Was the presidents house in Philadelphia really plundered by Washington before the Adams' moved in?

Answer 1

Oh, dude, let me break it down for you. So, technically, George Washington did take some stuff from the presidential residence in Philadelphia before John Adams moved in, but let's be real, it wasn't like he was looting the place. It was more of a "I'll just borrow this until we get everything sorted" situation. Like, who wouldn't want a souvenir from their time as president, right?

Answer 2

Washington vacated the President's House on March 9, 1797, within a few days of Adams's inauguration. Abigail was not present, but Adams wrote her: "The furniture belonging to the public is in the most deplorable condition. There is not a chair to sit in. The beds and bedding are in a woeful pickle. This house has been been a scene of the most scandalous drinking and disorder among the servants that I ever heard of. I would not have one of them for any consideration. There is not a carpet nor curtain, nor any glass, nor linen, nor china, nor anything." -- JA to AA, March 22, 1797. Washington's left behind two of his secretaries to oversee the transition. There is nothing in their letters to him that corroborates the claims Adams made to Abigail or indicates that there had been anything amiss. Washington removed the furniture he had personally bought to supplement the government furniture (after Adams declined his offer to buy it at cost). Congress later appropriated money for Adams to buy additional furniture. Following the repainting of the house's interior, Adams took occupancy on March 21, 1797.