Fascinating Historical Facts About the Plumbing System in America's House
Like any other home, the White House would be a pretty unpleasant place without indoor plumbing - it certainly wouldn't be a suitable environment for the business of running a country. But it took several decades from its construction for running water to be installed in the President's House. The statesmen of the time (not to mention the First Ladies) were brave souls indeed. But from its humble beginnings to today, the White House's plumbing system has a rich history full of numerous overhauls, setbacks, advancements, and presidential foibles.
The White House Gets Running Water
Though many upscale establishments and residences in the nation's capital had been using running water to some degree since around 1810, the White House didn't have the capability until the late 1820s. This came in the form of water pumped from a well near the Treasury building over to President John Quincy Adams's garden.
Finally, in 1833, with Andrew Jackson in office, running water was piped into the White House residence. Shortly after, a designated bathing room was created in the East Wing. In 1853, President Franklin Pierce facilitated huge improvements to the plumbing system, including more hygienic toilet facilities, a highly effective hot-water furnace, and second-floor bathroom plumbing - a major advancement at the time.
The Presidential Throne - First Flush
While Franklin Pierce is often remembered for bringing the first modern-style bathroom to the White House - meaning a toilet and tub in one room with running water - that's not the full story. Pierce's predecessor, Millard Fillmore, is credited with installing the first flushable toilet in the President's House, just before he left office in 1853.
Before that time, indoor toilets were essentially privies with removable waste buckets underneath a wooden seat. Toilets or "water closets" that used running water to flush waste into septic fields were a big step forward in hygiene, convenience, and comfort. This wooden design was later deemed unsanitary, and easy-to-clean porcelain models were introduced to the White House in the 1880s.
More Fun and Surprising Facts
The White House plumbing system was added to and refurbished at various intervals for decades after the first bathing rooms were created. The most notable of the changes took place during Harry S. Truman's presidency in a massive reconstruction project that cost $5.7 million and lasted from 1948 until 1952 - nearly the entire length of Truman's second term. The antiquated and out-of-code plumbing was replaced with elegant fixtures and durable copper and cast iron piping - not to mention quieter toilets.
Other presidents had some less significant - yet entertaining - customizations made during their time in office. William Taft reportedly had a bathtub made to accommodate his considerable bulk. There's a famous photo of the tub with four men sitting comfortably inside it. Lyndon Johnson had telephones installed in his staffers' lavatories - as well as one in his private bathroom - to ensure he could reach them at all times for urgent matters. Since plumbing innovations are constantly made in plumbing, each new administration tends to make a few changes, be it for comfort, style, or water conservation purposes.
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