On March 4, 1801, the 32-member U.S. Marine Band gathered at the Capitol in Washington, for Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration. Consisting of drummers and fifers, the fledgling organization had been established only three years prior in 1798 to serve as entertainment for governmental functions.
President John Adams was the first to invite the band to the White House a couple of months before Jefferson’s inauguration. They made their debut on Jan. 1, 1801 at the unfinished Executive Mansion, hosted by Adams. The federal government’s move from Philadelphia to Washington was so fresh that the finishing touches were still being completed at the President’s House, what was then called the Executive Mansion. The name “White House” was coined in 1811, three years before it’s reconstruction after the British burned the former building down.
