White House of the Confederacy

Built in 1818 as the residence of Dr. John Brockenbrough, this National Historic Landmark is best known as the executive mansion for the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865. President Jefferson Davis and his family lived here until Confederate forces evacuated Richmond on 2 April 1865. After serving five years as the headquarters of Federal occupation troops, the house became one of Richmond's first public schools. In 1890, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society saved the mansion from destruction and between 1896 and 1976 used it as the Confederate Museum. The Society restored the house to its wartime appearance and reopened it to the public in 1988.