219 North Delaware Street
Bess
Truman's grandfather, George Porterfield Gates, bought the lot at 219 North
Delaware Street, which probably had a small house on it, in 1867. In 1885,
Gates greatly enlarged the old house. After Bess Wallace's father, David Willock
Wallace, committed suicide in 1903, Bess and her mother and brothers moved
in with her grandparents. Bess lived in the house until she died in 1982.
Harry Truman moved in after their marriage on June 28, 1919 and lived there
until he died in 1972. Harry and Bess probably didn't originally intend to
stay at 219 North Delaware Street after their marriage, but Bess's mother,
Madge Gates Wallace, apparently wanted them to. They stayed, and Mrs. Wallace
lived with them until her death in 1952. The house was called the "Summer
White House" during Truman's presidency.
The house is now a National Park Service site located in the Harry S. Truman National Landmark District. Truman Home, 219 N. Delaware, Independence, MO 64050, Phone: 816-254-2720.
