He fished, swam and lounged in the sun. Prior to that time, roughly between the years 1974 and 1989, the house had fallen into serious disrepair. It had become a refuge for vagrants and rumored to be a crack house. Detroit businessman Henry A. Drettmann and his wife Mary, generously funded the restoration. Guided tours, lasting about 40 minutes, give valuable insight into the President, and his days in Key West.
Visitors begin by viewing a short movie which includes interesting newsreels.
Truman was at first a reluctant visitor to the Sunshine state. His doctor ordered him to this compound at the U.S. Naval Base when he couldn't shake a cold during the grueling early months of his presidency. He soon fell in love with the area. Even today, the fourteen room white frame house is modest by presidential standards, and was Spartan when Truman made his first visit in November of 1946. Guides jokingly tell you about Truman's famous Key West Uniform.