[2][4] The house was built to accommodate the Carters' growing family; they had three young sons, James, Donnel, and Jack, at the time of its construction,[2] and when new had four bedrooms.

[1] In a 2018 profile of the Carters' life in Plains for The Washington Post, Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan described the house as "dated, but homey and comfortable".

The Federal Government purchased the adjacent property at 1 Woodland Drive (referred as "Gnann House") in 1981 following the Carters' return from Washington D.C. for use by the Secret Service.

[6] Future tours will include the pool, tennis courts and back patio of the house; new paths and benches will be constructed.

[6] The NPS plans to make the proposed museum of the house reflect the couple's use of the residence "as a place for both refuge and recreation".