White House

From Jefferson to jumpers, two centuries of the White House fence

By Anita Kumar and Danny Dougherty

McClatchy Washington Bureau

July 24, 2015 11:21 AM

A workers installs metal spikes onto the existing White House fence in Washington, Wednesday, July 1, 2015. The Secret Service says it will install sharp metal spikes on the White House fence after intruders scaled it twice in less than a year. In a news release, the Secret Service and National Park Service say the spikes are a temporary security measure until a long-term solution is found. Evan Vucci AP

After a spate of people jumping over the fence at the White House, work began this month to make the fence tougher, including new spiky tops. The improvements are temporary until a long-term solution is found, with a design expected later this summer and construction to begin in 2016. The need to keep people out - and maybe livestock in - is hardly new. Ever since Thomas Jefferson in 1801, the White House has been changing the fence.

Here's a look at the history with information provided by the White House Historical Association.

c. 1801

 

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Etching of the White House, Dec. 8, 1833, with early version of the fence visible from the north side.

Thomas Jefferson installed a post-and-rail fence around the White House. At one end of the South Lawn, he erected an eight-foot wall with a sunken ditch to keep livestock from grazing in the garden.

August 1814

Anita Kumar: 202-383-6017, @anitakumar01