By Albany Martin
Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site
President Eisenhower has three house museums dedicated to him—his birthplace in Denison, Texas, his boyhood home in Abilene, Kansas, and finally his retirement farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Each of these homes showcase a different defining moment in Eisenhower’s life, and diving into the history of these homes helps us understand the man who led the Allied Forces.
Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site
On October 14, 1890, Dwight Eisenhower was born in a small white house by the side of the railroad tracks in the small town of Denison. This home highlights an important moment in Eisenhower’s life, when he was brought into this world. The home’s history reveals the circumstances that Eisenhower initially experienced and highlights the love that the people of Dension had for the General and their pride toward their tie to Eisenhower. Organized by Miss Jennie Jackson and a coalition of the town of Denison, the local newspaper, the chamber of commerce, and others, the home was purchased for $3,000 through combined donations from the community. The home was opened to the public as a museum on April 20, 1946, a grand opening made even more special by a visit from General Eisenhower himself alongside House Speaker Sam Rayburn.
Eisenhower Boyhood Home
The Eisenhower family and young Dwight moved into their Kansas home in 1898 after they purchased it from the brother of David Eisenhower (Dwight's father). The deed would not list both of Eisenhower’s parents until 1907. In this small home in Abilene, the Eisenhowers’ full family of two adults and six children would cause for some tight quarters. In fact, later in life when he revisited the home, Edgar Eisenhower recalled to his brother Dwight that he could not believe how they fit in the small rooms and could not recall where his brothers Earl and Milton slept. Eisenhower stayed in this home from 1898 until 1911, when he left to begin studying at West Point where he graduated in 1915. The Eisenhowers lived in the home until 1946, when Ida Eisenhower, Dwight's mother, passed away. The home was donated to the Eisenhower Foundation by the Eisenhower brothers shortly after their mother passed away. The home was opened to the public on June 22, 1947, where it was operated by the foundation until it was handed over to the federal government in 1966 to be part of the presidential library system.
Eisenhower Farm
Purchased in 1950, the Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania contains the home that Dwight Eisenhower sought to retire to with his beloved wife Mamie. Shortly after purchasing the home, however, he was called to be the Supreme Commander of the NATO forces and then plunged into his presidential campaign and two-term presidency, leaving the farm to operate as a place of rest. Eleven years after initially purchasing the home, the Eisenhowers would get the retirement they initially sought. The site features an office for the Secret Service that initially operated as a milk house, their Bank Barn, guesthouse, garage, greenhouse and gardens, and of course the Eisenhower home. The property has been occupied since 1755, with the original structure evolving over time. The original log cabin had a brick veneer added to it in the 1830s; this was the structure the Eisenhowers purchased. The house rests near the battlefield where the Battle of Gettysburg took place. For special visitors, Eisenhower would give tours of the battlegrounds.
