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Contact: Carol Hegeman, 717-338-9114 Ext. 4411
President Eisenhower got along famously with his mother-in-law, Elivera Carlson Doud. Mrs. Doud was so close to her daughter, Mamie, and her son-in-law, that she had her own room in both the White House and at the Gettysburg farm. She would regularly spend several months away from her Denver home dividing time between the White House and Gettysburg. Now for the first time visitors to Eisenhower National Historic Site can see Mrs. Doud's bedroom as part of the Eisenhower Home tour. When the Eisenhower home opened to the public in 1980, Mrs. Doud's Room was needed for curatorial storage. It remained as a storage space until 2011 when curator Michael Florer completed the relocation of all the artifacts to another storage facility. While the site had the rug, desk, rocking chair and a number of small furnishings for the room, another challenge to reopening the room was the missing suite of French provincial furniture that Mrs. Doud used. Mamie Eisenhower had given it to a member of her sister's family. Through some sleuthing and discussions with many nieces and nephews, historian Carol Hegeman located the family member that owns the original suite of furniture as well as a few other pieces of furniture that were in the Eisenhower home. In 2012, the owner generously permitted the National Park Service to document the furniture with photographs and measured drawings. It is unusual furniture, painted grey and white with delicate carvings, reeded furniture legs, and caning. Once the furniture was documented, the search for funding to reproduce it began. Thanks to a generous donation from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Society, the reproduction of Mrs. Doud's bed is complete. Today visitors see the room as an exhibit-in-progress as the National Park Service continues to seek funding to reproduce the remaining furniture needed for the room. Eisenhower National Historic Site is open daily. All visits are via shuttle bus from the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike in Gettysburg. Shuttles depart every hour on weekends and at 10:00 a.m.,11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.on weekdays. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $5.00 for children ages 6-12, under 6 free. For more information contact the Eisenhower National Historic Site at 717/ 338-9114 or visit the web site at www.nps.gov/eise |
Last updated: February 26, 2015