Celebrate Presidents' Day With Some Fun White House Plumbing Facts
The White House is known for its elegant style and overwhelming enormity. However, for such a huge and bustling building, there's one crucial aspect of the President's House that doesn't get much attention - the plumbing system. While not as romantic as the gorgeous staircases, massive halls, or one-of-a-kind paintings, the White House's plumbing has a long and charming history all its own.
Pennsylvania Avenue Gets Indoor Plumbing
In 1833, Andrew Jackson had a system to pump water into the White House built for the first time. The water was first sourced from wells on the grounds and traveled along a series of reservoirs through iron pipes buried underground. The following year, Jackson made further improvements and renovations, and a nearby spring became the primary water source for the White House.
With the fresh water pumping in, a room in the East Wing was refitted and devoted exclusively to bathing purposes. Before this development, bathing reportedly took place in a basement washroom where the laundry was cleaned, or even outdoors - it is even rumored that Jackson's predecessor, John Quincy Adams, took many of his baths in the nearby Potomac River.
President Taft's Legendary Custom-Built Bathtub
William Howard Taft was the largest man ever to hold the office of U.S. President. Standing at six feet and weighing in at around 340 pounds, the nickname "Big Bill" wasn't just for his personality. Shortly after taking office in 1909, Taft traveled via warship to the Panama Canal for an inspection. To make the Commander In Chief comfortable, the ship captain sought to bring a tub of adequate size aboard. When he could find no such tub, one was manufactured.
Made of solid porcelain and weighing one ton, this custom tub was seven feet long and 41 inches wide - a world record at the time. The tub was a success, and Taft made a habit of having tubs specially made for him, even after his presidency had come to an end. One such tub in the hotel he owned put the 1909 model to shame - it was eight feet long, four feet wide, and four feet deep.
Watergate and the "White House Plumbers"
Formed in 1971, the "White House Plumbers" were men whose task was to prevent or mitigate leaks of classified government information. As a covert unit within the Nixon administration, they engaged in several illegal operations, including orchestrating the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters - the incident that sparked the Watergate scandal.
Their unfortunate moniker is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that they "fixed leaks" within the White House. Though not all of their activities were unlawful, these criminals ultimately failed to prevent the fallout from the release of the Pentagon Papers or Watergate. The real heroes are the actual, honest plumbers who perform the vital task of protecting and maintaining the White House plumbing system.
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