In his memoirs, Benjamin Perely Poore, a journalist from Washington D.C., recounted the time President Andrew Jackson invited the public to the White House to enjoy a cheese that weighed 1,400 pounds. 

The cheese was a gift from a New York farmer in 1835 and was “kept for some time in the vestibule at the White House.” In 1837, on the last day President Jackson would receive visitors at the house before leaving office, he let the public partake in cutting pieces from the giant cheese in the White House Entrance Hall. 

Regarding the cheese party of February 22, 1837, Poore wrote, “For hours did a crowd of men, women, and boys hack at the cheese, many taking it with them.”

The Entrance Hall was originally the main entrance to the White House. Today, the space is mostly used for music and dancing during events, with music provided by the U.S. Marine Band.