What the childhood homes of 32 US presidents looked like

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Talia LakritzMay 30, 2020, 01:46 IST
What the childhood homes of 32 US presidents looked like

Inside John F. Kennedy's childhood home.Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images, William J. Smith/AP

  • Some US presidents grew up on farms with no electricity or running water.
  • Others grew up in mansions.
  • Many of their birthplaces and childhood homes are now museums or national landmarks.

Some US presidents as recent as Jimmy Carter grew up on rural farms with no electricity or running water. Others, such as Donald Trump, spent their childhood years in large mansions.

Many of the birthplaces and childhood homes of US presidents have also been turned into museums or national parks.

Here are the buildings that 32 US presidents called home.

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George Washington grew up on Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

George Washington grew up on Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
George Washington's Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1955. Lawrence Thornton/Archive Photos/Getty Images

The historic site features a replica of Washington's childhood home, where the family moved when he was 6 years old.

John Adams was born in 1735 in a rural cottage in Quincy, Massachusetts.

John Adams was born in 1735 in a rural cottage in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Quincy, Massachusetts. Faina Gurevich/Shutterstock

Joseph Penniman built the home now known as John Adams Birthplace in 1681, and John Adams' father purchased it in 1720.

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Thomas Jefferson was born on a plantation named Shadwell, but spent most of his childhood at Tuckahoe Plantation in Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson was born on a plantation named Shadwell, but spent most of his childhood at Tuckahoe Plantation in Virginia.
Tuckahoe Plantation. Edith D. Tunis-Sale/National Park Service/Library of Congress

Thomas Jefferson moved to Tuckahoe Plantation with his family when he was 2 years old. His education began in a one-room schoolhouse on the property that still stands today.

James Madison grew up in a plantation house called Mount Pleasant, later expanded and renamed Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia.

James Madison grew up in a plantation house called Mount Pleasant, later expanded and renamed Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia.
Montpelier in Virginia. Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock

Growing up as the oldest son in a wealthy family, he studied math, geography, and languages with a number of tutors. Reverend Thomas Martin studied with Madison at Montpelier and helped prepare him to attend the College of New Jersey.

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James Monroe was born near Colonial Beach, Virginia, around 1752.

James Monroe was born near Colonial Beach, Virginia, around 1752.
James Monroe's birthplace. Virginia Department of Historic Resources

Monroe lived in a 1,600-square-foot house with his parents and four siblings. The historic home no longer exists, but a replica of Monroe's childhood home is under construction on the site and was scheduled to be completed in 2020.

William Henry Harrison was born at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia.

William Henry Harrison was born at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia.
Historic Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia. OJUP/Shutterstock

Berkeley Plantation was built in 1726 and is said to be the oldest three-story brick house in Virginia. William Henry Harrison's grandson Benjamin Harrison, who served as the 23rd US president, also lived on the plantation.

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The original log cabin where James K. Polk lived as a child no longer exists, but the President James K. Polk Historic Site recreates the homestead.

The original log cabin where James K. Polk lived as a child no longer exists, but the President James K. Polk Historic Site recreates the homestead.
The President James K. Polk Historic Site. North Carolina Historic Sites

The 11th president was born in 1795 on a 150-acre farm in Pineville, North Carolina. Polk lived there until he was 11 years old and his family moved to Tennessee.

Zachary Taylor's boyhood home is located in Louisville, Kentucky.

Zachary Taylor's boyhood home is located in Louisville, Kentucky.
Springfield. Kentucky Historical Society/Library of Congress

Known as Springfield, the two-and-a-half story house dates back to 1790.

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Millard Fillmore, the 13th president, grew up in a log cabin in New Hope, New York.

Millard Fillmore, the 13th president, grew up in a log cabin in New Hope, New York.
Millard Fillmore's childhood home in New Hope, Cayuga County, New York. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The cabin has been replaced with picnic tables and a plaque marking where it once stood.

Franklin Pierce lived in a two-story home near Hillsborough, New Hampshire, until he married his wife, Jane, in 1834.

Franklin Pierce lived in a two-story home near Hillsborough, New Hampshire, until he married his wife, Jane, in 1834.
Franklin Pierce's childhood home. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Pierce's father ran a popular tavern out of the house. It also featured a ballroom on the second floor.

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Abraham Lincoln was born in a humble log cabin near Louisville, Kentucky.

Abraham Lincoln was born in a humble log cabin near Louisville, Kentucky.
Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. Everett Historical/Shutterstock

A symbolic cabin similar to the one in which Lincoln was born is enclosed in a neoclassic memorial building.

Ulysses S. Grant's boyhood home is located in Georgetown, Ohio.

Ulysses S. Grant's boyhood home is located in Georgetown, Ohio.
Ulysses S. Grant's childhood home. ADC Bradley/Shutterstock

Grant lived there from when he was 1 year old until he left for West Point in 1839.

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Grover Cleveland was born in a two-story house in Caldwell, New Jersey.

Grover Cleveland was born in a two-story house in Caldwell, New Jersey.
The living room in the birthplace of President Grover Cleveland. Kean Collection/Getty Images

Cleveland is the only US president to serve two non-consecutive terms. He was the 22nd and 24th president.

William McKinley's original birthplace burned down in 1937, but was recreated at the McKinley Birthplace Home and Research Center in Niles, Ohio.

William McKinley's original birthplace burned down in 1937, but was recreated at the McKinley Birthplace Home and Research Center in Niles, Ohio.
William McKinley's birthplace in Niles, Ohio as it appeared in 1902. C.H. Graves/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

There's also a replica of his home where it once stood, one block south of the McKinley Memorial and Museum in Niles.

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Theodore Roosevelt grew up in a townhouse in New York City.

Theodore Roosevelt grew up in a townhouse in New York City.
Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace, New York City. Joan Slatkin/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The townhouse is now a museum located at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan. Roosevelt lived there until he was 14 years old.

William Howard Taft's birthplace is part of the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, Ohio.

William Howard Taft's birthplace is part of the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The William Howard Taft National Historic Site. Tom Engberg/NPS Photo

Taft lived in this home from his birth in 1857 until he left for college in 1874.

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Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia.

Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia.
Woodrow Wilson's birthplace. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The house, located at 24 North Coalter Street in Staunton, was built in 1846.

Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office in the house where he was born and raised in Plymouth, Vermont.

Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office in the house where he was born and raised in Plymouth, Vermont.
The Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth, Vermont. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

Coolidge became the 30th US president when Warren G. Harding died in 1923.

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Herbert Hoover was born in a two-room cottage in West Branch, Iowa, in 1874.

Herbert Hoover was born in a two-room cottage in West Branch, Iowa, in 1874.
Herbert Hoover's birthplace. IN Dancing Light/Shutterstock

Hoover lived in the cottage until he was 3 years old with his parents and two siblings.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's estate, known as Springwood, is located in Hyde Park, New York.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's estate, known as Springwood, is located in Hyde Park, New York.
Interior of President Franklin Roosevelt's library at his birthplace and home, as pictured in 1939. Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Roosevelt was born on the estate in 1882 and is buried there, as well.

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Harry Truman was born in a 20-by-28-foot house in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884.

Harry Truman was born in a 20-by-28-foot house in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884.
The birthplace of Harry Truman. Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Truman is the only president who was born in Missouri.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, in 1890.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, in 1890.
Dwight D. Eisenhower's birthplace in Denison, Texas. RaksyBH/Shutterstock

Eisenhower was born in the bedroom of a two-story house in Denison — the first US president to be born in Texas. His family then moved to Kansas when he was 18 months old.

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John F. Kennedy grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts.

John F. Kennedy grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The Kennedy family's dining room. Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Kennedy was born in the master bedroom of 83 Beals Street in Brookline in 1917 and lived there for the first 10 years of his life.

Lyndon B. Johnson hired an architect to reconstruct his childhood home in Johnson City, Texas.

Lyndon B. Johnson hired an architect to reconstruct his childhood home in Johnson City, Texas.
Lyndon B. Johnson's childhood home. Cynthia Dorminey/NPS

Johnson lived there from when he was 5 years old until he graduated high school in 1924. The home had no electricity or indoor plumbing.

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Richard Nixon's birthplace and childhood home is located in Yorba Linda, California.

Richard Nixon's birthplace and childhood home is located in Yorba Linda, California.
Nixon's birthplace and childhood home. Pamela Brick/Shutterstock

Nixon's father built the one-and-a-half story house, where the future president was born in 1913. The Nixon family lived there until 1922.

Gerald Ford lived in this Grand Rapids, Michigan, home from ages 8 to 17.

Gerald Ford lived in this Grand Rapids, Michigan, home from ages 8 to 17.
The boyhood home of President Gerald R. Ford. Morry Gash/AP

Ford moved around a lot, but wrote in his memoir that he had the most vivid memories of 649 Union Street.

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Jimmy Carter's family moved to a farm without indoor plumbing or electricity in Plains, Georgia, when he was 4 years old.

Jimmy Carter's family moved to a farm without indoor plumbing or electricity in Plains, Georgia, when he was 4 years old.
The Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm. Jeffrey M. Frank/Shutterstock

Carter helped harvest and sell cotton, peanuts, sugar cane, and corn until 1941, when he left for college.

Ronald Reagan's boyhood home is located in Dixon, Illinois.

Ronald Reagan's boyhood home is located in Dixon, Illinois.
The Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Dixon, Illinois. David Mercer/AP

Reagan moved many times throughout his childhood, but lived in this Dixon home from 1920 to 1924.

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Bill Clinton spent the first four years of his life in Hope, Arkansas, living with his mother and maternal grandparents.

Bill Clinton spent the first four years of his life in Hope, Arkansas, living with his mother and maternal grandparents.
Bill Clinton's childhood home in Hope, Arkansas. Danny Johnston/AP

The two-and-a-half story house dates back to 1917.

George W. Bush lived in this Midland, Texas, home from ages 5 to 9.

George W. Bush lived in this Midland, Texas, home from ages 5 to 9.
George W. Bush's childhood home in Midland, Texas. Evan Vucci/AP

His parents George H.W. and Barbara Bush, also a former president and first lady, bought the house in 1951.

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Barack Obama's childhood home in Honolulu, Hawaii, is listed for $2.2 million.

Barack Obama's childhood home in Honolulu, Hawaii, is listed for $2.2 million.
Barack Obama's childhood home. Google Maps

Obama lived in the 2,602-square-foot home from 1964 to 1967.

Donald Trump grew up in Queens, New York, and moved to this brick house when he was 4 years old.

Donald Trump grew up in Queens, New York, and moved to this brick house when he was 4 years old.
Donald Trump's childhood home. Katie Warren/Business Insider

Trump lived in the 23-room house until he left for a military boarding school at 13 years old.

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