The story of the White House Easter Egg Roll, which
begins at one end of Pennsylvania Avenue and continues at the other, is
one of the oldest and most unique traditions in presidential history.
White House Curator Bill Allman Discusses History of the Egg Roll.
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Rolling eggs on the Monday after Easter was a tradition observed by many
Washington families, including those of the President. Some historians
believe Dolley Madison first suggested the idea of a public egg roll,
while others tell stories of informal egg-rolling parties at the White
House dating back to President Lincoln's day.
Public egg-rolling celebrations, however, were held not at the White
House, but on the grounds of the Capitol. Press accounts from as early as
1872 recount stories of Washington children of all ages joining together
to roll eggs on the congressional grounds.
The children of Washington apparently caused such a ruckus on the Capitol
grounds in 1876 that Congress passed the Turf Protection Law to prohibit
the area from being used as a playground in future years. The event was
rained out in 1877, but in 1878 the children were alerted by a small
notice in the local newspaper informing them that the egg rollers would
not be allowed at the Capitol that year.
Two versions of the story follow: Either the angry rollers rushed to the
gates of the White House and demanded that they be let in to roll their
eggs on the President's lawn or President Rutherford B. Hayes, alerted to
the plight of the children, opened the gates to the South Lawn and
welcomed all the rollers to his end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Either way,
the first White House Easter Egg Roll was held in 1878.
Over the years, the Egg Rolls have evolved and changed, with different
games and amusements popular in different years. Near the end of the
nineteenth century, children played "Egg Picking," "Egg Ball," "Toss and
Catch,
" and "Egg Croquet." Soon the event evolved into a more elaborate
affair, with bands, entertainers and food.
John Philip Sousa and "The President's Own" Marine Band performed for the
assembled crowd, while vendors of all kinds sold their goods in 1889.
Forty years later, Lou Hoover, wife of President Herbert Hoover,
instituted folk and maypole dances to complement the egg-rolling but,
perhaps because of the combination of stomping feet and boiled eggs, the
practices were not continued for long.
At her first Egg Roll in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt greeted visitors and
listeners alike for the first time over the radio, on a nationwide hookup.
She also introduced more organized games, but it was not until 1974 when
the most famous event of modern Easter Egg Rolls, the egg-rolling race,
was introduced with spoons borrowed from the White House kitchen.
Subsequent celebrations included a circus and petting zoo in 1977 and
exhibits of antique cars, Broadway shows and giant balloons in 1981. Egg
hunt pits were introduced in 1981. Children would search straw pits for
autographed wooden eggs.
Presidents and their families have long enjoyed the White House's largest
public celebration, and it has been customary, from the outset, for
Presidents, First Ladies, their children, grandchildren and pets to attend
the festivities. Among the most eagerly anticipated guests each year, of
course, is the Easter Bunny.
The White House Easter Bunny, usually a White House staffer dressed in a
special White House rabbit suit, was introduced by Pat Nixon, wife of
President Richard Nixon, in 1969. Strict guidelines prohibit the bunny
from being seen without his costume head, but the identity of the staffer
inside is revealed every once in a while. Perhaps the most famous bunny
of all was the wife of President Reagan's Attorney General Edwin Meese
III. Ursula Meese so enjoyed the role that she performed for six seasons,
earning her the nickname "The Meester Bunny."
On occasion, the Easter Egg Roll has been cancelled, either due to
inclement weather or in times of war. At these times, it is sometimes
relocated to another Washington site, such as the National Zoo or even
back to the Capitol. The longest hiatus was for World War II, followed by
a White House renovation. When President Eisenhower reintroduced the Egg
Roll in 1953, a whole generation of children had never experienced this
treasured tradion.