 | Visits to Presidents' Places
May 8, 2007 |
|
 | | On my vacation this year the wife and I took my son back to where we grew up in Illinois and Missouri. While there we visited Springfield, Illinois and the state capital.
We also went to see where our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln was buried.
We went through the memorial at the Springfield cemetery where Lincoln and his wife and two children are buried. We then went to see the Lincoln Museum and viewed all the memorabilia they still have of Lincoln. We had a very nice time there, but did not have enough time to go to Salem where his boyhood home was. |
|
| On my way home I took Interstate 70 through Independence Missouri and Abilene Kansas. In Independence, I saw the home of our 33rd President Harry Truman.
Then I visited the Truman Library and Museum. Being born in 1946 Truman was president so I had to see what was in the museum. I learned that he kept a diary from when he was in the senate till after he was president.
The artifacts at the museum was interesting, they have the desk he used while in office and an exact replica of the oval office. President Truman and his wife Bess are both buried in the courtyard there. It was a very interesting visit and told me of things I never knew about him. | |  |
|
 | | My next stop was in Abilene Kansas and the boyhood home of our 34th president Dwight D. Eisenhower. The home was his parent's home and the chapel, library, and museum was built around the home. In the court yard there is a large bronze statue of Ike in his military uniform from WWII. In the museum I seen many of the items I remember from his election time. In school all the kids wore "I Like Ike" buttons. Our fathers freshly home from the war and fought under Eisenhower thought the world of him, at lest in my little home town in Illinois did.
I enjoyed the War section of the Museum as well as the gifts the president and the first lady were presented while in office, it is an amazing collection. We also visited the prayer chapel where the President and his wife Mamie are buried. |
|
To view all the memorabilia of all the museums and to see the grave sites gave me a great sense of pride to be in the presence of such great individuals who helped guide our country through some very rough times. I may have been young when they were in office (except Lincoln) but I can still remember hearing of them by the elders in my family. I took plenty of photographs so I could send to my grandkids. |
Bernard Howe
Copyright 2007Comment on this story |
