Secret Service Office

Interior view of Secret Service Office (desk, closed circuit TV) after death of Pres. Eisenhower

NPS/Wilbur Dutton

Quick Facts

Location:

Eisenhower National Historic Site

Significance:

This former milk house was used as an office space by agents of the United States Secret Service during Eisenhower’s presidency and retirement. 

Designation:

Historic Structure

Much as they have since the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. Secret Service agents accompanied President Eisenhower during and after his presidency. This cinder block structure on the north end of the Eisenhower bank barn was originally used as a milk house until the U.S. Secret Service adapted it to be an office.  

During Eisenhower’s presidency, he had a total of 40 agents on his protection detail. The agents worked in three different 8-hour shifts. When in Gettysburg, the off-duty agents stayed in a local motel. The agents on duty covered the entrances to the farm, the Secret Service office, and the entrances and exits to the home itself. Inside the office, agents had access to the most up to date technology, including cameras to keep an eye on the property. The office also was used to store the nuclear launch codes in a secure location.  

Agents found the Gettysburg landscape challenging as it was full of open spaces and adjacent to the Gettysburg battlefield, with hundreds of thousands of tourists passing nearby. Thus, they encouraged the closure of the nearby observation tower on the battlefield when the president was home. The Secret Service also worked hard to keep the president safe while on the local golf course, accompanying the president wherever he went.   

In addition to the President and First Lady, John Eisenhower, his wife Barbara, and the four Eisenhower grandchildren also received Secret Service protection.