Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site

The Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site is in Denison, Texas, about an hour and 15 minutes north of Dallas. As we drove towards the park, it was clear that Eisenhower is the pride of Denison; his image is painted on murals throughout the town.

My wife and I visited the park on an early spring afternoon. It was a beautiful day outside: seventy-five degrees with deep blue skies dotted with big, white fluffy clouds. This was our first stop on a road trip through parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We were excited; we’d previously visited Eisenhower’s Boyhood Home and Presidential Library in Kansas and his farm outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Visiting the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site

We pulled into the small parking lot outside the visitor center about a half hour before they closed. They offer tours of the home, but we’d missed those for the day. That was okay; a nice lady in the visitor center told us we could still see the home. “Just peek in the windows from the porch. The room with the bed in it is the one General Eisenhower was born in.” she went on.

The home is a short walk from the VC. We walked down to the house, and as far as I could tell, we were the only people there visiting. The two-story white home has been beautifully restored. We walked right up on the porch, and sure enough, you could clearly see where Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, was born on October 14, 1890.

When Eisenhower was about 18 months old, his family moved to Abilene, Kansas, where his father got a job with the Belle Springs Creamery.

Eisenhower would not return to Texas for 23 years when he was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio as a second lieutenant in the Army. He would return to Denison in 1946 when the town purchased his birth home and again on a presidential campaign trip in 1952. The Eisenhower Birthplace became a state park while he was president in 1958.

We spent about 45 minutes visiting the park. But we could have easily spent more, especially if we had timed it right to take a tour. If you are in the Dallas area or passing through and have some extra time, check out the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site, it is a great place to visit.