| Buses from the Visitor Center take you to the Eisenhower Farm. You're not permitted to drive there on your own. There is a per person fee for the visit but once you are there you can stay as long as you like. If you happen to catch one of those perfect Spring or Fall days, this is a great place to stroll around and relax. You'll feel just like one of the many dignitaries Ike invited to Gettysburg for working weekends. |
| One of the first things you see is the Reception Center. You're dropped off here and your return bus will pick you up here as well. There are souveniers inside you may purchase as a remembrance of your visit to the Eisenhower Farm. Please forgive the photo quality. Sun was playing peek-a-boo with us. |
| Just to be thorough! Here's the rear exit of the Reception Center framed with flowers in summer. |
| We guarantee that when you see the Eisenhower home for the first time you're going
to say to yourself, "Doesn't look like a President's house!" Its a pretty little
farm house with the emphasis on "little". There's nothing grand about its size but it
does have an elegance all its own. It's the place where Ike wanted to retire in beautiful
Gettysburg. And it just happens to have one of the best views in town! And there's something more we can guarantee. We guarantee that once you've toured the Eisenhower home you're going to walk outside and say "I'd swear the Eisenhowers just left here five minutes ago and will be back in an hour!" It's really eerie in that sense. Inside the house looks and feels just like they were still living there. It's a feeling you just can't shake as you tour the rooms. It's definitely a must see for your trip to Gettysburg. |
| Once again please forgive the photography. This is the view from Ike's front door. The green fields of Gettysburg with the South Mountains completely filling the horizon. These are the mountains Lee's troops crossed to engage Meade in Gettysburg. |
| One of the most imposing structures on the Farm is the barn. Inside the barn there's a brief video you can watch about Ike in retirement in Gettysburg. I believe it was Walter Cronkite doing the interview. One of the most telling remarks from Ike in the video is his stating that, as far as his wife is concerned, retirement is just a word in the dictionary! So I guess we can assume that even in retirement Ike's life was full of demands and responsibilities. You have to wonder just how much time he really had left to enjoy this beautiful farm. |
| Here's shot of the beautiful porch on the back of the Eisenhower home. This was a favorite spot of the Eisenhowers. No wonder! In Mamie's own words, "We lived on the porch." And Ike stated that if they were ever to build another home it would probably be designed around a room like this. |
| Another shot of the back of the house. Backyard is just magnificent. |
| Well this would be our favorite spot in the Eisenhower home, the brick barbeque grill. You have to wonder just how many heads of state visited Ike here and enjoyed a meal from this grill. |
| One thing's for sure. When dinner was ready this is how everyone was called to table! |
| Here's a side shot of Ike's beautiful barn. It's really something and it certainly dwarfs the main house in size. |
| Another photo from the backyard giving you more of a wide angle perspective. |
| Now here's something most of us don't have in our backyards, a putting green! The flag in the cup has 5 stars on it. There's also a 5 star flag flying beneath the American flag on the flagpole in the backyard. |
| And, yes, there are even 5 stars on the lawnmower! Do you get the impression Ike was a 5 star general! |
| Flower beds, green houses and a summer vegetable garden. Could you really ask for more. Yes! There's also a skeet range on the property! |
| Looks just like a little schoolhouse. Visitors including Ike's grandchildren stayed here. It's just outside the front door of the Eisenhower home. |
| This is the office of the Secret Service on the Eisenhower farm. Just don't try to make yourself at home before checking in with these folks! At least that's the way it was during Ike's life. |
| And speaking of the Secret Service! Here's a living historian portraying an agent in dress and manner. He was talking and joking with us right before we pointed our camera at him. I said "Smile!" He said, "Not for this picture." This is the customary pose for Secret Service during Ike's time. Note the shoulder holster! |
