>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK TO "GREAT DAY WASHINGTON" ON THIS HALLOWEEN.
>>> THE PRESIDENTIAL FAMILIES
HAVE A LONG TRADITION OF TRICK-
OR-TREATING AND INVITING THE
COMMUNITY TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
JOINING US WITH SOME HISTORY
AND A FEW GHOST STORIES MAYBE
IS HISTORIAN DR. LINDSEY SHURS
NICK.
NICK.
NICK. >>
NICK. >> YOU LOOK SO FESTIVE.
>> THANK YOU.
I'M HOT.
I'M HOT.
I'M HOT. [ LAUGHTER ]
>> SO WE SEE EVERY TIME THAT
THERE'S AN ADMINISTRATION AND
WE SEE THESE BIG HALLOWEEN
CELEBRATIONS, BUT WHO GOT IT
ALL STARTED?
ALL STARTED? HOW DID THIS BECOME A
TRADITION?
TRADITION? >> WELL FIRST LADY AME
EISENHAUER WAS THE FIRST TO
DECORATE THE WHITE HOUSE AND
THERE WERE WITCHES AND CORN
STOCKS AND THE DINING ROOM WAS
DECKED OUT.
DECKED OUT. BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL THE
KENNEDYS MOVED INTO THE WHITE
HOUSE AND HAD YOUNG CHILDREN
THAT THEY BROUGHT THE TRICK-OR-
TREATING CONCEPT TO THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE.
HOUSE. THERE'S A GREAT PICTURE OF THE
KIDS GOING INTO THE OVAL OFFICE
AND TRICK-OR-TREATING, AND THEY
HAD A PARTY FOR THEIR STAFF AND
THEIR FAMILIES.
THEIR FAMILIES. AND THEN IT REALLY SNOWBALLED
FROM THERE.
FROM THERE. >> YOU WOULD THINK THE YOUNG
KIDS, THAT'S DEFINITELY WHERE
IT ALL KIND OF STARTED?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> FROM THERE, PEOPLE JUST
CONTINUED THAT TRADITION OR DID
THEY CHANGE IT EVERY
ADMINISTRATION?
ADMINISTRATION? >> YEAH, SO EVERY
ADMINISTRATION DOES THINGS A
LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
KENNEDYS BROUGHT IN 600
CHILDREN FROM A LOCAL HOSPITAL
THAT WERE SICK IN 1971 AND GAVE
THEM A REALLY GREAT HALLOWEEN
EXPERIENCE, AND SO THAT REALLY
STARTED THE COMMUNITY ASPECT OF
CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN.
CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN. AND MOST ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE
DONE SO FROM THERE AND THEY
HAVE KIND OF PICKED A CAUSE
THAT THEY THINK IS REALLY
IMPORTANT OR BROUGHT IN
MILITARY FAMILIES AND THE IDEA
IS TO GIVE THEM A GREAT DAY
WITH GREAT DECORATIONS THAT
THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T SEE MOST
PLACES.
PLACES.
PLACES. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND REALLY FUN
ENTERTAINMENT.
ENTERTAINMENT. THEY WILL BRING IN ENTERTAINERS
OR DISNEY CHARACTERS, PEOPLE
DRESSED UP IN COSTUME AND SO
THE IDEA IS REALLY TO PROVIDE
AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE THAT
YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO
GET ELSEWHERE.
GET ELSEWHERE. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND I LOVE SEEING LIKE THE
PRESIDENTS AND THE FIRST LADIES
DRESSED UP IN COSTUME AS WELL
AND MAYBE LET DOWN THEIR HAIR,
AND ANIMALS.
AND ANIMALS. THE ANIMALS GET DRESSED UP.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> BUT WE HAVE SEEN IT EXPAND
OVER TIME.
OVER TIME. YOU TALKED ABOUT THE 600 KIDS
BUT THE LAST COUPLE
ADMINISTRATIONS, HOW HAVE THEY
ELEVATED IT?
ELEVATED IT? >> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. SO THE OBAMAS, OBVIOUSLY, LOVED
HALLOWEEN AND THEY HAD YOUNG
CHILDREN, WHICH ALWAYS GOES
INTO THE SORT OF HALLOWEEN
ATMOSPHERE, SO THEY HAD A
HALLOWEEN PARTY EVERY SINGLE
YEAR WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE
YEAR WHEN SUPERSTORM SANDY HIT
AROUND THAT TIME.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT THEY HAD A
HALLOWEEN PARTY EVERY YEAR AND
BRING IN LOCAL CHILDREN FROM
SCHOOLS AND MILITARY FAMILIES
AND SOMETIMES DRESS UP, AND
THEN IN 2016 THEY ACTUALLY
REALLY TOOK IT TO THE NEXT
LEVEL AND THEY HAD GHOSTS IN
EVERY SINGLE ROOM AND SO THEY
WERE SORT OF HISTORIC
REENACTORS OF DIFFERENT
CHARACTERS LIKE LINCOLN AND
WASHINGTON AND MADISON AND
THERE'S A GREAT PHOTO OF OBAMA
EVEN MEETING WITH LINCOLN IN
THE OVAL OFFICE, WHICH IS
PRETTY FUNNY.
PRETTY FUNNY. >> AREN'T PARTS OF THE WHITE
HOUSE HAUNTED?
HOUSE HAUNTED? ARE SOME OF THE GHOSTS --
>> TALKING ABOUT AN OLD HOUSE.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT OLD
HOUSES.
HOUSES.
HOUSES. THE WHITE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY
REPORTEDLY ONE OF THE MOST
HAUNTED PLACES IN THE UNITED
STATES, AND THIS MAKES SENSE,
YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY OLD AND A
LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE LIVED IN IT
AND THERE'S GREAT HISTORY.
SO THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF
REPORTS AND I HAVEN'T CERTAINLY
SEEN ANYTHING OR EXPERIENCED
ANYTHING, BUT --
>> NO STRANGE NOISES OR --
>> NO STRANGE NOISES.
I SUSPECT IT'S MORE AT NIGHT
WHEN IT'S PRIVATE.
BUT THERE ARE GREAT STORIES.
ONE OF MY FAVORITES, WINSTON
CHURCHILL WAS VERY CLOSE WITH
PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
AND HE WOULD COME AND STAY FOR
AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, AND
HE USUALLY STAYED IN THE
LINCOLN BEDROOM.
LINCOLN BEDROOM. AND ONE NIGHT HE WAS, I GUESS
TAKING A BATH AND HE WAS
ENJOYING HIS USUAL NIGHTLY
CIGAR AND PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S
GHOST WALKED INTO THE BATHROOM.
AND I'M NOT SURE ANYONE WOULD
WANT A GHOST TO WALK INTO THE
BATHROOM BUT PERHAPS ESPECIALLY
NOT WHEN YOU'RE IN THE NUDE.
AND SO CHURCHILL WAS SO
HORRIFIED, HE REFUSED TO STAY
IN THAT BEDROOM GOING FORWARD
AND INSISTED ON STAYING IN A
DIFFERENT SPOT BECAUSE HE WAS
SO SHAKEN BY IT.
>> I BET THERE ARE INCREDIBLE
STORIES IN THERE.
>> OH, YES.
>> WHAT ARE THEY DOING THIS
YEAR?
YEAR?
YEAR? WHAT'S PRESIDENT TRUMP DOING?
>> PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY
TRUMP, THEY HAD A NUMBER OF
KIDS EARLIER THIS WEEK TO TRICK-
OR-TREAT.
OR-TREAT.
OR-TREAT. THERE WERE SOME VIDEOS ONLINE
AND SO THE FRONT OF THE WHITE
HOUSE IS REALLY INCREDIBLY
DECORATED WITH VINES AND ITS
LIT UP AND SO SAME THING,
SCHOOL CHILDREN FROM THE AREA
AND MILITARY FAMILIES ARE
GETTING TO COME AND TRICK-OR-
TREAT AND SEE THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> REAL QUICK, I'M STEALING
YOUR QUESTION, ELLEN, HOW DOES
SOMEBODY BECOME A WHITE HOUSE
HISTORIAN?
HISTORIAN? SO COOL.
SO COOL.
SO COOL. >> YOU GO TO SCHOOL FOR A
REALLY LONG TIME.
I AM A TRAINED HISTORIAN, I GOT
MY PH.D.
MY PH.D.
MY PH.D. IN EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY, AND
THEN ONCE I GOT THIS JOB, I DID
A LOT OF ON-THE-JOB TRAINING TO
SORT OF FILL IN THE GAPS ABOUT
WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW FROM MY
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM. SO IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY,
THOUGH.
THOUGH.
THOUGH. I
THOUGH. I LEARN EVERY DAY, WHICH IS A
REALLY GOOD THING TO HAVE FOR
MY JOB.
MY JOB.
MY JOB. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE BORED.
>> THANK YOU FOR SHARING SOME
OF THE