Thoughts and Quotes: I have found out in later years that we were very poor, but the glory of America is that we didn't know it then.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
And they were very poor. There were six boys (a seventh died as a child), and the father worked twelve hours a day, six days a week at the creamery to feed them. Fortunately, they had an energetic mother. She canned 600 quarts from the family garden each year to see them through the winter, and made nine loaves of bread three times a week.
The town knew they were poor because they came from "the wrong side of the tracks", but we'll discover that poor does not necessarily foretell your destiny when we visit the museum.
But first we have to go to the gift shop to buy our tickets. I could have spent $5,000 here.
Mamie's perpetual birthday party.
I want everything.
But I bought only a tiny little good luck elephant about the size of a thimble for 75 cents. They also had donkeys for "those other guys", eagles (our national bird), and bison (our national animal). And the movie is also in the gift shop. A smaller screen than some presidential museums/libraries.
We first visited the Place of Meditation.
And here are Ike and Mamie with their little boy "Ikky" who died of scarlet fever when he was four.
Next we'll visit the boyhood home.
From the outside, the house looks rather large, but the rooms are very small. In the beginning, it consisted of a parlor, family room, and kitchen-diningroom downstairs with three bedrooms upstairs. There is also the root cellar in the basement with indoor access. As the family grew, a bedroom and kitchen were added downstairs.
The parlor, used for special occasions; no boys allowed.
Notice the Bible in the lower right corner. Our 34th president did not have a birth certificate. The boys were all born at home, and the only record of Ike's birth is the family Bible.
The parents marriage license is on the wall above the Bible. I've never seen one like this. Sorry about the glare.
Across the hall is the added bedroom. The mother lived here until she died in 1946. How sad that she did not get to see her son become president. She slept in this downstairs bedroom.
She was happy with what she had though her sons could have given her more in her later life. Notice the threadbare rug.
The stairs are in the hall with a photo of the upstairs bedrooms. They aren't open, but not much to see anyway. A cute story about the mother's way of dealing with her sons. When the bedroom was added downstairs for the parents, she put the two boys who fought with each other the most in one of the upstairs bedrooms together - in a double bed.
The family room, where the family gathered each evening for Bible study, music, and time together. The mother was a gifted pianist and brought her piano with her when she married. Later she inherited $1,000 and spent $600 on this custom piano, which is now worth about $14,000.
The dining room formerly served as both kitchen and diningroom. There was a long table with benches for all those boys. After they were grown, they bought mom and dad the smaller dining table and chairs.
Imagine trying to fit your dishes into these plus a small cabinet in the kitchen.
The dough box where mom made the 27 loaves of bread every week.
On the wall in the dining room is a photo of the young family. Later mom had them pose in their original spots for an updated photo.
The added kitchen is not open for tours, but you can see the "new" gas stove in the mirror.
The boys were required to use the back door.
And they knew immediately if dad was home, because when he came in, he put his hat on the cow horn above the door to the hall, visible from the back door.
Fortunately, the family preserved everything so that 80-90% of all the furnishings are original.
Ike and Mamie were well loved by all, as evidenced by this marker, which says, "The Eisenhower Center was built with funds contributed by loyal and patriotic Americans and, thereafter, presented to the United States."
On to the museum.
This is one of the most informative, most complete, most well organized of the presidential museums I've seen so far. And it's not because of the time he served, so more available, because Nixon and Reagan came later and this library is better. A must see for all who like studying our presidents.
Mamie's family lived in Denver, making trips to San Antonio's milder climate during the winter. In 1915, Mamie met Ike at Fort Sam Houston when he was serving his first tour of duty. They were engaged on Valentine's Day in 1916 and married on July 1. She was 19 and he was 25.
The entry is surrounded by murals of Eisenhower's life.
Ike loved Abilene.
The Eisenhowers must have been wonderful parents, because they inspired their boys to become adults of which they could be proud. See - poor doesn't matter. I think parenting, however, does.
Roy
Earl
Milton
I was surprised to find that Mamie came from a privileged background.
Mamie's childhood home in the background.
The car owned by Mamie's mother, which Ike sometimes drove.
Mamie's family lived in Denver, making trips to San Antonio's milder climate during the winter. In 1915, Mamie met Ike at Fort Sam Houston when he was serving his first tour of duty. They were engaged on Valentine's Day in 1916 and married on July 1. She was 19 and he was 25.
Their wedding clothes
And can you believe? A piece of their wedding cake.
Though Mamie's background was money, you'd never know. She loved everyone, never met a stranger. She was totally devoted to Ike, and her background and education enabled her to help him further his career (my opinion).
Down-to-earth Mamie.
There are many exhibits, videos, etc. covering Ike's years in the service and WWII, but I'll just focus on the things you probably wouldn't see in history books.
I was so fascinated by these stirrup bookends, I forgot to see where he got them.
Sorry, Foodies, but the photo of the menu was blurred and only the cover showing.
But we can peek in on the state dinner for President Charles DeGaulle.
I was happy to see that they served the salad just before dessert in the European manner. I've seen commercials about princess toast on TV, but what is fairy toast? And cucumber sandwiches with the fish course? Interesting. I hope you can read this.
Mamie was always interested in fashion, but not a fashion snob.
Mamie's Jewelry
Mamie's Style
The Eisenhowers retired and moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The museum contains lots of information about Eisenhower's presidency. Some interesting facts.
I think Ike's main accomplishment was the construction of the interstate highway system. We take it for granted now, but Ike knew highways were necessary to move troops and supplies. How did he know? Take a look.
We skipped the library, which is mainly for research, but walked over for a photo of Ike, who's keeping watch over the 22-acres of the Eisenhower Center.
You can learn more about the Eisenhower Center HERE.
Had a great time, but we needed to head for home with a stop for burgers and fries at Spangles in El Dorado, Kansas.
That's it, Friends. No more travel until spring. Time to hunker down for the winter and play catch up at home.
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