Eisenhower Memorial

We’ve walked and driven by the construction site of the Eisenhower Memorial for about two years? It’s located across from the Air and Space Museum on Independence Avenue, not far from our old condo on Capitol Hill. The fence surrounding it was finally removed and the memorial was dedicated about two weeks ago and finally opened after being commissioned by President Clinton all those years ago. Last Sunday we drove by it and last Tuesday we decided to take our morning walk to it. What’s nice about it is that it is more like a park where one can easily pass through it without a lot of inconvenience. It even has a little outdoor shop and restroom - something quite unusual near the National Mall. The backdrop is supposed to represent the Normandy Coast, but it’s difficult to make out against the building behind it. It’s quite simple and pleasant all around. We have visited Eisenhower’s home in Gettysburg, and his boyhood home and library in Abilene Kansas on our road trip west to California. Eisenhower is probably the first President I recognized as a youngster. We will need to come visit again in the evening when the lights are aglow. It is supposed to be stunning - particularly the tapestry behind and the uplights from below. There was a lot of fuss about this memorial of which I don’t know the specific details. Whatever they were, you would never know it. 

Ike's House in Abilene Kansas

We saw his farm and home in Gettysburg with visiting friends from Milwaukee in the spring. Today we visited Eisenhower's boyhood home in Abeline Kansas. The town is very small and the home is surrounded by a museum and library. We didn't go on the tour - just stopped by to say hello. It's quite breezy in this part of the country. I can only imagine it in the dead of the winter. Things are very different in small town USA compared to DC. 

Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg

The scary thing is that things all looked very familiar. Aside from the fact that it is still miserable, dreary, and raining outside - like it was a week ago and hasn't stopped - the contents of the house seemed like I could have lived there at one time. And so it was at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg. Our out of town guests from Milwaukee gave us reason to visit the battlefield and the farm which is only an hour and a half drive away from DC. We have never been to Gettysburg when it was cold... it was usually in the hot summer. The first visit was around 1960 when my family was traveling from New England to Florida. And there were many visits in between then and now. But I never saw the Eisenhower farm. Inside, the decor was left as it was in the 1950-60's flavor - including the turquoise and pink bathroom tiles. Our house in Milwaukee also had the same colors, as the house was also built in the 50's. Usually when we see "historical" places, I can't associate with the contents. So this visit was odd for me. I knew the name and the legacy, and the clothes, curtains, and furniture reminded me of my childhood. The farm is still a working angus ranch and we walked to the barns to see the calves. Along the way were old tractors and jeeps, and everything "Ike." I can see why he might like being away from the business of Washington and spend time in such a desolate place. But neither my husband nor I could stand it - especially in the middle of the night - in the middle of the infamous civil war battleground. Too spooky for my blood. It was well worth the visit, but weird all the same.