June 18, 2021

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM

200 SE 4th St, Abilene, Kansas 67410

“The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is the presidential library and museum of Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, located in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas.” - Wikipedia

The site in Abilene consists of a Visitors Center, Museum, Library, Boyhood Home, and Place of Meditation. Due to COVID restrictions only the museum and Place of Meditation are currently open to the public.

I will admit that in many museums I may start out reading about different exhibits, but generally grow tired of reading and start picking and choosing what I look at. This was not true in Eisenhower’s Museum. The journey through the museum follows the journey of his life, from boyhood in Abilene through his years as President of the United States. Unlike a lot of museums today, there are no audio-visual displays, so the rooms were quiet and peaceful, and I found myself reading all of the displays and learned quite a bit about the 34th president. I ended up spending about 2.5 hours soaking in as much as I could. I believe that Eisenhower helped plan the museum, which may explain why I felt the emphasis was on his military training and his leadership during WWII, which I think is understandable.

Following the museum the security people directed us to The Place of Meditation, which is where the President is buried along with his wife, Mamie, and first-born son, Doud, who died of scarlet fever at age of three.