During our recent 7-Day Western Caribbean cruise on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam, we visited Key West, Florida.
One of the places that I wanted to see in Key West was the Harry S. Truman Little White House museum, especially since I visited the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri last fall. Since President Truman grew up near my hometown, I was curious to learn more about his connection to Key West, Florida.
Built as quarters for Navy officers in 1890, the Little White House, (pictured above) became the winter White House for President Truman after his doctor, Wallace Graham, ordered a warm vacation. President Truman made 11 visits to Key West, staying a total of 175 days during his presidency between 1946 and 1952.
Documents issued from the Little White House read, The White House, US Naval Station, Key West, Florida.
In addition to Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed in Key West following a heart attack. In November 1962, John F. Kennedy visited Key West a month after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The house served as the Naval Station commandant’s house until March 1974, when the submarine base was closed.
Opened as a state historic site and museum in 1991, visitors can take guided tours to see the rooms where the president lived and worked. Items such as President Truman’s briefcase, books, telephone, and his famous “The Buck Stops Here”
Visitors to the Little White House enter the museum’s gift shop through the side door (pictured above.) Here you can buy tour tickets, souvenirs, and view a few historical items in two connecting rooms, even if you do not buy a tour ticket. Because our time was limited, this is what we did, although we would like to take the tour on another visit.
In the two rooms attached to the gift shop, you can learn about President Truman’s typical Key West attire.
There is also a fun display about Truman’s typical daily schedule while his was in Key West. One “fun fact” – on the advice of his physician, President Truman started his morning with a shot of bourbon, followed by a large class of fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice. This was known as his morning “medicine,” consumed prior to his brisk 10-block morning walk before breakfast.
Another “fun fact” from the display by the gift shop:
President Harry Truman had proposed national health care as part of his “Fair Deal” domestic program in 1949, but the measure failed. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare Law Bill at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri in 1965. President Johnson then issued Medicare Card #1 to President Truman on January 21, 1966.
The Little White House is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year including all holidays. Tours are offered approximately every 20 minutes from 9am until 4:30pm daily. You can buy tickets online in advance. The Little White House Museum Store is open 9am to 5pm daily.
Key West has a colorful and interesting history.
Check out our advance research in this post: 53 Fun Facts About Key West, Florida.
Have you visited the Little White House in Key West, Florida? What was most interesting to you? Please share in comments below.
Other posts from our recent cruise on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam to check out:
- The Cabana Club on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam
- A Look at the Dim Sum Lunch in Holland America’s Tamarind Restaurant
- A Look Inside a Verandah Stateroom on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Ship
- Views from Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
- An Updated Look at Holland America’s Canaletto Restaurant Menu
- The B.B. King Blue’s Club on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam
- The Updated Menu for An Evening at Le Cirque on Holland America Cruises
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