Eisenhower Library Gets A Makeover

Above, the Place of Meditation is the final resting place of the President,
 First Lady, and their first-born son, Doud. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A little over three years ago, I stopped in and stayed overnight in Abilene, Kansas.

Abilene is the boyhood home and presidential library of our 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Above, the statue of Gen. Eisenhower. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Eisenhower Presidential Library campus includes his boyhood home, burial site and museum. The entire campus has recently been reopened after being renovated.

According to KSN.com:

ABILENE, Kan. (KSNW) – The story of President Dwight D. Eisenhower began in Kansas. Now, 200,000 people a year visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home in the neighborhood where he grew up in Abilene.

Over the years, an entire campus has grown up around the family home. It recently reopened after a renovation project. The makeover includes interactive displays and the flexibility to rotate exhibits. 

“It gives us the opportunity to be a little bit more flexible with the artifacts,” said Dawn Hammatt, the director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. “We can rotate our artifacts more simply and that will give the visitors a different experience when they come.” 

With upgrades in technology, visitors can now choose the time and place they want to learn more about the Kansas president.

When I visited the museum, it seemed more focused on Eisenhower the general, rather than as president.

To read more, go here.