Skip to main content
RETURN TO Return to WETA website Donate
Boundary Stones logo

Main navigation

  • Washington, D.C.
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • Video
  • About
DC

Impressions of Washington: Abigail Adams, 1800

10/07/2014 in DC by Claudia Swain
  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email
Abagail Adams portrait
This is not the face of someone who enjoyed her stay in Washington, D.C.

When Abigail Adams came to Washington, D.C. on November 16, 1800, she arrived at an infant city, sparse and not fully formed. Having just left the comforts of old Philadelphia, this must have been quite a shock. To make matters worse, her trip south had seen been rough. So, it’s safe to assume that she was in an irritable mood when she finally made it to D.C.

We should probably keep that in mind while reading her appraisal of the city because she was pretty harsh. The First Lady called the capital ‘a city only in name,’ and pulled no punches in her description of Georgetown:

I have been to George Town and felt all that Mrs. Cranch described when she was a resident there. It is the very dirtiest Hole I ever saw for a place of any trade, or respectability of inhabitants. It is only one mile from me but a quagmire after every rain. Here we are obliged to send daily for marketing; the capital is near two miles from us. As to roads we shall make them by the frequent passing before winter, but I am determined to be satisfied and content, to say nothing of inconvenience &c.

[The White House] is twice as large as our meeting House. I believe the great Hall is as Big. I am sure tis twice as long. Cut your coat according to your Cloth. But this House is built for ages to come ... I had much rather live in the house in Philadelphia. Not one room or chamber is finished of the whole. It is habitable by fires in every part, thirteen of which we are obliged to keep daily, or sleep in wet and damp places.[1] 

Note to Adams: The White House was so lacking because Congress had decided that the residence of the President ought not to be so luxurious. But, as you can tell by her tone, the First Lady found this to be quite unacceptable. In other letters, she complained that there were no bells in the house, that not all the rooms were plastered, and that “promises are all you can obtain.”[2]

For all of her criticisms, she did have a few nice things to say about the capital’s natural environment, as she shared with her sister in a letter dated November 21, 1800.

As I expected to find it a new country, with Houses scattered over a space of ten miles, and trees & stumps in plenty with, a castle of a House- so I found it- The Presidents House is in a beautiful situation in front of which is the Potomac with a view of Alexandria. The country around is romantic but a wild, a wilderness at present.

Given her other comments, it must’ve been tough for her to throw D.C. that bone.

Luckily for Abigail Adams, the election of 1800 brought an end of the Adams’s stay in the drafty White House, so she only had to suffer for a few months. Thomas Jefferson took over the White House in March 1801.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Abigail Adams to Mary Cranch, 21 November 1800, in New Letters of Abigail Adams 1788-1801, ed. Steward Mitchell (Massachusetts: American Antiquarian Society, 1947), 257-260.
  2. ^ Caroli, Betty Boyd, First Ladies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 10. 
Last Updated:
10/18/2020

About the Author

More posts by Claudia Swain »
Tags
Impressions of Washington
1800s
Georgetown
White House

Share

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

You Might Also Like

  • Impressions of Washington: Frances Few, 1808

    Impressions of Washington: Frances Few, 1808

    19-year old Frances Few spent the winter of 1808-1809 in Washington. While the city impressed her initially, she became more crtical later on.

  • Impressions of Washington: Sarah Pryor, 1859 - 1861

    Impressions of Washington: Sarah Pryor, 1859 - 1861

    In her memoirs written in 1909, Sarah Pryor recounts the grand society of antebellum Washington, D.C. and the change brought on by Civil War tensions.

  • Impressions of Washington: Charles William Janson, 1807

    Impressions of Washington: Charles William Janson, 1807

    It seems a lot of early visitors to Washington were skeptical about the city. Englishman Charles Janson didn't mince words in 1807.

Surprise Me!

Not sure where to start reading? Let us pick a story for you!

Categories

  • DC (576)
  • Maryland (108)
  • Virginia (150)

Latest Posts

The Bizarre Adolescence of the Washington Monument

06/08/2023

The Bizarre Adolescence of the Washington Monument

This House, Undivided: Sarah Tracy’s Mount Vernon During the Civil War

06/02/2023

This House, Undivided: Sarah Tracy’s Mount Vernon During the Civil War

The Sordid Story of Dupont Circle's Underground Tunnels

05/26/2023

The Sordid Story of Dupont Circle's Underground Tunnels

Most Popular

The Bizarre Adolescence of the Washington Monument

06/08/2023

The Bizarre Adolescence of the Washington Monument

This House, Undivided: Sarah Tracy’s Mount Vernon During the Civil War

06/02/2023

This House, Undivided: Sarah Tracy’s Mount Vernon During the Civil War

Hugh Bennett and the Perfect Storm

11/19/2012

Hugh Bennett and the Perfect Storm

Tags

1860s1870s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990sAlexandriaArlingtonArtBlack HistoryBygone DCCivil WarGeorgetownSports HistoryWhite HouseWomen's HistoryWorld War IWorld War II
More
Historical D.C. Metro Map
Tweets by BoundaryStones
WETA

Footer menu

  • Support WETA
  • About WETA
  • Press Room
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • RSS
  • Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 3939 Campbell Avenue
    Arlington, VA 22206 | Map
  • 703-998-2600
  • boundarystones@weta.org

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Boundary Stones

Boundary Stones explores local history in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. This project is a service of WETA and is supported by contributions from readers like you.

DONATE

Copyright © 2023 WETA. All Rights Reserved.

Bottom Footer

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Guidelines