Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home

The Eisenhower Library
General information
Location	Abilene, Kansas, U.S.
Coordinates	38°54′44″N 97°12′39″W / 38.91222°N 97.21083°W / 38.91222; -97.21083 (Eisenhower Library)
Named for	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Management	NARA

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is a special place in Abilene, Kansas. It honors Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. This site includes a library, a museum, and the house where he grew up. It is also where President Eisenhower and his family are buried. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) manages this important historical site.

Building a Special Place
What You Can See There
Gallery
See also

Building a Special Place

This presidential center is unique because parts of it were planned and built even before Eisenhower finished being president. His boyhood home was already there, of course. But the museum started being built in 1952, right when he announced he would run for president. The library construction began in 1958, while he was still in office.

Honoring a War Hero

After World War II ended, many people wanted to honor General Eisenhower. He was the top commander of the Allied forces in Europe. In 1945, a group of his fans created a foundation. Their goal was to buy his childhood home and build a museum. They wanted the museum to display items from veterans and, especially, from Eisenhower's amazing career.

At first, Eisenhower's mother, Ida, still lived in the house and did not want to sell it. After she passed away in 1946, the foundation tried again. However, their fundraising methods upset Eisenhower. This almost stopped the whole project! After talking with his youngest brother, Milton, new rules were set for the foundation. The Eisenhower brothers then gave the house to the foundation. This entire area in Abilene later became the Eisenhower Presidential Center.

The Museum Opens

Mrs. Eisenhower's home first opened to the public as a museum on June 22, 1947. The main museum building's first stone was laid in June 1952. General Eisenhower himself was there, just before he officially announced he was running for president.

The museum was finished in 1954. President Eisenhower attended its grand opening on November 11 that year. He was very impressed. He told the foundation leaders that if they could raise enough money for a library, he would donate all his important papers and other materials to it.

In 2015, a new fundraising effort began to update and expand the museum's exhibits. These updates were completed in 2018, making the museum even better for visitors.

Building the Library

Since the foundation had rules about how it could raise money, the Kansas Legislature stepped in. They created a special "Eisenhower Presidential Library Commission." Over the next five years, enough money was collected to start building the library. President Eisenhower was there again when construction began on October 13, 1959.

The library took three years to build. On May 1, 1962, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson joined the now-retired President Eisenhower for the dedication ceremony. In 1966, the NARA took over running the site. It became the fourth presidential library in the United States.

What You Can See There

The Eisenhower campus has five main buildings and other interesting features:

The Library: This building holds all of President Eisenhower's official papers and documents.
The Museum: This is where you can see exhibits about his life, military career, and presidency. It was updated and reopened in 1971.
Visitors Center: Here you'll find a gift shop and a theater. A short film about President Eisenhower is shown several times a day.
Boyhood Home: This is the actual house where Eisenhower lived as a child.
A chapel: This peaceful place is called "The Place of Meditation." It is the final resting place for President Eisenhower, his wife Mamie, and their first son, Doud.

Also on the grounds, you can find:

A statue of General Eisenhower by Robert L. Dean, Jr. It was given to the campus by the Harry and Edith Darby Foundation.
Five tall stone pillars that have important phrases carved into them. These phrases tell the story of Eisenhower's life, from his birth all the way through his time as president.