The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida was the winter White House for President Harry S. Truman for 175 days during 11 visits.
| Harry S. Truman Little White House | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
| Location | Monroe County, Florida, USA |
| Nearest city | Key West, Florida |
| Established | February 12, 1974 |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
The house was originally waterfront when it was built in 1890 as the first officer's quarters on the naval station. The wooden duplex contained Quarters A for the base commandant and Quarters B for the paymaster.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the home was converted into a single family dwelling to house the base commandant and additional land was filled in front of the house. The waterfront view was eventually blocked by a new building at the station.
Thomas Edison resided in the house during World War I while donating his services to the Navy.
During the Truman visits, Cabinet members and foreign officials were regular visitors for fishing trips and poker games. Truman visited Key West shortly after his 1948 re-election and Division Street was renamed Truman Avenue in his honor.
After Truman left office he returned to Key West several times and stayed at various other places.
In 1948-49 General Dwight D. Eisenhower held a series of meetings that resulted in the creation of the Department of Defense. He returned in 1956 as President to recuperate from a heart attack.
John Kennedy and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan held a one day summit here in 1961. President Kennedy made a second visit in 1962 immediately following the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The house served as the Naval Station commandant's house until 1974. On February 12 of that year, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 1991, the house opened as a state historic site & museum managed by Historic Tours of America. Former President Jimmy Carter and family had a reunion here in 1996. In April, 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell opened a week of OSCE peace talks, led by Minsk Group Co-Chairman Carey Cavanaugh between President Robert Kocharian of Armenia and Geidar Aliyev of Azerbaijan.