Eisenhower National Historic Site

Welcome to the audio-described version of Eisenhower National Historic Site's official print brochure. Through text and audio descriptions of photos, illustrations, and maps, this version interprets the two-sided color brochure that Eisenhower National Historic Site visitors receive. The brochure explores the history of the park, some of its highlights, and information for planning your visit. This audio version lasts about 48 minutes which we have divided into 20 sections, as a way to improve the listening experience. Sections 1 through 13 cover the front of the brochure and include information regarding the Eisenhowers and their life and times.

Sections 14 through 18 cover the back of the brochure which consists of information regarding the Eisenhowers and their Gettysburg farm, including a large map of the site. 

 Other highlights include information on accessibility and how to visit the site. 

Eisenhower National Historic Site, located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is a unit of the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. It is a six hundred and ninety acre national park site that preserves the home and farm of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower. Dwight Eisenhower was a five-star general during World War II, serving as Supreme Allied Commander in the European Theater of Operations. After the war, he served two terms as the 34th President of the United States. Dwight and Mamie bought this farm in 1950 and used it extensively during their White House years before making it their home in retirement in the 1960s. 

The Eisenhower home is a unique time capsule into the lives of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower. Visitors are welcomed to explore the home and the site as the Eisenhowers knew it. 

Visitors are encouraged to explore the grounds of the Eisenhower farm, which include buildings and fields used for Eisenhower's cattle herd in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Visitor parking is available on-site. Use 250 Eisenhower Farm Rd. for GPS directions. 

To find out more, listen to the "Accessibility" and "More information" sections at the end of this brochure.

Describing: Park identifying heading banner.

Synopsis: A black banner across the top of the brochure with the park name, "Eisenhower" and the National Park Service logo.

Detail Description: A black banner stretches across the entire top of the front of the brochure. To the extreme left in large print is the name of the park, "Eisenhower". 

To the extreme right is the National Park Service Arrowhead logo: A brown textured arrowhead logo, point down. At top right, white text, National Park Service. At left, a tall tree. At bottom, a white bison stands on a green field ending in a distant tree line, a white lake at right. A snow-capped mountain towers behind.

To the left of the logo are two columns of smaller text with two lines in each. The left column reads:

Eisenhower National Historic Site
Pennsylvania

The right column reads:

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

The curved tops of two oval portraits from lower in the brochure extend into the bottom of the black band.

Side one of this two-sided brochure is composed of text and 10 images.

The top of this side has five images side by side, left to right, starting with an oval color portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower. To his left are black and white pictures of Eisenhower’s family when he was a young boy, Eisenhower standing next to a WWI era tank, and a picture of General Eisenhower speaking to paratroopers in 1944. To the right of those images there is an oval shaped color portrait of Mamie Eisenhower.

Below these pictures, text tells the story of Dwight Eisenhower’s life and accomplishments. The bottom half of the brochure has a chronological listing of important dates and events in Eisenhower’s life. Important dates are written in green text and larger font. There are additional pictures, including a circular black and white picture of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower on their wedding day. On the bottom of the brochure, there is a color photograph of small circular Eisenhower presidential campaign buttons, and a black and white photograph of the Eisenhower family featuring their four grandchildren.

The lower right corner of the brochure has a small text box discussing The Cold War and the 1960 U2 Crisis. The text in this section is green. This section includes black and white photographs of Nikita Khrushchev reviewing U2 spy plane debris and President Eisenhower speaking from behind a desk in the Oval Office.

DESCRIBING: an oval oil painting, mid 20th century

SYNOPSIS: This is a painted portrait of President Eisenhower seated sideways in a brown leather chair, with only the armrest and small portion of the chair back visible.  Brass nail studs line the edges of the chair which is seen in profile. Eisenhower's body is turned so that his torso and face are seen front view. 

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: Eisenhower is holding eyeglasses in his right hand and resting his left hand on his knee. His right arm is bent at the elbow, with the forearm on top of the chair back. The president wears a dark gray suit and vest, a white shirt, and a blue tie. The cuffs of his shirt have square gold-edged cufflinks.

He gazes directly at the viewer with a slight smile on his thin lips. Eisenhower is in his sixties and has pale skin. He is bald, and has a squarish face with a short strong chin. Ike has a straight nose, and his thin eyebrows curve slightly above his blue eyes. Eisenhower's hands are large and workman like.

The background of the painting lightens as it goes upward, from dark gray to tan, bringing attention to Eisenhower's face.

CAPTION: President Eisenhower, official White House portrait

CREDIT: Eisenhower Presidential Library

RELATED TEXT: “ . . . above all else, the good leader needs integrity—a deeply ingrained honor, honesty and decency.”—Dwight D. Eisenhower, October 17, 1961

DESCRIBING: A vertical black and white photograph from 1919

SYNOPSIS: Dwight D. Eisenhower wears a World War One army uniform as he stands in front of a FT-17 Renault French tank. 

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: It is daytime, and a bit of the surroundings are visible -- a treetop behind the tank and some grass in front. Dwight Eisenhower, stands tall in the grassy area with his legs a little apart, and his arms behind his back. He wears an army officer's uniform. His face has a confident and lopsided smile. 

Eisenhower's campaign hat has a tall crown pinched at the top corners, with a wide brim and thin hat band. Ike wears knee high boots. His pants are jodhpurs, a style worn by officers. They historically were used for riding and are close fitting on the lower leg but are baggy and puffed around the thigh and hips. He is wearing a long-sleeved shirt with tie. The shirt has several pockets and a rank insignia. 

Eisenhower is standing in front of the central portion of the tank, as seen from the side. Part of the tank turret, body, and treads are visible behind him.

CAPTION: Eisenhower poses before a tank at Camp Meade, Maryland, 1919.

CREDIT: Eisenhower Presidential Library

DESCRIBING: A horizontal rectangular black and white photograph, early 1900s

SYNOPSIS: This is a formal family portrait of Dwight Eisenhower's parents, David and Ida, and their six children, all sons. The boys' ages range from about 3 to 16. Dwight is 12 years old. His family nickname was Ike. All the people in Dwight's family portrait are posing with serious expressions, except his mother Ida. She is smiling and her eyebrows are raised. 

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The five older boys, including Dwight, are behind the parents. Below, seated between his parents, is the youngest son, still with long hair. The father, David, is on the lower left, and he and the four older sons are dressed formally in dark suits with high starched white collars, and they all wear ties. The youngest two boys are dressed in dark clothing with no formal collars. Below, on the right, is the mother, Ida. 

The five older boys in the photo's upper portion and their father have short hair combed smoothly and parted in either a side or central part. Each person has their arms straight down, near their sides. Everyone has dark hair except blonde haired Ike on the far left. The youngest son has long hair, which for this time period, was often not cut until the boy was ready for school.

David Eisenhower, the father, has a robust handle-bar mustache. He has straight brows, and a strong determined chin. Dwight's facial structure and set of his eyes and eyebrows closely resemble his father's.

Ida Eisenhower, the mother, has an oval face, upraised eyebrows and is smiling. She wears a light-colored fancy button-down blouse and her high-necked collar has a bow. The blouse has puffed sleeves. Lace and vertical pleats embellish the shirt front. Ida's dark hair is pulled up in a bun with a center part above the forehead.

CAPTION: David and Ida Eisenhower pose with their six sons in 1902. Dwight is at far left.

CREDIT: Eisenhower Presidential Library

DESCRIBING: A black and white horizontal photograph, 1944

SYNOPSIS: General Eisenhower talks to paratroopers gathered around him on June 5, 1944 -- the day before D-Day, the Normandy invasion.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: In the center of the picture, Eisenhower is seen in profile, facing right, and gesturing with his right hand. His arm is held out with his hand in front of his chest as if emphasizing a point. His expression is serious, and his mouth is open as he speaks to the paratroopers surrounding him. Eisenhower is slim and is wearing dark uniform slacks, a military jacket, with four stars visible on the top of the shoulder, and an officer's visor cap with a military insignia on the center front, above the hat band. 

The crowd of young men gathered around him are in various uniforms and headgear. They lean inward towards Eisenhower with riveted expressions, and a few farther back in the crowd, slant their heads to see through the troops in front. Most are in baggy, light colored uniforms, with stuffed pockets on the legs, the breast, and lower jacket areas. Many of the troops are bare headed, but a few are wearing netted hard helmets. Many of the helmets have leaves in the netting. An officer on the left wears a visored officer's cap. Some of the men have dark paint smeared on their faces which was used for camouflage purposes, especially at night.

The man directly in front of the general has some items stuffed in his helmet netting. He wears a sign connected to a rope around his neck. The sign has the number 23 on it. The sign refers to his jump group number. 

CAPTION: Eisenhower talks with men of Company E, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, at the 101st Airborne Division’s camp, Greenham Common, England, June 5, 1944.

CREDIT: National Archives

DESCRIBING: An oval oil painting, mid 20th century

SYNOPSIS: Mamie Eisenhower is shown in her long pink inaugural gown. She has a matching clutch purse and pearls. Mrs. Eisenhower is middle-aged. The portrait shows her head and torso and extends downward to about mid-thigh.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: Mrs. Eisenhower tilts her head slightly to her right as she looks in that direction. In her right hand, a little below waist level, she holds her rhinestone-encrusted clutch purse. Mamie's left arm is mostly behind her body, but the viewer can see her hand reaching toward white flowers at the painting edge. 

Mrs. Eisenhower's pink silken gown has a V-neck. The dress is sleeveless, and Mamie is wearing matching long, pink gloves which reach up to the middle of the upper arm. Her gown is studded with glimmering rhinestones and the bodice fits closely to just below the waist. Soft pleating at the dropped waist causes the full skirt to flare downward in a bell shape.

Mrs. Eisenhower has an oval face, and her short brown hair is curled tightly from just below the ears up to her forehead. She has very short bangs which curl inward. A triple strand of pearls encircles her neck, and Mamie is wearing pearl earrings. She has rosy cheeks and a smile on her pink lips. Her wide set blue eyes gaze to her right.

The portrait's muted gray background contrasts with the sparkling gown. The background is blue gray on the lower left and gold gray behind the head and shoulders of Mrs. Eisenhower.

CAPTION: Mamie Eisenhower sat for this portrait in her pink silk inaugural gown embroidered with 2,000 rhinestones. Mamie regularly appeared on the Most Admired Women and Best Dressed lists. Her tightly curled bangs, styled by Elizabeth Arden, completed the “Mamie Look.”

CREDIT: White House Historical Association / Thomas Stevens

TEXT: Dwight David Eisenhower was born in Texas and grew up in Kansas. Ike (a nickname from grade school) had no designs on an army career, much less the presidency of the United States. But he wanted to go to college and discovered that free education awaited young men appointed to the US Military Academy. At West Point Eisenhower pursued football, his first love, until a knee injury barred him from the gridiron for good.

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Eisenhower hoped for duty overseas. Instead, he served at Camp Colt in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, training soldiers for the army’s tank corps. Ike loved this town in the Appalachian foothills, about 50 miles south of where his ancestors had settled in the 1700s.

During the 1920s and 1930s Eisenhower held a series of staff jobs and steadily rose in rank. By the early 1940s, with World War II at hand, he began to earn promotions—and stars—at record speed. In December 1943 he was named Supreme Allied Commander, for “Operation Overlord,” the cross-English Channel invasion. His orders were simple: “You will land in Europe and, proceeding to Germany, will destroy Hitler and all his forces.” On June 6, 1944, at Eisenhower’s direction, invasion forces hit the beaches at Normandy. The heroic efforts of the Allies brought an end to Nazi Germany—and peace to Western Europe.

Eisenhower’s wartime success earned him worldwide adoration. Politicians deemed the General—as he now was known—an attractive candidate. Instead, he chose the presidency of Columbia University in 1948. Anticipating retirement, Dwight and Mamie searched for rural property. In 1950 they bought a farm near Gettysburg, but their retirement was delayed for another decade. At the request of President Harry S. Truman, Eisenhower assumed command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Europe.

In 1952 Eisenhower won election as 34th president of the United States. During his campaign he promised that, if elected, he would bring an end to the Korean War, a bitter conflict pitting United States and United Nations troops against North Korean and Communist Chinese forces. After his election Eisenhower visited Korea; negotiations resulted in an armistice on July 27, 1953.

Following major renovations, the Eisenhowers planned to relax on weekends at their farm. In November 1955 their country home became a temporary White House while Eisenhower recuperated from a heart attack. Back in Washington, DC, the president received a steady stream of dignitaries. He invited visitors to Camp David, Maryland, for conferences, then for a tour of his farm.

Leaving Washington in 1961 meant retirement at last. Mamie had once said, “How nice it will be to be free, to rest and to do as we like.” Instead, Eisenhower met with associates at his Gettysburg College office and wrote his memoirs.

The Eisenhowers made a gift of their farm to the federal government in 1967 (with the agreement that Dwight and Mamie would live there for life), and Congress designated the property as Eisenhower National Historic Site. In 1978 Mamie explained why their Gettysburg property was so important to the couple who had once changed habitats about once a year, “We had only one home—our farm.”

TEXT:

1890: Born October 14 in Denison, Texas, to David and Ida Eisenhower, third of six sons.

1891 to 1909: Moves with family to and grows up in Abilene, Kansas; graduates from Abilene High School.

1911: Enters US Military Academy, West Point, New York.

1915 to 1916: Graduates from West Point, reports to Fort Sam Houston, Texas; meets Denver socialite Mamie Geneva Doud in Texas; they marry in 1916.

1917: United States enters World War I; son Doud Dwight (nicknamed “Icky”) born September 24.

1918: Appointed commander at Camp Colt, Army Tank Corps training center, Gettysburg, PA.

1919 to 1921: Sent to Camp Meade, Maryland; son Icky dies of scarlet fever January 2, 1921.

1922: Joins 20th Infantry Brigade at Camp Gaillard, Panama; receives Distinguished Service Medal for work at Camp Colt; son John Sheldon Doud born Aug. 3.

1925: Graduates first in class from Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

1926 to 1927: Works on the American Battle Monuments Commission under General Pershing; is contributing writer for American Armies and Battlefields in Europe, a guide to US involvement in WWI; enters Army War College, Washington, DC.

1928: Travels to Paris, France, as member of Battle Monuments Commission; gains greater familiarity with WWI battlefields.

1929: Assigned to Office of Assistant Secretary of War; prepares plans for mobilizing American industry and military in case of war.

1933 to 1939: Becomes General MacArthur’s personal assistant; travels to Philippines with MacArthur.

1939 to 1940: Germany invades Poland; World War II begins in Europe; Eisenhower becomes Chief of Staff, Third Army.

1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; US enters WWII; Eisenhower called to Washington, DC, to work in War Department.

1942: Named Assistant Chief of Staff in charge of War Plans; named Assistant Chief of Staff of new Operations Division; appointed Commander of European Theatre of Operations; African American John Moaney joins Eisenhower’s personal staff, beginning a life of friendship and service that lasts for 27 years; Eisenhower commands the Allied invasion of North Africa.

1943: Commands invasion of Italy; appointed Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces to command invasion of Europe.

1944 to 1945: Directs invasion of Normandy June 6, D-day; accepts Germany’s unconditional surrender; appointed commander of the US Occupation Zone in Germany; appointed Army Chief of Staff.

1948: Retires from active military service; writes Crusade in Europe; named president of Columbia University.

1949 to 1951: Informally chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff under newly created defense department; Korean War begins (1950); is appointed Supreme Commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); Dwight and Mamie buy the Gettysburg farm.

1952: Resigns as NATO’s Supreme Commander; US tests hydrogen bomb in South Pacific; Eisenhower is elected the first Republican president in 20 years.

1953: Establishes Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; ends Korean War; Soviet Union (USSR) begins testing hydrogen bomb; Eisenhower delivers “Atoms for Peace” speech, part of his campaign proposing worldwide development of atomic energy.

1954 to 1955: Approves development of spy satellites and the U-2, a high-altitude aerial reconnaissance aircraft; Supreme Court rules that segregated schools are illegal (Brown v. Board of Education); Eisenhower proposes Open Skies, a policy allowing mutual overflights of US and USSR (Khrushchev rejects); signs bill raising minimum hourly wage to one dollar per hour; suffers heart attack and sets up temporary White House at the farm in Gettysburg.

1956: Signs federal highway bill authorizing construction of interstate highways; elected president for second term.

1957 to 1958: Promises aid for Middle Eastern nations to fight Communist aggression (Eisenhower Doctrine); signs Civil Rights Act (first civil rights legislation in 82 years); sends troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation of Central High School; USSR launches Sputnik, world’s first satellite; Eisenhower signs bill establishing National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); US tests intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

1959: Signs legislation designating Alaska and Hawaii as 49th and 50th states; meets with Soviet Premier Khrushchev at Camp David, Maryland; Khrushchev visits Eisenhower farm and invites Eisenhower to visit USSR.

1960 to 1961: U-2 spy plane crisis erupts; US and USSR relations deteriorate (Eisenhower’s trip to USSR is cancelled); CIA’s covert Corona program launches its first successful photo reconnaissance satellite; Eisenhowers retire to Gettysburg farm.

1969: Dies March 28, age 78; buried with full military honors in Abilene, Kansas.

1979: Mamie Eisenhower dies November 1, age 82; and is buried beside her husband at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene.

DESCRIBING: An oval, black-and-white photograph

SYNOPSIS: Photo of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower posing in front of a window with white drapes. Dwight, left, is wearing a white military uniform and stands arms crossed looking at the viewer with a neutral expression. Mamie, seated right, wears a white dress with lace detailing, her hair gathered atop her head with bangs swooping down across her forehead. She looks slightly upward with a smiling demurely.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION: An oval portrait of Dwight Eisenhower and Mamie Eisenhower on their wedding day. They are posing in front of a window with white drapes.

Dwight stands to the left in a white US Army Dress uniform consisting of a high, stiff-collared white coat fastened to below his chin and white trousers. On the collar are a brass crossed rifle insignia and a brass pin of the letters, "U.S." His light hair is short and neatly combed. He stands facing three quarters toward the camera and looks directly at the viewer, arms crossed. He wears a neutral expression.

Mamie is seated to the right in a white dress with lace details. A delicate, white, lace shawl is draped over her shoulders. She is turned slightly but looks directly at the viewer. Her chin is tilted slightly downward, and she is looking up toward the viewer, smiling demurely. Her hair is gathered atop her head, with a section swooping down across her forehead.

CAPTION: Dwight and Mamie married on July 1, 1916, in a simple ceremony at the Doud home in Denver.

CREDIT: Eisenhower Presidential Library

DESCRIBING: A small, black-and-white photograph, 1956.

SYNOPSIS: The Eisenhower family poses outdoors for an Easter Sunday photograph in their Sunday best. Seated in the front row are the women and children of the family, children to the left and adults to the right. Mamie Eisenhower is holding a baby in swaddling clothes. The men stand behind, Eisenhower wearing a suit and his son, John, wearing the uniform of a US Army Officer. People are looking in various directions, as if there were many photographers trying to capture pictures at the same time.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION: The Eisenhower family poses in the garden for an Easter Sunday photograph, foliage visible behind them. People are looking in many different directions, suggesting a crowd surrounding them off-camera.

The front row consists of the women and children seated on two benches, though only the end of the bench is visible on the left. To the left, Eisenhower's granddaughter Anne, a six-year-old, white girl wears a lace trimmed white dress, white gloves, and a round, flower covered hat over her shoulder length curly hair. She is the only person looking directly at the viewer. 

To her right, on the end of the second bench sits Eisenhower's grandson David, a white, 8 year-old boy with protruding ears wears a light-colored suit over a white shirt and a striped bow tie. On his head is a schoolboy cap. Next to David is granddaughter Susan, a five-year-old white girl in a white dress, white gloves, and a round, flower garlanded hat over her ear length hair. Both David and Susan look off to their right.

Next to the right is Mamie Eisenhower, a sixty year-old woman. She wears a dark, knee-length, long-sleeve dress with a shoulder-cape, and a twin strand of pearls. A light-colored beret covers her closely coiffured dark hair. She is looking slightly to the right, smiling broadly, eyes crinkled. In her lap she holds baby Mary Jean swaddled in white and wearing a white bonnet, held upright so she can be captured on camera. To Mamie's right, sits Barbara, Eisenhower's daughter-in-law. She wears a light, patterned, knee-length dress with a floral brooch on the left lapel, white gloves, and a close-fitting cloth hat on her dark hair. She looks off to her right.

The men stand behind the women. Between Anne and David, to the left, is President Eisenhower. He is an older, balding white man with a sharp nose. He is wearing a dark suit over a white shirt and a tie. His right hand is resting on the bench behind Anne. He looks to his left at his wife Mamie and granddaughter Mary Jean. He is smiling broadly, his cheeks dimpling to accentuate his cheekbones.

To his right, John Eisenhower, the President's son stands behind the ladies, visible from the waist up. He is a white man in his early thirties with close cropped, dark hair. He wears the uniform of a U.S. Army officer: Dark green jacket with large brass buttons down the center. A belt with a brass buckle sinches the waist. On the lapels are brass pins and on the left chest a collection of ribbons. Beneath the coat are a lighter colored shirt and a tie. He is looking slightly to the right, off camera. 

CAPTION: The family at the White House, Easter Sunday, 1956. Seated left to right: Grandchildren Anne, David, Susan, and baby Mary Jean, Mamie Eisenhower, and daughter-in-law Barbara. Standing: President Eisenhower and son John.

CREDIT: AP/Wide World Photos

DESCRIBING: A color photograph

SYNOPSIS: A color photograph of three round campaign buttons of slightly different sizes from Eisenhower's 1952 presidential campaign, arranged in a C shape. All have a red, white, and blue color scheme and feature various campaign slogans and images. A red, white, and blue ribbon hangs from the bottom button.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION: Three round campaign buttons arranged in a vertical C-shape. The top and bottom buttons slightly overlap on top of the middle button which is slightly offset to the left.

The top, round button is the smallest and is blue. A red stripe with white borders runs horizontally across the center with the word "Ike" (Eisenhower's nickname) in white letters across the center. Above the stripe is a striding, white elephant facing right, the symbol of the Republican party. Below the stripe is the bottom half of a stylized globe. Superimposed on the globe is a shield. The top fifth of the shield is blue with three white stars evenly distributed across. The lower portion of the shield is outlined in red with four white stripes. Beneath that, in an arc across the bottom of the button, "FOR PRESIDENT" is written in white.

The middle round button is the largest and is predominantly white, with the top of the circle colored red and the bottom of the circle colored blue. In the center of the button blue text reads "I LIKE". The word "Ike" is larger than the other two and is on a separate line below, "I LIKE"

The bottom round button is predominantly white. In the center is a headshot of Eisenhower, a balding white man in his sixties with a pointed nose. He is looking directly at the viewer. He is smiling broadly, causing his cheeks to crease and accentuate his cheekbones and his eyes crinkle slightly. Blue banners with their ends folded under arc above and below the portrait with white text on them. The top banner reads, "PEACE AND PROSPERITY" and the bottom banner reads, "With EISENHOWER". Between the banners on the left is a blue line drawing of the dome of the U.S. Capitol, a soaring dome with a statue standing atop and columns supporting it. Between the banners on the right is a blue line drawing of the White House with a flag flying atop. A dove-tailed ribbon with three equal stripes of red, white, and blue hangs from the bottom of the button.

CREDIT: NPS

DESCRIBING: A small black and white photograph, 1960

SYNOPSIS: In the foreground is equipment related to an airplane on a table. There are three men in a line inspecting the equipment. Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, is the focal point of the photograph. He is looking at the equipment with a stern expression on his face. Additional people in the background not looking at the equipment.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: A black and white photograph of three people examining airplane parts and flying equipment inside a large building. The equipment is in the foreground, on a crowded table, a helmet and oxygen bottle are visible. Three men are looking at the equipment in a line, the man on the left has his back turned towards the camera. Khrushchev, the man in the middle, has a stern expression on his face. The man on the right has a quizzical expression on his face. In the background there are additional people not examining the equipment.

CAPTION: Khrushchev examines the captured U-2 wreckage on May 11, 1960. The plane is still on display today in a Moscow museum.

CREDIT: Eisenhower Presidential Library / Soviet News Agency, TASS

RELATED TEXT: CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers was flying a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance airplane 70,000 feet over Soviet airspace when he was shot down on May 1, 1960. The Soviets tracking Powers had launched a surface-to-air missile, damaging the U-2’s wings. Powers ejected from the tumbling plane at 40,000 feet and opened his parachute at 15,000 feet. When he landed the Soviets were waiting. The USSR had captured a Cold War prize—proof that the US was secretly photographing Soviet military sites.

The White House knew a plane was missing but, at first, did not know that the pilot had been captured. NASA issued a statement on May 3 that a “U-2 weather research plane” may have “accidentally violated Soviet airspace.” On May 7 Eisenhower received word at his Gettysburg farm that Khrushchev had smugly told the world that the Soviets had Powers (alive), his damaged plane, and its spy cameras. The US finally admitted “. . . such a flight over the Soviet Union to gather information was probably undertaken.” It couldn’t have happened at a worse time, just days before the US, USSR, England, and France were to meet in Paris. The Summit Conference failed on May 16 when Khrushchev demanded an apology, and Eisenhower refused. Khrushchev condemned US spy activities and stormed out.

The U-2 crisis brought an end to Eisenhower’s efforts to implement an arms control agreement with the Soviets, and it closed the few months of détente (relaxing of international tensions) prompted by Khrushchev’s 1959 visit to the United States.

DESCRIBING: A small black and white photograph.

SYNOPSIS: A photograph with a large, detailed aerial photograph on an easel in the foreground, and President Eisenhower sitting at a desk speaking into two microphones in the background.  Behind the president are windows covered in floor to ceiling drapes and two flags on poles in flag stands.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: A large, horizontal, detailed aerial photograph sits on an easel in the foreground.  To the right of the aerial photograph and slightly behind it, President Eisenhower is seated behind a desk, speaking into two microphones.  He has a serious expression on his face.  Eisenhower is wearing a dark colored suit and tie, and wears glasses.  Behind him is a large wall with windows covered in floor to ceiling drapes.  On either side of the president are flags on poles, one flag bears the seal of the President of the United States, the other is the American Flag.  Both flags stand in flag stands.  The aerial photograph blocks the view of the American flag.

CAPTION: Eisenhower defends his U-2 policy on national television on May 25, 1960, explaining that aerial surveillance can help assure all humanity “. . . that they are safe from any surprise attack . . . .”

The satellite image beside him shows the San Diego North Island Naval Station from 70,000 feet, including aircraft and details as small as six-inch-wide parking lines.

CREDIT: Eisenhower Presidential Library

This is side two of this two-sided brochure.

The top half of this side includes text about the Eisenhowers and their Gettysburg farm, including a black and white photograph of Dwight Eisenhower sitting in shirt sleeves painting at an easel. Text also highlights various structures on-site and provides helpful tips on how to visit.

The lower half prominently features a large map, showing an artist’s rendition of an aerial view of Eisenhower National Historic Site. The map highlights various buildings and structures and splits the site into two main properties—the historic Eisenhower farm, and Farm 2, where President Eisenhower raised his angus show cattle. The map covers the lower half of the brochure. 

DESCRIBING:  A small, black-and-white photograph

SYNOPSIS: Dwight Eisenhower is pictured seated in front of an easel, which holds a work-in-progress. Eisenhower, who sits with a paint palate in his lap, and a brush in his hand is in the process of painting a portrait of three young children. 

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: Eisenhower, wearing a short sleeve, white button-down shirt is seated in front of a wooden easel, which holds a canvas painting in progress. In his right hand, which is closest to the viewer, he delicately holds a paintbrush, which hovers over a well used, rectangular paint palate that is resting in his lap. In his left hand he grasps a rag. 

On the canvas, a painting depicting three young children is taking form. The portrait of two girls, and one boy- the Eisenhower grandchildren- is being painted by the president. A smaller reference photograph of the posed children is propped at the base of the canvas. 

The President's body remains angled toward the artwork, but his head is turned toward the viewer. His expression is focused yet patient, merging his identities as a president and an artist, who appears to have been interrupted mid-brushstroke. 

The painter is seated indoors, but a window behind him offers a glimpse of a wooded area. 

CAPTION: Eisenhower began painting in 1948. He spoke modestly of his talent, “I don’t know anything about painting. . . . They are daubs, born of my love of color . . . .” Mamie was an ardent admirer and displayed his works prominently.

CREDIT: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Home—At Last

As John F. Kennedy’s inauguration drew to a close on January 20, 1961, the departing president and first lady quietly left Capitol Hill. After a farewell luncheon they headed north from Washington on snow-covered roads. “And so we came to Gettysburg,” wrote General Eisenhower in the mid-1960s, “and to the farm we had bought eleven years earlier, where we expected to spend the remainder of our lives.”

To Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower the red brick farmhouse that they purchased in 1950 from Allen Redding seemed custom-made for retirement. Although the house was in disrepair, its “big homey kitchen” appealed to Mamie, who explained that Ike loved to cook in his spare time, and they “could never think of buying a home that didn’t have a kitchen big enough for him to use with comfort.” When the remodeling began, the architects were surprised to find a decaying 200-year-old log cabin beneath the brick veneer. The house could not be saved.

Disappointed, but determined to preserve a small piece of history, Mamie told construction workers to salvage what materials they could while dismantling the original structure. Builders retained part of the brickwork and the summer kitchen fireplace with a bake oven and built a new house around these features. By March 1955 the house was finished, and Dwight and Mamie were owners of what architect Milton Osborne termed a “modified Georgian farmhouse,” complete with seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a stately living room, formal dining room, den, kitchen and butler’s pantry, and glassed-in porch.

The porch was Dwight and Mamie’s favorite room. Here they enjoyed the morning sun over breakfast and spent hours visiting with family and friends, reading, playing cards, watching television, and just relaxing while looking out over Pennsylvania’s rolling hills.

Eisenhower’s Black Angus Enterprise

Eisenhower maintained a successful cattle enterprise, Eisenhower Farms, for 15 years. The business was composed of 189 acres of Eisenhower’s land and 306 adjoining acres owned by his partners. The Eisenhower Farms show cattle rapidly gained recognition in the Angus-raising community, winning grand championships at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and blue ribbons in major competitions across the United States.

As president, Eisenhower used the farm for personal diplomacy, inviting world leaders to visit the house and cattle barns. It was a welcome respite from formal talks at nearby Camp David.

DESCRIBING: This is a large fold out map of the grounds and buildings of Eisenhower National Historic Site

SYNOPSIS: This fold out map showing an artist's rendering of an aerial view of the Eisenhower farm. Showing two farms that comprise Eisenhower National Historic Site. The Eisenhower farm is on the left side of the map, the northern portion of the historic site. Farm 2 is on the right side of the map, covering the southern portion of the historic site. Visitors enter the site on a paved road from Emmitsburg Rd. that brings them to a gravel lane, which curves through several farm buildings on Farm 2 before ending at a large gravel parking lot. This gravel lot is located on Farm 2 and is the primary visitor parking area. From there, visitors walk up a gravel and mulch path that extends north to the Eisenhower home. 

For visitors with accessibility needs, accessibility and ADA parking is available on the Eisenhower Farm. Those visitors should follow the long paved road entering the site, turn 90 degrees to the right when the road turns, and follow the paved road and directional signage to accessibility parking. 

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: 

This map is oriented facing east, showing an aerial view of the site. Using compass locations, the map is laid out with north at 9 o’clock, east at 12, south at 3, and west at 6.

From 9 to 12, we find the skeet range and several farm fields. From 12 to 3, we find Farm 2 and all its outbuildings, including Eisenhower NHS headquarters (the head herdsman’s home) and the Show Barn. From 3 to 6, we find the gravel visitor parking area and farm fields. From 6 to 9, we find the Eisenhower home, Guesthouse, Bank Barn, and Reception Center.

The Eisenhower home stands in the middle of the map. On the west side of the home, a paved driveway forms a circle, with a line of trees and a grass helipad on the opposite side of the circle from the home. The east side of the house looks over several grass fields, including a large flagpole and a putting green. Several trees surround the Eisenhower home as well. The main entrance of the house is facing west. The house is a two-story brick structure, with a smaller two-story stone portion on the southern part of the home. The home has green shutters on both sides of its windows. The roof of the house is made of green slate. The home is open seasonally for tours. 

South of the home, a path extends to the southeast toward a small brick teahouse, with a brick patio area. Behind the teahouse sit several structures, including two glass greenhouses and a small white structure used by the Eisenhower grandchildren as a play building. Behind the greenhouses sits the Eisenhower Garden, an area with several planted spaces where crops are still grown today by park staff and volunteers.

Running north of the house, a paved walkway extends in two roughly parallel directions. The western path extends out away from the home towards the grass helicopter landing pad. This path is lined by large spruce pine trees.

The eastern paved path extends toward a small one-story white brick guesthouse, with green shutters outside the windows and a small wood steeple covering a brass bell on the roof. The north side of the guesthouse has a covered porch hanging over the front door.

At the guesthouse, the paved path extends east and becomes much wider. The pathway takes visitors to the low, one-story garage attached to the Eisenhower bank barn. The exterior is painted pale green. The garage has four bays. Three of them have windows showing historic vehicles inside.

The pathway also extends northward from the Guesthouse. To the right is a very large barn, built into the side of the hill with a long grass entrance ramping up to the upper level. The barn is painted light green. The roof is white. Restrooms are located in the lower level of the barn. The door to the restrooms is on the northeast corner of the building. 

On the north side of the barn, a small, light green cinder block structure juts out. The structure has windows and a door on the north side. This building was a milkhouse that was used by the U.S. Secret Service during and after the Eisenhower presidency. Visitors can enter through the door on the north side when the structure is open during normal operating hours. 

The paved pathway becomes a wider paved accessible parking area north of the barn. The parking area surrounds a small square patch of grass, which is surrounded by white fencing.

East of the barn, there is a long, single story light green structure. This building is the site reception center, which is currently closed for renovations. The main door of the building is on the northern end, facing west. The reception center connects to the parking area with a small footpath. The reception center is currently closed for renovations. When open, it will have bathrooms and exhibits. 

A short distance north of the reception center, a small grouping of trees surrounds a Quonset hut. This light green structure has a curved roof, resembling a semi-circle, with two flat sides on the front and back. A gravel driveway connects the Quonset hut to the paved parking area near the reception center.

Two paved driveways enter into the parking area. The first extends northward toward the northern boundary of the site. This paved driveway is lined with Norway spruces and crabapple trees.

The second driveway extends eastward from the paved parking area for several hundred feet before turning right at a 90 degree angle. This driveway is called Nevin's Lane. At the curve, a gravel road extends straight from the paved road, which leads to a heavy grouping of various trees. The trees surround a large equipment and maintenance storage shed, as well as several small white brick towers and white stands arranged in a semicircle, with paths between them. This is the site skeet range.

After the 90 degree turn for the paved road, it runs south along the length of the Eisenhower farm, with wire fencing and white fence posts stretching along the way. At the boundary between the historic Eisenhower farm and Farm 2, the road again turns at a 90 degree angle, this time extending to the left and heading east to Emmitsburg Rd. and the main exit/entrance to the property. This stretch of the road is called Eisenhower Farm Rd. 

Farm 2:

A dirt path from the Eisenhower home leads south, then southeast about an eight of a mile to the Herdsman’s Home. This building serves as the Park Headquarters. It is a white two-story building with a white roof. The front door opens to the east side o f the building. The path stops at a paved road that leads east away from the property, or south toward the Farm 2 area while passing the Herdsman’s home.

Just south of the Herdsman’s home the road turns around a collection of buildings. The first building is a maternity barn, a long tan building with white roof and is oriented east-west. Nearly touching the Maternity Barn slightly to the southwest is a burned Barn a rectangular building tan building oriented north south. Across a small grassy area to the south of the Maternity Barn is a Loafing Shed. A building very similar to the maternity barn but extending slightly further to the east. On the east end of the Maternity Barn and Loafing Shed, is a small Self Feeder pavilion. Together the four buildings border the grassy area creating a makeshift courtyard. Nearly touching the Self Feeder on the East side is a grain silo. To the north of the four buildings are two large grazing paddocks, closed in with white fence. The paddocks extend along the road until it curves east on it’s way off the property.

The road leading to the buildings curves west behind the burned barn on its way south. Behind the burned barn on the far side of the road is a small garage. Nearly touching the burned barn on the southwest side is a grain silo.

As the road approaches the southern side of the burned barn, it forks. One fork leads west through farmland, jaunting north slightly before continuing west away from the property. The other fork leads south to the rest of the farm. Across the path to the south of the burned barn is a Breeding and Tool Shed. It’s a windowless tan building with a white roof. Along the path to its southeast is a small corn crib pavilion.

On either side of the path as it travels south are Bull Pens lined with white paddock fences. The Bull Pen to the west is about half the size of the eastern Bull Pen to accommodate the Breeding and Tool Shed. Further south along the path is the Show Barn. It’s a long, white, L-Shaped building that contains restrooms and water from April to October.

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Reception Center and Shuttle Bus Stop

Begin your visit at the Reception Center. It has information, a video, and restrooms. Exhibits highlight Eisenhower’s life, from his boyhood days in Abilene, Kansas, through his military and presidential years, to retirement at his Gettysburg farm.

Self-Guiding Tours: Eisenhower Home, Grounds, Skeet Range, and Farm 2

• The Eisenhower Home retains nearly all its original furnishings and offers a glimpse into the life and times of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower.

• The grounds tour includes gardens, greenhouses, a tea house, and the brick barbecue where Eisenhower grilled enormous black Angus steaks. The garage (south end of barn) houses Eisenhower’s presidential limousine, golf carts, and station wagon. He used the golf cart to show guests around the farm.

• The skeet range is an easy walk from the Reception Center. An exhibit details Eisenhower’s shooting prowess and explains the rules of trap and skeet.

• The Farm 2 tour explores Eisenhower’s cattle operation. The show barn contains the herdsman’s office, cattle stalls, and farm machinery.

Barn

This 1887 bank barn held hay and straw on the top floor. The lower level first contained dairy cattle stanchions and stalls. In the mid-1950s it held stables for the horses and ponies that Eisenhower kept for his grandchildren.

Secret Service Office

Secret Service protection began at the farm in 1955, ceased in 1961, and resumed after President Kennedy’s assassination.

Guest House

Young David Eisenhower stayed here one summer while working for his grandfather as a farmhand. The bell is from the Pitzer schoolhouse that stood on the nearby property where son John and Barbara Eisenhower lived from 1959 to 1964.

Eisenhower Home

North of the fieldstone wing of the main house is a section salvaged from the original Redding farmhouse.

Putting Green

Ike loved golf. The Professional Golfers Association installed this putting green in the 1950s, complete with a sand trap.

Flag Pole

When President Eisenhower stayed here the flagpole displayed the presidential standard and the Stars and Stripes. After leaving the White House in 1961 he was reinstated as General of the Army and flew the five-star flag, today a symbol Eisenhower at Gettysburg.

Path to Farm 2

Cross the bridge to the site of the cattle operation (trail not recommended for wheelchairs). The culvert in the stream marks the boundary between Eisenhower’s farm and Farm 2 (acquired in 1954 by Eisenhower’s partner, W. Alton Jones, to raise purebred Angus).

Herdsman’s Home

This 1797 house was home for Bob Hartley, Eisenhower’s herdsman. Hartley charted breeding schedules, selected new Angus to improve the breed, and oversaw farm operations.

Maternity Barn

This barn, a luxury for a livestock operation, sheltered cows and newborn calves.

Breeding and Tool Shed

The north bay provided a breeding area for bulls and cows. Each mating was carefully recorded. The south bay held a workbench and tools.

Loafing Shed

This three-sided shed provided dry shelter in winter and shade in summer for animals.

Bull Pens

Breeding bulls lived here. Ankonian 3551 sired prize-winning offspring for over 10 years.

Show Barn

To prepare for competitions, animals were brushed daily and bathed weekly.

DESCRIBING: A small, black-and-white photograph

SYNOPSIS: Herdsman Bob Hartley, and President Dwight Eisenhower are pictured showing off a prized Aberdeen Angus bull. Eisenhower, Hartley, and the bull are standing in the grass outside of the show barn. 

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: Two men are pictured with an award-winning Aberdeen Angus bull, whose compact, low set frame is the focus of the image. Solid black in color, the bull stands in profile, facing right looking straight at the viewer and stands to just above waist height when compared to the men in the photograph. The bull is harnessed with a leather halter and lead, which is being loosely held by herdsman Bob Hartley. 

Hartley, a slim-built white man of average height, stands holding the lead of the bull's halter in one hand and a cattle prod, or long stick in the other. He is wearing boots, light colored pants, a short-sleeved button-down shirt, and a hat, and is looking toward the bull's face. 

Visible only from the waist up, is President Dwight Eisenhower who stands slightly behind the left shoulder of the bull. One hand relaxes on the bull's back as he looks down toward the prized animal with a slightly bemused expression. Eisenhower is wearing a felt Stetson hat, a light colored jacket, and dark tie.

The trio stand in a grassy spot outside of the show barn complex, which contained offices of the herdsman, ribbons and awards, and stalls for prize-winning cattle like the one pictured here.

CAPTION: Eisenhower and herdsman Bob Hartley display a bull ready for the show ring. Eisenhower shared his enthusiasm for the cattle business with foreign leaders like Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, French President Charles de Gaulle, and Great Britain’s former Prime Minister Winston Churchill. An invitation to the farm was a highlight for dignitaries.

CREDIT: NPS

TEXT:

Planning Your Visit

When to Visit

Hours, programs, and services vary; call or check the park website.

Tours

Tours of the Eisenhower home are offered seasonally. A full schedule can be found at the Eisenhower NHS website: www.nps.gov/eise

Getting here

Visitors can drive directly to Eisenhower NHS. Use 250 Eisenhower Farm Rd for GPS and enter the site off Emmitsburg Rd. 

Activities

Explore on your own or ask if ranger-led programs are being offered. Also ask about the Junior Ranger program.

Firearms

Regulations are on the park website.

TEXT:

We strive to make our facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For information go to the Reception Center, ask a ranger, call, or check our website.

Eisenhower National Historic Site GPS Address:

250 Eisenhower Farm Road

Gettysburg, PA

Eisenhower National Historic Site Mailing Address:

Eisenhower National Historic Site

1195 Baltimore Pike

Suite 100

Gettysburg, PA 17325

Phone Number:

7  1  7 - 3  3  8 - 9  1  1  4

www.nps.gov/eise

Emergencies call 911

Eisenhower National Historic Site is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. Learn more at www.nps.gov.