Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home

“The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.” Those were the words Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke in his homecoming speech in Abilene, Kansas, after returning from World War II.

Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, on October 14, 1890, but moved to Abilene when he was a toddler. He would live there until he was accepted into West Point in 1911.

Today, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Presidential Library, his boyhood home, and his and his wife’s final resting places are in Abilene.

We visited during a mid-summer afternoon while road-tripping across the country. The large parking lot was fuller than I expected. We walked into the visitor center and purchased tickets for a tour of his boyhood home and access to the museum. They keep the tour groups small for the home, so we had about two hours before the tour.

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Final Post

We decided to pay our respects at their graves, which are located near the Visitor Center and the Eisenhower home. The Place of Meditation, as it is called, is the final resting place of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, and First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower.

Beautiful stained glass windows and marble walls inscribed with memorable quotes from speeches surround the marble slabs covering their graves. Eisenhower, at his request, was buried in his World War II uniform in a standard Army-issued casket.

We were the only people inside the tomb. We did not speak inside; rather, we took it in and paid our respects silently.

The Eisenhower Statue

After leaving the Place of Meditation, we wondered about the Eisenhower Statue. The large bronze statue depicts him in the familiar World War II “Eisenhower Jacket.” The granite base has quotes from different points in his illustrious careers as President of the United States, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, General of the Army, Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, and Chief of Staff of the Army.

Quotations and Insignia on the Eisenhower Statue Pedestal

SUPREME COMMANDER ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCES
- February 13, 1944 – July 13, 1945
- “Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the great crusade”
  - – Message to Troops of the A.E.F., June 6, 1944
GENERAL OF THE ARMY
- December 20, 1944
- “I cannot let this day pass without telling the fighting men…that my fondest boast shall always be: I was their fellow-soldier”
  - – Address to the American Soldier, February 7, 1948
CHIEF OF STAFF, UNITED STATES ARMY
- November 19, 1945 – February 7, 1948
- “It is a grievous error to forget for one second the might and power of this great republic”
  - – Letter to Walter Bedell Smith, November 28, 1947
SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER EUROPE
- December 21, 1950 – May 31, 1952
- “The members of this command are of many nations working together … for the cause that lies nearest our hearts today — the preservation of peace”
  - – Statement for British Broadcasting Corporation Series “Atlantic Alliance”, February 1, 1952
34th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
- January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961
- “The quest for peace is the statesman’s most exacting duty … practical progress to lasting peace is his fondest hope.”
  - – Statement on Disarmament Geneva Conference, July 21, 1955

Eisenhower Presidential Museum

Next, we walked over to the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. We’d visited a few Presidential Libraries and Museums in the past, but I can say with certainty that this was one of our favorites.

Entering the lobby, we grabbed a guide to the museum. All of the exhibits chronicle a time in his life. We started learning about his early years growing up in Kansas, his time at West Point, and early career in the Army. At West Point, Ike excelled in Math and English but was otherwise average. He disliked memorization and spent much time smoking cigarettes and playing poker instead of studying. Those activities would earn him demerits. He graduated 61st out of 164 cadets.

Next, we learned about Eisenhower’s tour duty during WWII and his meteoric rise through the Army’s ranks. His five-star General of the Army Uniform was on display, featuring the iconic short-wasted Ike Jacket.

“The one who attracted my eye instantly was a vivacious and attractive girl…”

-Ike

“Ike was the handsomest man… [a far cry from the society boy] lounge lizards with paten-leather hair.”

-Mamie

There were exhibits on First Lady Mamie that painted portraits of their life together. The museum showcased his accomplishments as President of the United States and his retirement to his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, farm.

Eisenhower Boyhood Home Tour at the Eisenhower Presidential Library

After wrapping up in the museum, we made our way to the Eisenhower Boyhood home for our tour.

“I come from the very heart of America.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower, June 12, 1945

The home has been open to the public for tours since 1947, after his mother passed. It looks nearly exactly like it did when Ike lived there with his mother, father, grandfather, and five brothers.

The Eisenhower property was originally about 3 acres. It contained the house still here today, a large barn, a chicken house, a smokehouse, an outhouse, an orchard, a strawberry patch, and a large kitchen garden located east of the house.

The tour group was small—fewer than a dozen people—which was great. It was easy to hear the guide as we went from room to room. “The true foundation of this home is built on faith and hard work, ” the tour guide said as we entered the home.

Most of the furnishings in the home are original, including the bookcase and secretary desk in the living room as well as hand embroidered pillows and a blanket woven by Ike’s great grandfather.

The bookshelves in the front parlor are filled with history texts the general and president read. “Family evenings were mostly spent in the back parlor,” the guide told us. It was here Ida, Ike’s mom, would play the piano and give lessons to her boys.” They would take turns reading the family Bible. The family Bible and Ida’s prized piano are still displayed in the home.

The tour only lasted a half hour but was very well done. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you ever travel across I-70 in Kansas, don’t forget to swing by Abilene.