After a second restful night at the #SheratonKC at Crown Center, I set out early the next morning for the drive to Abilene, home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. I kept my #Hertz rental car for another day and, despite the misgivings of a friend who grew up in the Midwest and warned me of possible January blizzards, I was lucky enough to enjoy sunshine and blue skies along with crisp temperatures. The 150 miles to Abilene were covered in a little under 2 and a half hours via Interstate 70 West, and I arrived shortly after the opening hour of 9:00 AM.
The 22-acre complex grew in the reverse direction of its name. The Eisenhower Boyhood Home was opened to the public in 1947 followed by the Museum in 1954 and the Library in 1962. First stop for me though was the Visitor’s Center. It was built on the site of the Lincoln Elementary School which Dwight Eisenhower attended as a child. I picked up a map of the campus and watched a short, 23-minute film that chronicled the life and legacy of our 34th President. Here I leaned that when he was 2 years old, Eisenhower's parents moved the family from his birthplace of Denison, Texas, to Abilene in order to be closer to their extended family.
A short walk from the Visitor’s Center is the house where he lived with his parents and 5 brothers until 1911 when he entered the #WestPoint_USMA. The 2-story wood-framed home has a hipped roof with a central chimney. There’s a one-story addition on the east side, a porch on the south side (which is the front of the house) and a small porch on the west side. That might sound large but trust me, it’s not. The lower level contains only a parlor, dining room and kitchen. The upper level claims just 3 bedrooms, 2 of which are only marginally larger than the third. In this day and age, it’s hard to imagine 7 pepole living together in such a small house but that was commonplace in early 20th Century America. The home remained in the family until his mother’s death in 1946. After her passing, the Eisenhower brothers gave the house and its contents to a memorial foundation for preservation and today it’s operated as a separate museum on the grounds. Of special interest to me was the short wave radio in the parlor the General had installed for his mother so she could follow the progress of the D-Day Invasion in real time. It must have been such a thrill for Ida Eisenhower to know that her son had risen to such heights.
The Museum itself was built by the Eisenhower Foundation with funds raised through public gifts. It is constructed of Kansas limestone, quarried in Onaga, Kansas. The Museum was dedicated on Veteran’s Day in 1954 and built to honor the city’s hometown hero, General Eisenhower, and to recognize all veterans of the Second World War. It was enlarged and rededicated in 1971 to commemorate the life and achievements of our 34th President a complement the archives which are housed in the nearby Library. The Museum contains over 25,000 square feet of gallery space.
Visitors start their museum tour in a gallery exploring Ike’s childhood life in Abilene. We learned the story of the city's early rise to fame when it served as the endpoint of the Chisholm Trail. This was the trail used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to the Kansas railheads. At the time, the cattle trade accounted for the city's prosperity. It was located at the end of the Chisholm Trail as the nation's western most railroad, receiving approximately 5 million head of Texas cattle between 1867 and 1872. Eisenhower lived but a short block away from the trail which is now Abilene’s main north-south thoroughfare. His next door neighbor even served as a deputy under City Marshall Wild Bill Hickok! Perhaps that accounted for his lifelong love of Western novels.
The next section explores his military postings starting in 1915 when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army after graduating from West Point. He met Mamie Doud during his first posting when he was assigned to the 19th Infantry Regiment at Fort Sam Houston. They were married 7 months later. Eisenhower served in the continental US throughout World War I, following which he was named commander of a battalion that trained tank crews. In 1922 he became part of a Transcontinental Motor Convoy that traveled across the US. He was later transferred to the Panama Canal Zone and subsequently served under General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines, where they were posted as military advisors charged with developing the Philippine Army. A new, interactive display, "Becoming Ike and Mamie," allows visitors to explore their pre-World War II career assignments and their early life together. Although she was only 19 at the time of her marriage, Mamie's engaging warmth and outgoing personality invited friendships from the start and helped senior officers take notice of the capable young Lieutenant Eisenhower.
Another exhibit shows how fast and far his star rose after the US entered World War II. Ike was first assigned to the War Plans Division in Washington, becoming Commander of American forces in Great Britain in June of 1942. He was later responsible for the successful Allied invasion of French North Africa and led the opening phases of the Italian Campaign. President Roosevelt appointed Eisenhower Supreme Commander of Operation Overlord, code name for the Allied Invasion of Normandy. He was one of the most important Allied Generals of World War II, being promoted to General of the Army in 1944. This section of the museum is fascinating for a history buff like me and includes films, a series of chronological maps, a display of military uniforms and weapons along with the actual table where the General and senior military leaders finalized their plans for the D-Day Invasion in June of 1944. Eisenhower, along with senior Allied commanders, later accepted the unconditional surrender of all German forces in Reims, France on May 6, 1945. Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, he was the named Commander of the American Zone of Occupation in post-war Germany.
Following his term as first Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and then President of Columbia University, Ike entered politics, easily winning 2 presidential elections with landslide returns each time. He brought to his Presidency the prestige earned as Commanding General of the victorious forces in Europe during the war. His accomplishments were numerous. Eisenhower was successful in obtaining a truce in Korea which remains in effect to this day. He also worked tirelessly during his 2 terms to ease the tensions of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In his domestic policy I learned that this President was a moderate conservative, pursuing a middle course that continued most of the New Deal and Fair Deal Programs while rejecting extreme policies of either the left or the right. As desegregation of schools began he sent Federal troops into Little Rock, Arkansas, to assure compliance with the law after the US Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. He also ordered the desegregation of the Armed Forces, writing “There must be no second class citizens in this country.” Eisenhower authorized the establishment of #NASA in 1957 in response to the Soviet launch of their Sputnik Satellite in 1956. A short 12 years later, America was first to land a man on the Moon and then return him safely to Earth. The US was fortunate in enjoying widespread economic prosperity during most of his 2 terms as our President. Before Ike left office in January of 1961 to retire to his farm in Gettysburg, PA, he delivered a farewell address to the American people. His speech voiced concerns about the inherent dangers of massive deficit military spending and government contracts to private military contractors. His words were prescient and historians have since placed Eisenhower in the upper tier of American Presidents.
Before the campus closing at 4:45 PM, I made sure to visit the Place of Meditation located directly across from his Boyhood Home. He and Mamie are interred in this church-like building along with their first born son Doud Dwight who, at the tender age of 3, sadly passed away in his father's arms after losing his battle with scarlet fever. The Place of Meditation was constructed with private funds under the auspices of the Eisenhower Presidential Library Commission. One of the outstanding elements of the interior design are the richly colored windows, the Travertine marble wall panels and the walnut woodwork. The large embroidered hanging carries the words of the prayer that President Eisenhower wrote for his first Inaugural Address on January 20, 1953. There is also a portion of the building reserved for quiet contemplation where, according to Ike’s wishes, it was hoped that visitors would reflect upon the ideals that made the USA into a great nation. It’s a very peaceful and impressive building and I was struck with the solemnity of the interior and the great respect it pays to his memory.
I headed back to Kansas City in the early evening and returned to the Sheraton Hotel for a final night’s stay. #United brought me home to #RDUAirport the following afternoon after making a quick connection in #fly2ohare. My visit to Abilene proved to be an insightful one which gave me a new and fuller appreciation for Dwight D. Eisenhower and his lifetime of exceptional service to our country.
Until next time…safe travels.
Thanks George for another interesting history lesson.
Very interesting and informative George - look forward to the next one...