Harry S Truman Little White House

The Harry S. Truman Little White House is located in the city of Key West, Florida. The house was originally constructed in 1890. It served as the command headquarters of the naval station during the Spanish American War and both World Wars. The house was the winter White House of President Truman beginning in 1946. He engaged in 11 working vacations at the site, holding meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Department of Defense was created in the home when the decision was made to merge the Department of the Navy with the Department of War. He also developed the Marshall Plan, the creation of the State of Israel and the Truman Doctrine while at the house. It was later a site for Cold War response in later administrations. The house is now a public, living museum, but still a retreat and place for government to conduct business. It is located on the waterfront and was originally designed as a two-family dwelling. It was converted to a single-family residence in 1911. The home was used for hurricane research by scientists Edward Hayden from 1912 to 1915. Thomas Edison also resided in the home for six months during 1918, inventing 41 new weapons.