Eisenhower Center

Location:  About 2 miles South of the Jct of I-70 and Hwy K-15 in downtown Abilene.

Contact:  Ph. 785/263-4751

One of the first things that occurs to you upon seeing the Eisenhower Center is how peaceful and well kept the place is.   Except for the museum, admission is free, and you will find a mix of visitors from locals enjoying a walk to WW 2 veterans visiting their former leader's memorial.  Here too come the younger generation to learn more of this larger than life man from Kansas who helped make the world a better place.

From humble beginnings, Eisenhower  would later   say, "The proudest thing I can say is...  I am from Abilene."   This from a man who had a long list of accomplishments:  5 star General, Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, President of Columbia University, and two term president of the United States.  He never forgot his roots.  Eisenhower was more than just from Abilene, he was of it.  This is a small town where you will often still see the American flag flown proudly from the front porch. 

It was in this modest two story wood frame house that Ike probably learned his earliest lessons in diplomacy.  It's not a large house by any standard, but it was home to Eisenhower parents and their six boys.  The home still stands on it's original location.  Eisenhower's mother passed away in 1946, and several years later the home was opened to public tours.  The furniture and other items were left in the house by Mrs. Eisenhower.  Growing up in Abilene, Ike was known as a dependable and honest boy, and this was the sort of man he became.

The cornerstone for the museum was lain in 1952, before Eisenhower became president.  It was originally intended to be a war museum, but now contains exhibits on the Presidential years as well.

It was at the table in the foreground that the plans for the Normandy Invasion, D-day, were drawn up.  It's now located in the museum, along with other exhibits of the time.  From this table perhaps the most fateful  decision of the 20th Century was made, and it all came down in the end to one man--Eisenhower. 

In order to establish a foot hold on the European content and allow time for a drive inland before winter set in, the invasion would have to take place in June.  The German defenders had placed beach obstacles to prevent landing craft from going ashore at normal tide.  This left two possible dates to be considered.  The weather had turned stormy.  Some of the weather men called for continued bad weather, others thought there might be a one or two day break--just enough time for the operation--on June 5.  After consulting the various heads of staff at the table, Eisenhower, with the weight of the whole world on his shoulders, made his decision.  His orders,  "Okay...let's go!"  Also in the museum is the crumpled note he had in his pocket during D-day.  He had prepared it before hand in case the invasion was repulsed, a very real possibility.  It reads:   "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops.  My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available.  The troops, the air and the navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do.  If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine."  Eisenhower was not afraid to make the hard decisions or to bear the consequences.

This chapel on the grounds of the Eisenhower Center is the final resting place for Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower.  Also resting here is a son, Doud Dwight, who died in childhood.  Constructed in 1966, several years before Eisenhower's death, it is a beautiful and peaceful place.  Inside you will find various quotes from Eisenhower from different periods of his career.  The one I found most interesting and thought provoking was this one that the career soldier made as President of the United States in 1953:  "Every gun made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed...  This is not a way of life at all....  Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a Cross of Iron."  These were words from a man who had issued orders to young men, knowing full well that freedom sometimes must be paid for with the blood of young men.   Perhaps because he was a soldier he could see the dangers of a too powerful "Military-Industrial Complex" that he warned about in the final years of his presidency.

Housed in this library at the center are books and papers used and written by Eisenhower.  There is everything here from memos to the Westerns that he like to read in bed.  The main purpose of the library is to make available materials to researchers of the Eisenhower Era.  There is also a small public display here as well as meeting rooms for various events held at the center.

These are the Pylons, located at the East end of the center.  They were a gift from the Kansas Daughters of the American Revolution and the Soroptomist Clubs of Kansas.  Each pylon bears an inscription, and they are dedicated to Eisenhower's parents, brothers, civilians, military personal, and to democracy.

You will, no doubt, have little difficulty finding more critical an cynical accounts of the Man from Abilene--Eisenhower.  There will always be those who are more than willing to try to tear down the reputation and accomplishments of great people in order to try to make a name for themselves.  Before you take their words to heart, compare their meager accomplishments to his lifetime of public service. 

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