These Are The Most Patriotic Houses In America!
1 Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon was the home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. Situated on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia, the plantation-style house was built in 1734 and sits on 500 acres. Washington lived at Mount Vernon with his wife, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. You can’t get much more American than that.
Fun Facts:
- Mount Vernon is 11,000 square feet and features two-and-a-half stories and a full cellar.
- The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association bought the Mansion and surrounding property in 1858.
- There is a weathervane in the shape of a dove of peace on top of the cupola.
2 The Betsy Ross House
The Betsy Ross House is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is where Betsy Ross lived when she made the first American flag. She rented the home with her husband, John Ross, between 1773 and 1786. They ran an upholstery business out of the house when George Washington approached her to sew the flag of the United States of America. It is one of the most visited landmarks in Philadelphia.
Fun Facts:
- The Betsy Ross House is a Georgian style home built in 1740.
- It is three-and-a-half stories, comprising six rooms and an attic.
- The home is located several blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell
3 Monticello
Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. It’s in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the plantation sits on 5,000 acres. Jefferson was just 26 years old when he designed the property after inheriting the land from his father. They based the original design on the classical style of Palladian architecture. Work began on Monticello in 1768 and they completed construction in 1809.
Fun Facts:
- It is currently owned by Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc. and is worth $15 million.
- The entire mansion houses 43 rooms and has 11,000 square feet of living area.
- Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, and is buried on the grounds at the Monticello Cemetery.
4 The Mark Twain House
The Mark Twain House is in Hartford, Connecticut, and was the home of the beloved American author Mark Twain. Samuel Langhorne Clemens lived there with his family from 1874 to 1891. Edward Tuckerman Potter built the home in 1873 and designed in the American High Gothic style. The property houses a museum that honors Twain’s literary legacy, which includes the classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Fun Facts:
- The house is worth $16.3 million.
- The home is 11‚500 square feet‚ and has 25 rooms, spread over three floors.
- Visitors to the museum can see several of Twain’s personal artifacts, from his artwork to a pair of his spectacles.
5 The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House
The Star-Spangled Banner House is in Baltimore, Maryland. The house was built in the 1700s and was owned by Mary Pickersville in the early 1800s. She and her family ran a flag-sewing business out of their home. Pickersville and Grace Wisher sewed the American flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem that became the National Anthem of the United States.
Fun facts:
- The city of Baltimore bought the house in 1927.
- The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Association established a museum inside the house.
6 The Lincoln Home
Lincoln Home National Historic Site is in Springfield, Illinois. It was the home of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. He lived in the home with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, from 1844 until 1861. The house has two floors and 12 rooms. According to the National Park Service, the Lincoln Home has almost burned down two times since its construction in 1839.
Fun Facts:
- Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, donated the family home to the State of Illinois in 1887.
- This was the only house that Lincoln owned.
- He and his wife moved out when he became the 16th United States’ President.
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The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park is in Auburn, New York. Underground Railroad abolitionist Harriet Tubman purchased the property from Senator William Seward and moved into the house with her parents. After the Civil War, Tubman purchased 25 acres of adjacent land and created the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged in 1896.
Fun facts:
- Harriet Tubman deeded the property to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1903.
- The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park was established in 2017.
- Tubman lived in the residence from 1859 through 1913.
8 Montpelier
Montpelier was the family home of James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, the Architect of the Bill of Rights, and the fourth President of the United States. Located in Orange County, Virginia, Madisons and DuPont built the mansion in 1764. Madison lived there with his wife, Dolley Madison.
Fun Facts:
- The home is a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- It is worth $25 million.
- Montpelier sits on 2,650 acres.
9 Maltese Cross Cabin
The Maltese Cross Cabin in Medora, North Dakota, was made famous by Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. During the 1880s, Roosevelt split his time between his home in New York and a cabin on Chimney Butte Ranch, where he embarked on outdoor adventures and hunted for bison. Ranchers, Sylvane Ferris and Bill Merrifield built the cabin at Roosevelt’s request.
Fun Facts:
- The cabin is one-and-a-half stories tall and has three rooms.
- It’s constructed with ponderosa pine logs and a thatched roof.
- The cabin houses a replica of a small writing desk that once sat in Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch.
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Fun facts:
- The home is located in the residential section of the Auburn Avenue Historic District.
- Dr. King lived in the house for the first 12 years of his life.
- The house was restored and turned into a museum after Dr. King was assassinated in 1968.
11 The American Gothic House
Artist Grant Wood made this old farmhouse in Eldon, Iowa famous when he used it as the backdrop for the iconic painting American Gothic. According to the website of the American Gothic House & Center, “Wood took a tour of a small Iowa town and spotted a little white house with a large Gothic window. Inspired, Wood quickly sketched the house, and returned home to Cedar Rapids to paint American Gothic.”
Fun facts:
- The house was built by Catherine and Charles Dibble in 1881.
- It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
- Grant Wood was first drawn in by the home’s cathedral window.
12 Booker T. Washington National Monument
The Booker T. Washington National Monument is located near Hardy, Franklin County, Virginia. According to Virginia.org, the park is a monument to the birthplace of Booker T. Washington, an African American who founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in 1881 and the National Negro Business League.
Fun facts:
- The park is 239 acres, including most of the tobacco plantation’s original 207 acres.
- There is also a recreated 1850’s tobacco farm with farm buildings.
- Visitors can experience a garden area and learn about gardening techniques used in the 1850s.
13 Grouseland
Grouseland is located in Vincennes, Indiana, and was the home of William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States. He resided in the mansion during his term as Governor of the Indiana Territory. It was built in 1904 in the Federal-style architecture and was the first brick home built in Indiana territory.
Fun facts:
- Grouseland is also known as the “White House of the West”.
- The house overlooks the Wabash River.
- Several historical Native American treaties were signed in the Council Chamber.
14 Laura Ingalls Wilder House
The Laura Ingalls Wilder House is in Mansfield, Missouri. The beloved author of the Little House on The Prairie books penned the stories while living on Rocky Ridge Farm. Fans can catch a glimpse of the location that inspired the Little House books. The museum houses several personal artifacts from Ingalls’ life, including Pa’s fiddle.
Fun facts:
- You can tour the historic farmhouse, which was built in 1894.
- The tour also includes The Rock House, which was built by her daughter in 1928.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in the Farmhouse until her death in 1957.
15 Appomattox Court House
The Appomattox Courthouse is located in Appomattox County, Virginia, and is steeped in American history. It’s the location that Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1965. The park itself is a preserved 19th-century village where visitors get a taste of what life was like during the Civil War.
Fun Facts:
- The Army of Northern Virginia surrendered in the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House.
- Appomattox Court House National Historical Monument was created by Congress in 1940.
- The property spans 970 acres.
16 Amelia Earhart’s Birthplace
The Amelia Earhart Birthplace is a historic building and museum in Atchison, Kansas, and was the birthplace of the trailblazing aviator Amelia Earhart. Amelia was born in the home on July 24, 1897. The house was built in 1861 and was owned by Earhart’s grandparents, who she spent a lot of time with because her father worked for the railroads and traveled often.
Fun facts:
- The house is a wood-frame, Gothic Revival cottage.
- It sits high on the west bank of the Missouri River.
- The Ninety-Nines, an International Organization of Women Pilots, purchased the home for $100,000.
17 Molly Brown House
The Molly Brown House Museum is located in Denver, Colorado. It was the home of Molly Brown, a wealthy philanthropist who survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. She famously insisted on the lifeboat returning to rescue survivors. Her home serves as a snapshot of life at the turn of the 20th century.
Fun facts:
- The house was built in the late 1880s by Isaac and Mary Large who accrued a silver mining fortune.
- It was built in the Classic Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque styles.
- James Joseph and Margaret Brown bought the house in 1894.
18 Graceland
Graceland was the home of Elvis Presley. The house is located in Memphis, Tennessee and fans flock to the estate to see how the legend lived. This iconic Southern mansion sits on 100 acres and visitors get a glimpse of the famous Jungle Room and other private rooms in the home. Every year, over 650,000 visitors make a pilgrimage to honor the “King of Rock and Roll”.
Fun facts:
- Elvis purchased Graceland in 1957 for $102,500.
- Graceland is 17,552 square feet and has a total of 23 rooms.
- The upstairs of Graceland is closed to the public.
19 Arlington House
The Arlington House is located in Arlington, Virginia, and is the nation’s memorial to Robert E. Lee. The mansion was originally built in 1802. Lee made it his residence in 1831 until the house was seized by the Union Army during the Civil War. It was then transformed into a military cemetery that became known as Arlington National Cemetery.
Fun facts:
- The Robert E. Lee Memorial sits directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
- It was designed by the English architect George Hadfield in the classic style.
- The house was the first temple-form residence built in America.
20 The White House
The most patriotic home in the United States is The White House, which is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC. It’s the official home and workplace of the United States President. The location was hand-picked by America’s first president, George Washington, and construction began in 1792.
Fun Facts:
- According to Whitehouse.org, the White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence.
- There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.
- President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.
