In All Of Our Domestic Affairs

We will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation.

Abigail Adams

There are only a few short weeks left until the General and Special Elections that will take place on November 6, 2007. The list of those who are being voted for, or not, is an extensive one. It includes state senators, state delegates, Soil and Water Directors, the Clerk of the Court, the Commonwealth Attorney, the Board of Supervisors and county school boards. The ballots on which the candidates names appear are extensive enough to keep any voters busy for weeks finding out about the platforms being offered for the taking.

Abigail Adams was an active campaigner. After succeeding George Washington, John and Abigail Adams were the first presidential family to live in the White House. The large and spacious residence was only half finished at the time that they moved in. The role of Abigail Adams was to provide an invitation for the countless visitors at the White House. An immediate and obvious problem was where to hang the family wash.

The White House was inadequately heated when the Adams family declared residence on Pennsylvania Avenue. Several rooms were cold and damp. Abigail finally decided upon the East Room. It was, after all, the warmest and dryest place in the mansion. A clothesline was strung in that room for the purpose of laundry.

The trees and bushes still continue to hide the East Wing of the White House from the world to date. There, the offices of the First Lady and a theatre occupy the area that was once a former laundry room among other purposes. These rooms still have little furniture allowing open air to rule. If someone pauses long enough in the world of the East Wing, which is frequently seen through rose colored glasses, a glimpse of Abigail Adams can still be seen hurrying towards the East Room with her arms outstretched. The cap and lace shawl that she once wore during her lifetime are recognized as her trademarks. It can only be thought that she is carrying a load of laundry. It is during these times that she is not being bound by any laws in which she is not making her voice known through time.

www.whitehouse.gov/ghosts