| Back then, people would joke that Washington City consisted of “streets with no buildings, and buildings with no streets.” How true that was! When the Madisons first moved there in 1801 for Mr. Madison to serve as Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State, their address was simply Six Buildings. Yes, it was distinctive just that six buildings stood together on a road with no name. Kilns, brickyards, and lumber were much more abundant.Here is the unfinished President’s House without a fence, lawn, or any embellishments. John Adams was the first president to live there but only for four months, and his wife Abigail got lost in the woods on her way there from Baltimore. His successor, President Jefferson, would often answer the front door himself wearing his slippers with holes in the toe. |
