Square Pink Marshmallows: I like Ike... and Mamie too

Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower's farm is in Gettysburg, PA-- about a mile away from me as the crow flies. Wanting to be a good neighbor, I thought I'd drop in this morning to give my Christmas greetings.

I would have liked to just walk over the field to their house, but with security as it is these days I thought I better take the shuttle bus like everyone else. That meant I had to drive to the Gettysburg Battlefield Visitor's Center. Here I go across the battlefield to get there...

When I got there I found that the Green Police had been busy. I've never seen signs like this before. Seriously? I felt discriminated against. I didn't think it was illegal to drive a car that runs on gas.

Some of you may remember that Abe Lincoln visited Gettysburg, but he didn't have a Gettysburg address like Ike did (so to speak).

My friend, Joy, and I bought our tickets and hopped onto the shuttle to go back out to the farm. We drove up the lane which is flanked by trees which were originally from each of the 50 states. This is how the entrance looked last summer.

We pulled up to the site to see the green/gray barn. Ike himself mixed the unique color of paint. You'd think he'd be sick of green after all those years in the army, but maybe he was comfortable with that.

Ike had been stationed at Camp Colt in Gettysburg in his early years and had fond memories of the area. He bought the farm here in 1950 to have a place to spend his retirement. General Eisenhower was one of very few 5-star generals the country has had, and he didn't realize at the time that he would be elected President of the United States in two years.

He and Mamie had the old farmhouse extensively renovated. Much of the structure was torn down and replaced as a lot of deterioration had occurred.

The formal living room was filled with lovely portraits of Mamie and Ike as well as treasures which had been gifted to the Eisenhowers or collected by them over the years. This portrait of Mamie shows her wearing the pink gown made for Ike's first inaugural ball.

The odd "pouf" below was probably quite fashionable at the time. The General didn't really like it.

The marble fireplace was an anniversary gift from White House staff. It had been removed from the White House by President Grant during redecorating many years before.

The living room and dining room were the two most formal rooms of the house. The rest of the decor was very homey and ordinary 1950s decor. I would have felt very comfortable visiting them on this sunporch if only they had been home when I stopped in.

The dining room was lovely. Unfortunately I couldn't stay to eat-- I had other lunch plans. I was expected at Subway.

While living in Gettysburg, Mamie heard that Stuckey's (a gas/convenience store/restaurant chain popular in the 50s and 60s with the memorable slogan of "eat here and get gas") was selling a souvenir plate with their picture on it. She sent a Secret Service agent out to pick one up for them. My friend, Joy, along with many other local residents, remembers Mamie shopping in local stores.

Mamie's favorite color of pink even extended to the lighting fixtures in the hall. Everything was bathed in a rosy glow.

Since the Eisenhower's moved so frequently with Ike's army career (I think some 40 times), Mamie had selected a color palette of pink, green and cream which she used in every home. It enabled them to feel "at home" in new surroundings much more quickly. Even their White House bedroom was decorated with the same colors.

Mamie's bathroom was covered in pink.

The kitchen looked very typical for the 1950s as well. After Mamie died in 1979 the house was immediately made ready for tourists. About 6 months later, tourists were filing through. The Eisenhower's had given the property to the Park Service before either of them died, with the agreement that they would live there until they both were deceased.