On our way across Kansas, we stopped in Abilene to visit the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, which is a 22-acre campus located on the original site of his boyhood home.  The home itself is very nicely preserved with furnishings original to the family.  Here is where Ida and David Eisenhower raised six sons who where all quite successful in their chosen professions:  banker, lawyer, pharmacist, electrical engineer, agriculturist/college president, and of course West Point graduate turned 5-star general and two-term US president.

My favorite piece in the house is the Singer sewing machine, ca 1870.

The piano claims pride of place in the family parlor as Ida was an accomplished pianist and taught all of her sons to play.  Also in this room is the radio Ida used to listen to news reports on the war efforts.

Considering modern kitchens, it’s hard for me to imagine feeding six growing boys with so few cabinets and so little workspace. A separate kitchen was added after the boys were grown.

A humble resting place for a humble man.

Jean