White House Christmas tree have had the first indoor Christmas tree at the White House during the 1850s, variously reported as 1853 or 1856. Others claim the first tree was during President Benjamin Harrison's administration (either in 1888, 1889, or 1891). First Lady Caroline Harrison helped decorate the tree, which was installed in the second floor oval parlor today's Yellow Oval Room. There is an 1880 reference to President John Tyler in the 1840s, hosting a children's party at which there was a Christmas tree with gifts. Following the Harrison administration indoor trees were not always used at the White House. First Lady Lou
Franklin Pierce Homestead Benjamin Pierce, who had served during the American Revolution and would later become governor of New Hampshire, bought 200 acres in the Lower Village area of Hillsborough after the new state turnpike opened nearby. In addition to the home, he also built a tavern here. After Benjamin Pierce's death in 1839, the property was transferred to his son-in-law John McNeil Jr., a general during the War of 1812. McNeil had married Pierce's daughter Elizabeth, whose house next door was built in 1807 and today known as the Elizabeth Pierce House, now an antique shop. The home is one of Franklin