Gettysburg Home

We lived in the White House longer than any place we'd ever lived, except this place... this was home... Mamie Eisenhower

The Eisenhower home retains most of its original furnishings. It offers an intimate glimpse into the life and times of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower.

To the Eisenhowers, the Gettysburg farmhouse they bought in 1950 seemed custom-made for retirement. The house needed work but the large kitchen appealed to Mamie. She explained that Ike loved to cook in his spare time. When remodeling began, they found a decaying 200 year-old log cabin. The house could not be saved. Builders retained some of the original brickwork and features, and built the new house around them.

By March 1955 the house was finished, and the Eisenhowers owned what architect Milton Osborned called a "modified Georgian farmhouse." It had eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a stately living room, formal dining room, kitchen and butler's pantry and a glassed-in porch.

Eisenhower maintained a successful cattle enterprise, Eisenhower Farms, for 15 years. As President, he used the farm for personal diplomacy. He invited world leaders to visit the house and cattle barns. It was a welcome respite from formal talks at nearby Camp David.