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Eisenhower National Historic Site

Eisenhower National Historic Site paranormal

Photo by: Marianne Donley
Location submitted by: sdonley on 08/03/2017
DBA Approved: Y


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PANICd#: 1920

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Eisenhower National Historic Site preserves the home and farm of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, and its surrounding property of 690.5 acres. It is located just outside Gettysburg.

243 Eisenhower Farm Rd
Gettysburg , PA 17325
Phone: (717) 334-1124
Open to the public: Yes

https://www.nps.gov/eise/index.htm

Lat: 39.791880
Lon: -77.262920

Database Summary:

Demographic Rank: 6
History: 1
Stories: 1
Claims: 5
Evidence: 0
Resources: 8
Retrievals: 10503
Vistor Rating: 1.0
Votes: 1

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History

History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.


Dwight D. ("Ike") Eisenhower had a long history with the Gettysburg area. His graduating class from West Point had visited the battlefield in 1915. In 1918, he was assigned to nearby Camp Colt in his first independent command as an army officer, commanding a tank training unit; he and Mamie Eisenhower were newly married.

Throughout his long army career, Dwight Eisenhower and his wife never had a house to call their own, with the couple moving from army post to army post. After he became Columbia University's president in 1948, Mamie requested that they finally have a place to call their own. A married couple that were friends with the Eisenhowers, George and Mary Allen, had recently purchased a small farm around Gettysburg, and recommended the area. In 1950, they found a "run-down farm" on the outskirts of Gettysburg, and purchased the farm and its 189 acres (76 ha) for $40,000 (equal to $425,062 today) from one Allen Redding, who had owned the farm since 1921. Eisenhower stated that he could feel the "forgotten heroisms" that occurred on the grounds as the Battle of Gettysburg.

When purchased, the 189 acres (76 ha) included 600 chickens, 25 cows, and many dilapidated buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Renovation of the property was delayed when Eisenhower became supreme commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1951. After he had attained the presidency of the United States in 1953, Mamie had him rebuild the old house. Much of the original building had to be torn down, due to its deterioration. The total cost of renovation was $250,000 (equal to $2,388,993 today). This large expense was due partly to Mamie's whims, but also to Eisenhower's employment of union labor; he spent $65,000 (equal to $621,138 today) for union workmen who came each day from Washington, D.C. (75 miles (121 km) away) to work on the farmhouse. On their 1955 wedding anniversary, the Eisenhowers held a party to celebrate completion of the work. The entire staff of the White House were invited, attending in two shifts, so that the White House would not be unstaffed. The staff were forever grateful to the Eisenhowers for including them in the festivities.

From its completion in 1955 to the end of Eisenhower's second term on January 20, 1961, the President spent 365 days total on the Gettysburg farm. The longest of these stays was 38 days in late 1955, while recovering from a heart attack he had suffered that September. After 1955, the Eisenhowers spent most weekends and summer vacations at the Gettysburg farm. They sometimes went to both the Gettysburg farm and Camp David, prompting one person to call Camp David "an annex to Gettysburg".

The Gettysburg farm provided a few headaches. Democrats chose the amount of time the Eisenhowers spent at the Gettysburg farm as another way to attack him. Paul M. Butler, head of the Democratic National Committee, called him a part-time president due to his many stays in Gettysburg. When his World War II colleague Bernard Montgomery visited the farm, Eisenhower commented to Montgomery (speaking as military commander to military commander) that he would have fired a subordinate that would initiate Pickett's Charge. Many Southerners saw this as disrespect toward Robert E. Lee, and protested. Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev visited the farm in September 1959, and was "grandfathery" to the Eisenhower grandchildren. David Eisenhower said that Khrushchev was such a nice guy, he (David) could become a Communist if he did not know better, causing much embarrassment to the Eisenhowers.

The Eisenhowers donated their home and farm (230 acres (93 ha) total at the time) to the National Park Service in 1967, with lifetime living rights for the former president. Two years later, Eisenhower died at the age of 78. Mamie Eisenhower rejected the idea of moving to Washington to be closer to family and friends and, with Federal permission, lived on the farm until her death in 1979, although the living area for Mamie was reduced to 14 acres (5.7 ha). The National Park Service opened the site in 1980.

Added by: sdonley on 02/04/2020 DB#:557
Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_National_...


Stories

Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.


Since this location is owned and maintained by the National Park Service, it was extremely difficult to find paranormal claims associated with the location; however, we found them. In the book entitled, Ghosts of Gettysburg II, by author Mark Nesbitt, he has a chapter about the farm and some of the encounters at the location. Several park employees have had experiences in the house, mostly in the winter time or towards closing time.

Nesbitt states, "several strange and unexplainable occurrences have happened repeatedly to the government employees who work there."

I will list the paranormal claims down in the claims section, and we will produce a Ghost Stories and Folklore video about the paranormal claims and experiences.

Added by: sdonley on 02/04/2020 DB#:1555
Source(s):
Ghosts of Gettysburg, Mark Nesbitt


Paranormal Claims

Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.


Claim # Added Added By Claim
3232 02/04/2020 sdonley Sliding doors have been heard to slam shut.
3233 02/04/2020 sdonley Distinct footsteps have been heard descending back stairs.
3234 02/04/2020 sdonley Employees have reported the sense of someone in the house, after searching, nobody else is there.
3235 02/04/2020 sdonley The frequent smell of perfumed has been detected.
3236 02/04/2020 sdonley The soft crackling sound of rustling crinolines has been heard.

Paranormal Evidence

Paranormal evidence is based on claims that have been reported for this location. There can be several types of evidence; however, we have grouped them based on media type for better organization. Here you will find evidence that are logs, audio, video, or photographic.

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Additional Resources

This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.


Wikipedia Entry
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
Wikipedia entry for this location.
Audio Tour - Eisenhower National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
Information about the location, see link for details.
Eisenhower | National Park Foundation
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
Located adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield, the life of President Dwight D. Eisenhower is on display, part of the history of the national parks.
Trip Advisor
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
Information about the location, see link for details.
Eisenhower National Historic Site | Gettysburg PA Things to Do
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
Adjacent to the Battlefield, President Eisenhower's home and farm served as a weekend retreat and a meeting place for world leaders.
Eisenhower National Historic Site | Gettysburg Foundation
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
The home and farm of our 34th President, the Eisenhower National Historic Site provides a personal look at the home life of Dwight & Mamie Eisenhower.
Eisenhower National Historic Site - Gettysburg PA | AAA.com
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
Find AAA approved attractions and other local gems across North America. Learn more about Eisenhower National Historic Site or other things to do in Gettysburg.
Facebook Page
Added: 02/04/2020 By: sdonley
Information about the location, see link for details.

Location Comments

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