Decatur House
About Decatur House
Built circa 1765, Old Stone House is the oldest structure on its original foundation in Washington, DC. Old Stone House is open for visitors at the hours listed below. The grounds are open according to general park hours (sunrise to sunset).
Park Passport stamps are available here.
Adapted from National Park Service.
Decatur House is a historic house museum at 748 Jackson Place in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It is named after its first owner and occupant, the naval officer Stephen Decatur Jr. Built in 1818, the house is located at the northwest corner of Lafayette Square, about a block from the White House.
In the winter of 1820-21, new owners built an outbuilding on the property at the back which was in part used for slave quarters. Until the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, weekly auctions of enslaved black persons were held in the house's backyard, now a wedding venue. The building currently houses a museum, as well as the National Center for White House History, operated by the White House Historical Association.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Founded
- 1818
- Architect
- Benjamin Henry Latrobe
More museums in Washington →Best museums in District of Columbia →
Photos of Decatur House
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01Washington, D.C.Tim1965 · Public domain
02Commodore Stephen Decaturdbking · CC BY 2.0
03Photo of Decatur HouseFrypie · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Nearby museums
Make a day of it. 4 more museums are within a mile of Decatur House; the closest, Renwick Gallery, is practically next door.
