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The White House

Source: An Executive Mansion Official

The White House is located on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue between the Treasury and the State Department Buildings. The buildings and grounds cover an area of about 16 acres. The buildings consist of the mansion, the east and west terraces, and the Executive Office.

The main building is about 170 feet long by 85 feet wide. It has four floors. The east and west terraces are one-story structures. The east terrace is about 35 feet wide and 215 feet long extending on the east side of the main building. It is used as an entrance and cloak room for large receptions. The west terrace is about 35 feet wide and 165 feet long extending from the west side of the building. It contains the President's swimming pool and a few small offices for members of the household staff.

The Executive Office is a three-story structure about 140 feet long by 100 feet wide at the west end of the west terrace. It was not part of the original design but was added in 1902 to accommodate the office force of the President. In May. 1937, an electric alarm system whereby any of the President's secretaries could call an armed guard at an instant's notice was installed in the Executive Office.

The design of the White House proper and the terraces is said to have been suggested by that of the Duke of Leinster's palace in Dublin. It is of the classic style of architecture, and has been much admired by architects. The exterior walls of the building are constructed of light gray sandstone from quarries on Aquia Creek, Virginia, and were painted white in the course of the reconstruction after the fire in 1815.

The White House was the first public building erected in Washington, the corner-stone having been laid on October 13, 1792, in the presence of a distinguished company of citizens and officials. which did not, however, include President Washington. The site was selected by Major L'Enfant. the French engineer who prepared the plan for the city, and was approved by Washington. The architect was James Hoban. a native of Ireland who had resided for some years in Charleston, South Carolina. Hoban superintended the original construction, the reconstruction after the burning by the British, and the later construction of the

south and north porticos.

The White House was first occupied by President and Mrs. John Adams in November, 1800, although some of the interior construction, notably the finish of the East Room, had not been completed at that time. The east and west terraces were constructed during Jefferson's administration.

On August 24, 1814, the building was burned by the British forces which had captured Washington, the fire destroying the interior and part of the walls. The work of reconstruction was commenced in the spring of 1815, and President Monroe moved in during December, 1817. The south portico was completed in 1824, and the north portico in 1829.

In 1869 the east terrace was entirely removed. but no other important structural changes were made until 1902, except greenhouses on the west terrace.

Entrance lobby and main corridor-These rooms have marble floors, and are painted buff and white. Six classic columns mark the separation between the lobby and the corridor. The window hangings are red and a red rug. 70 feet in length. is on the corridor floor. On the east and west walls of the lobby are mirrors reaching from the floor to the ceiling, and in the center of the floor appears the President's seal, in yellow bronze, inlaid in the stone.

The East Room-The walls of this room are covered with wood panelling, enameled: the ornamental ceiling is done in stucco; and set in the walls are twelve low relief panels by Piccirilli Brothers. sculptors, the subjects being taken from Aesop's fables. On both the east and west sides of the room are two mantels of colored marble, with mirrors over them. The room is lighted by three crystal chandeliers, and by four bronze standards bearing electric lights, which are placed at the four corners of the room. The window draperies are of heavy crimson silk damask. The floor is oak.

The Green Room-The wall covering and curtains in this room are of green silk damask. The white marble mantel. together with that in the Red Room, was originally in the State Dining Room, having been purchased in England when the White House was reconstructed after the fire in 1814.

The Blue Room is elliptical in shape and is considered to be rarely beautiful in its proportions. The wall covering above the white enameled wainscoting is of heavy corded blue silk, and the curtains are of the same material. The mantel is of white marble, and the floor is of oak. In this room the President receives foreign diplomats presenting their credentials, and guests at State dinners and receptions.

The Red Room has a white enameled wainscoting, wall covering and hangings of dark red silk damask. and an oak floor. The white marble mantel is a duplicate of that in the Green Room.

The State Dining Room is used for all large dinners and luncheons, and can seat comfortably 100 guests. The walls from floor to ceiling are of paneled and carved oak, and the window curtains are of green velvet. The ceiling. in stucco. is elaborately decorated. The chimney piece is of stone, and the chandelier and wall branches are silver.

The Private Dining Room has a vaulted ceiling, white enameled wainscoting, and walls paneled in plaster. The mantel is of marble, with a mirror over it copied from one belonging to the White House period.

The second and third floors are devoted to the family and guests of the President.

Restoration of Colonial Williamsburg

Source: Colonial Williamsburg, Incorporated

The restoration of Williamsburg, the eighteenth century capital of the Virginia colony, by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was undertaken more than ten years ago as an endeavor to restore accurately and to preserve for all time the most significant portions of an historic and important city of America's colonial period.

The main street of the city, Duke of Gloucester Street (which extends seven-eighths of a mile from the grounds of the College of William & Mary to the reconstructed colonial Capitol) and the greens and square bordering this historic thoroughfare comprise the area of restoration. The restored area includes the original grounds of the college, which, next to Harvard is the oldest in the country; also the Court House Green, Market Square, Palace Green and Capitol Square.

In recreating the colonial capital, 572 buildings of modern construction have been razed. 77 colonial buildings have been repaired or restored, 188 have been reconstructed, 39 buildings designed for commercial uses have been erected and more than two-score of old gardens have been restored or reconstructed.

Among the important exhibition buildings of the Restoration which are open to the public are: The Governor's Palace, with its rare collection of antique furniture and furnishings and its extensive eighteenth century English type gardens; the Capitol, a duplicate of the original structure erected in 1699-1705, which was the scene of dramatic legislative struggles preceding the Ameri

can Revolution; the reconstructed Raleigh Tavern where the House of Burgesses met after being dissolved by the Royal Governors and where many other political and social events of historical importance occurred; the Public Gaol, a restored prison erected in 1701-1704; the restored Court House of 1770 which contains an unique archaeological exhibit of colonial glass, china, hardware. utensils and building materials recovered in excavating more than one hundred foundations in Williamsburg; the restored Ludwell-Paradise House, 1717-1719, one of the notable houses in the city which now contains Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s collection of American Folk Art; the restored Market Square Tavern and the Travis House. The George Wythe House, with its extensive gardens and outbuildings, has recently been restored and furnished in contemporary antiques, and is one of the Restoration exhibition buildings. Originally the home of George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence and professor of the first American law course, the house was used Washington's headquarters prior to the siege of Yorktown. The Craft House, adjoining the Williamsburg Inn, is the display headquarters of the official craft program developed by the Restoration, and also houses the information office. Five Craft Shops, the Ayscough Shop, the Deane Shop and Forge, the Sign of the Golden Ball, the Wigmaker's Shop and the Bootmaker's Shop-in all of which costumed artisans work at eighteenth century hand trades-are now open to the public.

as

Date

June 30, 1922.

The Civil Service of the United States

Source: Official Report of the Commission

In Dist. Outside

D. Col. Total

June 30, 1923

December 31, 1923.

June 30, 1924.

64,120

December, 30, 1924

66,079

Col.
69,980 457,537
66,290 449,482
65,025 447,064
457,521
456,285

June 30, 1925.

63,756

469,042

December 31, 1925.

61,509

454,568

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Date

527,517 June 30, 1932.
515,772 December 31, 1932.
512,089 June 30, 1933
521,641 December 31, 1933.
522,364 June 30. 1934
532,798 December 31, 1934.
516,077 June 30, 1935
467,731 528,542 December 31, 1935.
59,569 455,041 514,610 June 30, 1936
59,800 467,428 527,228 December 31, 1936.
60,660 461,538 522,198 June 30, 1937.
61,388 479,479 540,867 December 31, 1937.
62,140 481,883 544,023 June 30, 1938.
63,904 495,675 559,579 December 31, 1938.
63,946 495,672 559,618 June 30, 1939.....
68.510 511.984 580,494 December 31, 1939.
71,189 494,554 565,743 June 30, 1940
71.693 516,513 588,206 December 31, 1940.
69,435 506,521 575.956 June 30, 1941.

The figures in the tables above and below do not
Include employees in the Legislative or Judicial
branches of the United States Government, the
Military and Naval forces of the United States. or

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76,558 531,378 607,936 89,132 583,963 673.095 95,462 590,033 685.495 103,453 615,987 719,440 111,692 704,097 815,789 117,103 707,156 824,259 115,964 715,131 831,095 115,409 726,255 841,664 113,329 699,973 813,302 115,590 736,336 851,926 119,547 742,367 861,914 123,364

796,946 920,310 126,345 805,960 932,305 133,645 869,175 1,002,820 154,680 964,961 1,119,641 183,907 1,174,243 1,358,150

the employees of the District of Columbia Government; also do not include enrolees engaged in Civilian Conservation Corps work.

On June 30, 1941, the civil employees of the Government numbered 1,091,743 men, of whom 808,691 had classified jobs; and 266,407, of whom 181,527 were in classified positions.

Government Employees by Sex and Location, June 30, 1941

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U. S. Personnel and Payroll, Including Defense, Dec., 1940

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GAINFUL WORKERS 16 YEARS OLD AND OVER IN U. S.: 1870 to 1930

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The National Parks and National Monuments

Source: National Park Service

The National Park Service (June 30, 1941) is responsible for 26 national parks, 4 national historical parks, 82 national monuments, 1 national recreational area, 11 national military parks, 7 national battlefield sites, 9 national memorials, 13 national cemeteries, 8 national historic sites, 3 national parkways, and 1 national capital park. The total area of the Federal Park System was 21,613,543 acres.

Following are the national parks. The year is that of creation of the park; figures in parentheses show area, in square miles.

Acadia, 1929, Maine coast (29)-The group of (3,472) More geysers than in all rest of world granite mountains upon Mount Desert Island and together. Boiling springs; mud volcanoes; petrified also bold point on opposite mainland across French-forests. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, remarkable for gorgeous coloring. mans Bay. Large lakes; many large streams and waterfalls. Valley of world-famed beauty. Lofty cliffs; romanYosemite, 1890, Middle Eastern California (1,189) tic vistas; many waterfalls of extraordinary height; 3 groves of Big Trees.

Bryce Canyon, 1928,, Southwestern Utah (56) -Box canyon filled with countless array of fantastically eroded pinnacles. Best exhibit of vivid. coloring of earth's materials.

Carlsbad Caverns, 1930, Southeastern New Mexico (77)-Contains stupendous caverns, not yet wholly explored, limestone decorations.

Crater Lake, 1902, Southwestern Oregon (251)Lake of extraordinary blue in crater of extinct volcano. Sides 500 to 2,000 feet high. Interesting lava formations. Fine fishing.

Glacier, 1910, Northwestern Montana (1,538) Rugged mountain region of unsurpassed alpine character, more than 200 glacier-fed lakes of romantic beauty, 60 small glaciers. Precipices sands of feet deep.

Zion, 1919. Southwestern Utah (135)-Magnificent gorge (Zion Canyon), depth from 1,500 to 2,500 feet, with precipitous walls.

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARKS Abraham Lincoln, 1916, Kentucky (0.17) Contains memorial building covering log cabin thought to be that in which Lincoln was born.

Chalmette, 1907, Louisiana (0.05)-Part of the ground on which the Battle of New Orleans was thou-fought, Jan. 8, 1815.

Grand Canyon, 1919, North Central Arizona (1,008) The greatest example of erosion and the most sublime spectacle in the world.

Grand Teton, 1929, Northwestern Wyoming (150) Includes most spectacular portion of Teton Mountains, an uplift of unusual grandeur.

Great Smoky Mountains, 1930, North Carolina and Tennessee (714)-Massive mountain uplift; magnificent forests.

Hawaii, 1916, Hawaii (271)-Interesting volcanic areas-Kilauea and Mauna Loa, active volcanoes on the island of Hawaii; Haleakala, a huge extinct volcano on the island of Maui

Colonial National, 1936, Southeastern Virginia (10)-Includes three areas of historic importance in Colonial history-Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

Morristown, 1933, New Jersey (1.64)-Served as base hospital for the Colonial Army throughout the Revolutionary War, and was the main camp site of the American armies during the winters of 1776-77 and 1779-80.

The mansion of the late Frederick W. Vanderbilt, north of Hyde Park, Dutchess County, N. Y., has been deeded to the U. S. Govt., by his niece, Mrs. Margaret Louise Van Alen, and has been designated as the Vanderbilt Mansion National

Hot Springs, 1921, Middle Arkansas (1.57)-Historic Site.
Hot Springs said to possess healing properties.
Many hotels and boarding houses; bathhouses under
Government supervision.

Isle Royale, 1940, Michigan (209)-Largest island in Lake Superior; an area of rugged forested wil

derness.

Kings Canyon, 1940, California (710)-Sierra wilderness with numerous peaks 13,000 to 14,000 feet high; park also contains Big Tree groves.

Lassen Volcanic, 1916, Northern California (163) -only recently active volcano in United States proper. Lassen Peak, 10,453 feet; Cinder Cone. 6,913 feet; hot springs; mud geysers.

Mammoth Cave, 1936, Southwestern Kentucky (76) Series of caverns including spectacular onyx cave formation. Became nationally known in the war of 1812 when saltpeter from the cave was used in making gunpowder.

Mesa Verde, 1906, Southwestern Colorado (80) Most notable and best preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in the United States.

Mount McKinley, 1917, South Central Alaska (3,030)-Highest mountain in North America. Mount Rainier, 1899, West Central Washington (378) Largest accessible single peak glacier system; 28 glaciers, some of large size, more than 40 square miles of glacier, 50 to 500 feet thick.

Olympic, 1938, Northwest Washington (1,305)Notable as finest remnant of the Pacific Northwest forests, including the famous "rain forests,' and for its numerous glaciers; also as the summer feeding ground for the rare Roosevelt Elk. Platt, 1906, Southern Oklahoma (1.33)-Sulphur and other springs.

Rocky Mountain, 1915. North Middle Colorado (405) Heart of the Rockies, snowy range, peaks 11,000 to 14,255 feet altitude. Remarkable records of glacial period.

Sequoia, 1890, Middle Eastern California (604)The Big Tree National Park. Scores of sequoias 20 to 30 feet in diameter, thousands over 10 feet in diameter, General Sherman Tree, 36.5 feet in diameter and 272.4 feet high. Towering mountain ranges; startling precipices. Mount Whitney and Kern River canyon.

Shenandoah, 1935, in Northwestern Virginia (286) Embraces outstanding scenic section of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Wind Cave, 1903, South Dakota (20)-Cavern having several miles of galleries and numerous chambers containing peculiar formations.

Yellowstone, 1872, Northwestern Wyoming, Southwestern Montana, and Northeastern Idaho

NATIONAL MONUMENTS

near

These "monuments" include the Aztec Ruins at Aztec, New Mexico; the Cliff Dwellers ruins in Arizona and New Mexico; Big Hole Indian 1877 Battlefield in Montana; Castle Pinckney, Charleston, S. C.; Fort Jefferson, Fla.; Craters (lava) of the Moon, Idaho; Death Valley, Calif.; Dinosaur fossil remains, Jensen, Utah; George Washington Birthplace near Fredericksburg, Va.; Glacier Bay, Alaska; Grand Canyon, Ariz.; Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colo.; Great Sand Dunes in the San Luis Valley, Colo.; Katmai, Valley of 10,000 Smokes, Alaska; Lava Beds, Calif.: Mounds (prehistoric) near Chillicothe, O.; Muir (redwood) groves in Calif.; Natural Bridges, in Utah; Petrified Forest, Adamana, Ariz.; Joshua Tree, in Calif., south of the Mojave Desert; Statue of Liberty, N. Y. Harbor, Ocmulgee (Indian mounds, 693 acres in and around Macon, Ga.; Appomattox Court House, Va.; Ft. Marion, Fla.; Ft. Laramie, Wyoming, Ft. Matanzas, Fla.; Ft. McHenry, Md.; Ft. Pulaski, Ga.

near

Kill Devil Hill Monument, No. Car., where the Wright pioneer sustained flight by a heavier-thanair machine was made, is a National Memorial. NATIONAL MILITARY PARKS Chickamauga and Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tenn. Fort Donelson, Erin, Tenn. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial, Fredericksburg, Va. Gettysburg, Gettysburg, Guilford Courthouse, Greensboro, No. Car. Kings Mountain, Kings Mountain, South Car. Moores Creek, Currie, No. Car. Petersburg, Petersburg, Va. Shiloh, Pittsburgh Landing, Tenn. Stones River, Murfreesboro, Tenn. Vicksburg. Vicksburg, Miss.

Pa.

NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD SITES Antietam, Sharpsburg, Md. Brice's Cross Roads, Bethany, Miss. Cowpens, near Spartanburg, So. Car. Fort Necessity, S. E. of Uniontown, Pa. Kennesaw Mountain, near Marietta, Ga. Tupelo, Miss. White Plains, N. Y. (west side of Bronx River Parkway at foot of Chatterton Hill), a monument.

The National Cemeteries administered by the National Park Service are -Antietam, Md.; Battleground, Georgia Ave., D. C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Custer Battlefield, Montana; Fort Donelson, Tenn.; Fredericksburg, Va.; Gettysburg, Pa.; Poplar Grove, Va.; Shiloh, Tenn.; Stones River, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss., and Yorktown, Va.

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National-Forest Areas in United States, 1940

Source: United States Forest Service

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5,041,824

2,528,842 S. C....

1,422,604

558.874

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2,155,484 Miss.

2,776,405

1,009,745 S. D.

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547,162

Colo.

15,208,180

13,661,830 Mont.

18,973,857

16,253,438 Texas.

1,714,374

644,937

Fla.

1,241,955

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989,779 Nebr. 629,129 Nev.. 19,968,670 N. H. 197,337 N. M. 60,155 N. C 4,042 N. D

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5,245,677

4,990,221 Vt..

580,520

806,322

664,146 Va

4,123,663

8,861,972 Wash.

10,706,908

167,094 1,384,745 9,251,972

Ky.

1,393,521

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425,632 Ohio
529,351 Okla.

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764,441 1,466,109

344,269

17,574,114

970,111 W. Va..
520 Wise...

1,836,140

901,562

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57.784 Wyo...

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158,399

14,162,989 Tot.. 228,173,676 176,779,377

Income from the national forests during the fiscal year 1940-1941 was $6,681,825, as against $6,751,553 in 1930. Returns from timber sales to the Federal Treasury reached an all time high at $4,789,040. The receipts included $1,429,091 of grazing fees and special-use fees of $383,477 for Summer home sites. resorts and other private or semi-private developments permitted on Federal lands. STATE PARKS, FORESTS, AND RECREATIONAL AREAS, 1941

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Recreation areas include parks, including the Catskill and Adirondack Preserves.

4,055,281 12,087,854

Production of Lumber in the United States

Source: United States Bureau of the Census; Federal Forest Service; figures show millions of board feet

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The amount of the chief species sawed in 1939 (M ft., b.m.) was: softwood-Douglas fir. 6,494,301; hemlock, 665,259; cypress, 421.584; cedar. 263.693; balsam fir, 20,002; white pine, 1,004,262; yellow pine. 7,749,188; ponderosa pine, 3,360.004; spruce, 346,159; redwood, 345,003; sugar pine, 308,929; larch, 111,488: white fir, 97,712; lodgepole pine, 54,803.

Hardwood-ash, 90,428; basswood, 95,688; beech, 119.564; birch, 140,738; chestnut, 74.051; cottonwood, 129.858; elm, 73,845; hickory, 37.759: maple. 445,163; oak, 1,432,119; red gum, 382,693; sycamore, 27,104; tupelo 271,486; walnut, 27,007; yellow poplar. 276,383.

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This table presents statistics separately for each State for which figures can be given without disclosing data for individual mills. No lumber production was reported from North Dakota.

1,036,351

213,116

51.438
67.402

333.234

111,218

1,200,700

74,086

271,096

18,814 Texas. 270.951 Utah.

186,926

14,067

106.227

107,856

324,484 43,208

336,797 141,843 65,340

65,319

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