A History of the White House Easter Egg Roll
Event Began in 1878 During Administration of Rutherford B. Hayes
Mar 18, 2009
President Hayes and First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes decided to let children roll Easter eggs down the lawn of the White House after Congress passed legislation forbidding activities destructive to the Capitol grounds. For about a decade before Hayes was inaugurated on March 3, 1877, the Capitol's sloping west lawn had been the favorite spot for Washington, D. C. children to bring Easter eggs for rolling. At the time, the Capitol grounds were more pristine than those of the White House.
The intention of the law passed in 1876 was "to protect the public property, turf and grass of the Capitol Grounds from injury." Worse than the damage caused by children was that caused by the more frequent hooves of cattle moving along the Capitol grass. Easter Monday was the traditional day for the Easter egg rolling and showing .Sometimes parents and children shared a picnic lunch on the lawn of the Capitol too.
First Large White House Easter Egg Roll
Rain caused cancellation of the event in 1877, so enforcement of the new law had to wait until 1878. Those who went to the Capitol in 1878 were turned away. But a few days before Easter, it has been reported that a young boy approached Hayes when he was out in public and asked if children would be allowed to "roll eggs in your yard" on Easter Monday. Hayes made no commitment but went to consult with his staff.
Although no formal announcement had been made inviting the children of Washington to the White House grounds, on Easter Monday some boys tentatively came through the White House gates. Since they were not shooed away, more came. Soon the lawn was packed. The Washington Evening Star reported that children "rolled eggs down the terraces back of the Mansion, and played among the shrubbery to their heart's content." The estimate was that "several hundred" children were at this egg roll.
Children of Different Backgrounds Are Present
Although this was the first large-scale egg roll at the White House, it has been reported that smaller numbers of children had played with eggs near the White House in 1873 and 1876, In this tradition, it also has been said that from the start black and white children shared the White House lawn for this event. The New York Times reported that a photo of blacks at the 1898 Easter egg roll is at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum in Washington. However, the article also noted that few blacks attended the event (until well into the 20th century) because the reception waiting for them was usually chilly.
And look to the Washington Evening Star for more proof of social strata issues. Of one Easter egg roll during the Hayes Administration, the newspaper reported that a boy in shabby clothes about 14 years of age--traditionally too old to be among the egg rollers--took a basket of eggs and ran through the White House gates onto the street. Police caught him. The other children cheered when the eggs were returned.
Because of World War I, the event was not held from 1917 through 1920. World War II and renovations at the White House canceled the Easter egg roll from 1942 through to 1952. The administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower resumed the festivities in 1953.
How Some Previous Presidents Feted Guests
In 1889 Benjamin Harrison had the Marine Band led by John Phillip Sousa play for the guests. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan said that as a child she attended an egg roll during the term of Calvin Coolidge.
For those present in 1977, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter upped the entertainment ante. They presented cloggers, a cowboy performing rope tricks, marionettes, and a live lamb, pony, chicken and 1,200-pound steer. Bill and Hillary Clinton gave children with disabilities early admission to the event. They were also the first presidential couple to attend every Easter egg roll of the administration.
The Obamas Choose To Distribute Tickets Online
This year, Barack and Michelle Obama will offer (free) tickets to the event online for the first time. The intention is to allow more families from outside the Washington area to come since they will be assured admission. Easter Monday this year is April 13. The event is for children 10 and younger and their families. Tickets go online on Thursday, March 26. White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers is the planner and the theme is "Let's Go Play."
Sources:
Arbelbide, C. L. With Easter Monday You Get Egg Roll at the White House. Parts 1 and 2. Prologue Magazine. Spring 2000. Washington, D. C.: National Archives & Records Administration.
Seale, William. The President's House: A History. Vol. I. 2d ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press in Association with White House Historical Association. 2008.
Cotter, Holland. "Black History, Alive in Washington." New York Times. January 15, 2009.
