another famous resident of key west was president harry truman. originally this building was built in 1890 for the commandant of the key west navy base. in the early 20th century scientist edward hayden and thomas edison lived here. president truman used this building as the winter white house between 1946 and 1953. during this period many important government meetings were held here. this home was offically named the little white house in 1948. this historic building is listed on the national register of historic places and is open to the public.

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***Discount for military***

It is called the Truman White House not so much because it is white, although it is, but because he did alot of his presidential duties from here. Sort of an alternate White House. Not only do you learn more about President Truman, but you will learn a little more history on the Cold War and on the nearby Naval Base.

If you are a history buff I recommend the Truman White House. The guides that work there are excellant and are really excited to talk about Truman.

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All of our modern presidents have had their "home/hideaways away from Washington". Kennedy had Hyannis Port, Nixon went to Key Biscayne, LBJ had his ranch, as did our present Prez, George W. His dad went to Kennebunkport and Reagan did a ranch in California. And, Harry S. Truman loved Key West. During Truman's almost 8 year presidency, he spent over 170 days IN Key West. The structure became known at that time as "Truman's Little White House".

Come to think of it, Key West and Truman are actually a great match. Both are informal, laid-back types. I can see where this little bit of quiet at the end of Florida fit Harry's needs perfectly. I'll bet it was muy isolated back in the late 40s and early 50s.

Today, you can tour the house and grounds...like everything in Key West, it costs $10 per adult. One thing that struck me during my visit was looking at one of Truman's tropical shirts on display. He was actually a very small man. We've come to think of him as such a giant, but he was actually quite slight in build. Truman's desk at the LWH has the famous "the buck stops here" sign.

The house was originally built in the late 19th century, and its seawall was designed by Lt. Robert Peary, who would later find fame via the North Pole. During World War I, Thomas Edison resided in the house while donating his services to the Navy.

And, the Little White House has served the nation beyond HST's presidency. In 1955, Dwight Eisenhower spent time here recovering from his heart attack. Sad and silly story, IMHO...Eisenhower actually hated Truman, and refused to sleep in the same bed that Truman had used on his visits to Key West. Seems kind of stupid to me, but it is what it is, right? Back in 1961, America's new president, John Kennedy, met British Prime Minister Harold McMillian in Key West at the Little White House. Recently in 2001, Colin Powell hosted a week of international peace talks at the house.

The Harry S Truman Little White House in Key West, Fl. was built in 1890 as the first officer's quarters on the naval station and became later a single family home. Thomas Edison resided in the house during World War I while donating his services to the Navy. The home served as a winter White House for president Truman. The house has been host to many distinguished guests. Thomas Edison and Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy are people who passed through here. The house is still maintained as a museum for Harry S. Truman and the time he spent here.

Tours lasting 45 minutes begin every 15 minutes. (included free exhibitions) The Little White House offers a great glimpse into the life and legacy of this great president. Today the "Little White House" has still the original furniture and d?cor. free exhibition. We didn't stay for the tour, maybe next time. We've just walk around and visit the shop and (free) museum with photos and some artifacts. The house and grounds are beautiful.

The Little White House is located about two blocks from Mallory Square.

So apparently there was this fancy house that President Truman stayed in alot, especially when he was sick. They called it the "Little White House", and he hosted some important international figures here. They played poker. You can see the table. Very interesting tour, though; my wife loves this kind of stuff! The picture is actually taken in one of the courtyards surrounding the area where the "Little White House" is.

Harry S Truman, the 33rd president of the US, spent 175 days of his presidency at the Little White House in Key West. He is regarded as one of the best presidents in history and served from 1945-1952.

The house was built in 1890 as the 1st Officer's quarters as part of the naval base. Thomas Edison lived there during WWI as he worked for the US Navy. Finally, in 1946, Truman made it his vacation home during his presidency.

Many important historical events have occured here, such as bills being enacted, the State of the Union address being prepared, meetings held by General Dwight D. Eisenhower that led to the creation of the Dept. of Defense, meetings held by JFK, a family reunion held by Jimmy Carter, and peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia held by Sec. of State Colin Powell in 2001.

You will see the private and public rooms used by the Trumans on a guided tour. Admission is charged. Hours are 9am-5pm daily. There is also a gift shop and a free museum with photos and some artifacts.

When we lived in Key West the Truman White House was on the Naval Base. I thought it might be nice to see it now that it is open to the public. So we walked over from the Shipwreck Museum/Oldest House (there's no parking inside the gates). We had about 45 minutes on the parking meter.

The tour not only cost $10.00 each (way too expensive), but would take more time than we had on the parking meter.

When I read about the tour, I found that the house had been restored to the 40's styles. I can remember the 40s and it doesn't particularly interest me.

There is a free 10 minute video tape extolling all possible virtures of Harry that you can see before the tour. I decided that the video tape was sufficient, and we didn't stay for the tour.