Eisenhower Naational Historic Site

Dwight Eisenhower, our 34th president, in 1918 was appointed commander at Camp Colt, the army Tank Corps training center in Gettysburg.  He and his wife Mamie loved the area, located in the Appalachian foothills, and searched for rural property there.  They bought a farm in 1950.

He was elected president in 1952 but he and his wife planned to relax on weekends at the farm.  In November of 1955 their country home became a temporary White House while he recovered from a heart attack.

Much of the original farm house had to be gutted, there is still a brick part of the original  building located to the left side of the house pictured above. A park ranger greeted us outside of the home, then left us to explore the home on our own.

The home has many of the Eisenhower's own furnishings still in it.  Pictured above is a mother-of-pearl inlaid, black lacquer coffee table gifted from the Republic of Korea.  It was in appreciation for the work done by President Eisenhower in bringing about the Korean Armistice in 1953.

Fortunately the rain had stopped when we toured the Eisenhower farm.  Besides touring the house we also visited the outlying buildings of the farm, as the show barn pictured above.  President Eisenhower was proud of his prized Angus beef cattle.  He also proved knowledgeable in his farming methods, using crop rotation and contour plowing.  He is quoted as saying " I shall leave the place better than I found it".  The Eisenhowers gave the farm to the federal government in 1967.