President Abraham Lincoln did not sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom. During his presidency, Lincoln used that room on the Second Floor, now known as the Lincoln Bedroom, as his office and Cabinet Room. After the Harry S. Truman Renovation (1948-1952), the room was furnished in the Victorian style with several Lincoln-era pieces of furniture, including a rosewood bed purchased by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln for placement in a White House guest room. Because of the bed’s large dimensions, many have assumed that President Lincoln used it but there is no documented evidence that he did.

In 2002, First Lady Laura Bush initiated a refurbishment of the Lincoln Bedroom. Supported by the White House Historical Association and with the advice of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, the first lady oversaw the project, during which curators and other specialists used period documents, photographs, and descriptions of the Lincoln-era White House furnishings, wallpaper, and carpeting to recreate a more accurate 1860s décor. The project was completed by November 2005.