The Harry S. Truman Little White House is the State of Florida’s only presidential site.
Originally, it was constructed in 1890 as naval officers housing. Important visitors have included extended stays by inventor Thomas Edison and scientist Edward Hayden and it has been used by six American presidents. Its most important usage was as the winter White House of Harry S. Truman who spent 175 days of his presidency here from 1946 through 1952. Harry Truman faced the rebuilding of Europe, the Palestine question, issues of Civil Rights and labor unrest changes in foreign policy and our response to the Cold War.
Other presidents have included William Howard Taft in 1912, Dwight Eisenhower in 1955-56, John Kennedy in 1961 and 1962 and former Presidents Jimmy Carter in 1996 and 2007 and Bill Clinton in 2005. All have found it a restful place to restore body and mind as later presidents have used Camp David. It was the site of international peace talks between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2001.
