To George Washington, The President’s House was the physical enactment of the American Ideal.

When one walks through the North Portico and into the Entrance Hall of the White House, one might not observe a commemorative marble plaque embedded in the floor. It is unassuming and sits in between the stately columns at the threshold to the Cross Hall just ahead. There is so much for the mind’s eye to see upon entering the grand space that it is easy to miss the subtle artifact underfoot.

And yet for all its subtlety, it may well be the most important artifact in the whole of the White House. Not for what it is (after all, it is only a slab of marble just 70 years in residence), but more for what it represents. It is a powerful monument to the indomitable strength of the American Idea and the presidents who held that idea so dear. President Truman placed the plaque there in 1952. It was his finishing touch, crowning four years of major reconstruction of the White House interior.

Carefully carved into the plaque and inlaid with brass is an oval ring of 45 stars plus 3 fixed about in the body, totaling 48. The stars represent the number of states in the American Republic at the time of Truman’s Presidency. Contained within the ring of stars are etched four dates spanning nearly the entire life of our republic – 1792, 1817, 1902 & 1952. Each date represents a time in the President’s House’s history wherein a major building or rebuilding took place. The Presidents honored in this fine collection stand out as supremely dedicated to the preservation of our nation’s most powerful symbol — The President’s House.

A Substantial Portion of the Proceeds go towards funding the indispensable work of The White House Historical Association