22 August 2014
We toured the Dwight D. Eisenhower farm on this date. Ike was the 5 star General and was the Supreme Commander of all allied forces in Europe against Adolf Hitler during World War II. He became our President in the 1950's. He was stationed in Gettysburg at the start of the first world war and was not allowed to fight as he was commanding a new battalion training on the first tanks ever produced. During the second world war, he was promoted and became the leader of all allied forces. They purchased this home near Gettysburg, PA. after a 30 year military career that took them around the world. His wife, Mamie and he really enjoyed the area around Gettysburg when he was stationed here. He was born in Kansas on a farm west of Ft Riley. His boyhood home in Kansas is also a museum and he and Mamie are buried there.
Here is a picture of the home from the front outside. If you will look at the dark door to the two story white brick home you can see that it looks like additions to the home. The center house is the original house which was constructed in the 1800's. In fact, when the Eisenhower's were remodeling the home, they asked the remodelers to take great pains to preserve what they could. Construction stopped when they discovered that the brick home in the center with the small windows at the top, covered a log cabin that was the original house. They could not save the cabin as termites had invaded, but did save the outer brick shell. They added on the wings on both sides to include the newer looking addition to the far right. This part of the house housed a modern kitchen of the fifties.
The home reflected the public stature of the Eisenhower's. They used this home as an extension of the White House while he was President. Some foreign dignitaries were entertained in the home. All of the furnishings are original.
This was the guest house.
No comments:
Post a Comment