First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member xptwo
N 32° 22.585 W 086° 17.997
16S E 565852 N 3582375
In February, 1861, this house was selected as the first White House of the Confederate States of America. It was used until the capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia, in May, 1861
Waymark Code: WMDE12
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 12/31/2011
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Zork V
Views: 6

On February 18, 1861, Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the President of the Confederate States of America. On February 21, 1861, the Provisional Congress authorized the leasing of an Executive Mansion. The house they rented had been built between 1832 and 1835 by William Sayre. It was then located at the corner of Lee and Bibb Streets. The owner at the time, Colonel Edmund S. Harrison, rented the house, completely furnished and staffed, for $5000 a year, a large sum which caused some comment at the time. During the short time it was the White House, Mr. and Mrs. Davis hosted many social events.

The house survived the war and passed through other hands. In 1897, the newly organized United Daughters of the Confederacy undertook the the preservation of the house, and a White House Association was formed in 1900. Mrs. Jefferson Davis gave furniture and other items to the association for use in furnishing the home. They were finally able to purchase the House in 1919. The previous owners wanted to keep the land, so property was bought and the house was moved to its present location at 644 Washington Avenue at the corner of Union Street. It is next door to the Alabama Department of Archives and History Building. More information can be found at the web page listed below.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Place or Location

Date of FIRST: 02/21/1861

More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest First of its Kind
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
Don.Morfe visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 05/07/2022 Don.Morfe visited it
stevepre2 visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 06/09/2018 stevepre2 visited it
Benchmark Blasterz visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 07/26/2017 Benchmark Blasterz visited it
Sneakin Deacon visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 03/22/2017 Sneakin Deacon visited it
strummin_along visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 11/23/2013 strummin_along visited it
the federation visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 08/28/2013 the federation visited it
kristianmatthews visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 07/19/2013 kristianmatthews visited it
OHail visited First White House of the Confederacy - Montgomery, Alabama 01/02/2012 OHail visited it

View all visits/logs