On the second floor of the Eisenhower home
there are 13 rooms, six bedrooms, five
bathrooms, a sitting room, and Mamie's
dressing room. The first one you
encounter at the top of the stairs is
Mrs. Doud's room. Mamies mother EliVera
Carlson Doud used this room when she
stayed at the farm. After her death in
1960 it served as a guest room. Although
ninety-five percent of the furnishings
throughout the rest of the home are
original these in Mrs. Doud's room
are replicated from the rooms original
pieces that Mamie gave away to
relatives.
Note how the room and adjacent bathroom
are painted and furnished in the first
lady's favorite color.
Between Mrs. Doud's room and the general's
dressing room is a sitting room. It first
served as a television viewing area for
the grandchildren. After Ike passed away,
Mamie would use it as a sitting room.
Photos of Mamie's mother and her entire
family hang on the wall as does the
president's painting "Winter St. Louis
Creek" which he began painting while
recuperating from his heart attack in
1955. Books here are among 860 in the
president's personal library throughout
the house. Three volumes with the frayed brown
covers on the bottom shelf are his
yearbooks from West Point, The Howitzer.
The fabric from which the drapes were
made is referred to as the Eisenhower twall,
a commemorative printed cotton depicting
the different homes occupied by the
president throughout his life.
In contrast to the lady like pink of
Mamie's and Mrs. Doud's bathrooms Ike's is
a manly quasi army like green. His towels
are monogrammed DDE and his transistor
radio is there on the shelf above the
toilet. His medicine spoon and the
remnant of a bar of soap are still on
the sink. Instead of sporting a tub his
bathroom is equipped with a shower.
The president liked to take up to three
showers a day.
This small and sparsely decorated room
served as General Eisenhower's
dressing room. Following his 1955
heart attack he used the room
for afternoon naps which he took daily
under doctor's orders. A photo of his newly
born first grandchild hangs on the wall
as does his portrait of his two oldest
grandchildren David and Ann above the bed.
Many of the generals paperback westerns
occupy the bookshelf.
One of the most memorable and most
distinct of upstairs rooms is Mamie's
totally pink bathroom.
Mamie's unrestrained love of pink helped to
make it one of the popular colors of
the 1950's.
Adjacent to the bathroom is the first ladies
dressing room.
Adjoining Mamie's bathroom is her mirror
lined dressing room. Draped across the
chair is one of her favorite dresses which
you can see her wearing in old
photographs.
Her dressing table is arrayed with
her pearls and perfumes.
And prominently displayed is Ike's West
Point photo inscribed "To the dearest,
sweetest girl in the world". In the closet
hang her nightgowns and hat boxes line the
shelves as it's stacked on the closet floor.
Mamie believed that once a woman
reached the age of 50 she was entitled
to stay in bed until noon. She took
advantage of that entitlement here in
the master bedroom. She met with staff
Members, wrote correspondence, planned her
social agenda, and visited with close
friends all while in bed propped up on
pillows. Mamie's devotion to family and
friends is evident from the many
photographs and portraits throughout the
room. After the general died she kept his
side of the bed piled with books,
stationary, and candy, so it wouldn't seem so empty.
The most asked question by visitors on
the house tour is "What is that white
contraption with the buttons on Mamie's
bed stand?" It's an address / phone number
book. Press a button and it opens to that page.
Halfway down the long hallway is the
linen closet stocked with towels, sheets,
pillowcases - many of them pink and many
monogrammed with an M big E D - Mamie
Doud Eisenhower.
Mamie's handwritten labels on each shelf
instructed the maid where each different
size and variety of linen belonged.
This is the bedroom of Mamie's personal
maid Rose Wood who retired from her
service with the Eisenhower's in 1961.
It's furnished with pieces the Eisenhower's
purchased when they first got
married. Along with the kitchen and
pantry downstairs, this room is in the
portion of the original house salvaged
when the Eisenhower's rebuilt their home.
Note the rocking foot stool next to the
rocking chair.
At the end of the long upstairs hallway
at the far south end of the house are
the two guest rooms referred to as
yellow and red room for obvious reasons.
Visiting friends and family often spent
the night here as did Prime Minister
Nehru of India in 1956. He and Eisenhower
conducted private talks out on the porch.
Between the yellow room and the second red
guestroom are a dressing room and a bath.
The four paintings in the guestrooms
hallway painted by General Eisenhower add
a personal touch.
Two are of flowers and vases and two are
small winter scenes.
The red room like the yellow is also
furnished with twin beds.
That's a Westinghouse radio on the bed stand.
Notice too there's a flashlight. Mamie
made sure every bedroom was equipped
with a flashlight.
Notice as well the magazines still tucked
away in the magazine rack next to the chair.
Heading down the back stairs to the
southeast side of the first floor you
first encounter the laundry room.
Sergeant John Moaney, the General�s valet,
washed, repaired, and ironed the generals
clothes here in the laundry room. He did
all his sewing on an old Singer sewing
machine that he brought from overseas
after the war and kept in this room.
Moaney would also sit here and clean the
General�s golf clubs after the General
returned from a round at the Gettysburg
Country Club.
This is John and Dolores Moaney's bedroom.
Sergeant John Moaney first served on the
General�s personal staff in 1942. During
the war he was in charge of Eisenhower
Scottie dogs so he and the general
became fast friends.
At war's end Moaney asked to stay on
Eisenhower's staff. He took care of the
General's clothes, cleaned house, and
served meals.
His wife Delores was later hired on as a
cook and housekeeper. She would also do
all the household shopping.
They continued to work for Mrs. Eisenhower
after the General died and would
always remain close with the Eisenhower family.
The kitchen, with its linoleum counters
and Crosley refrigerator in the pantry,
reflects the 1950s style more than any
other room in the house.
It was featured in the 1955
issue of Better Homes and Gardens
magazine called "The Kitchen of the Future.�
General Eisenhower enjoyed cooking
up soups, stews, and Pennsylvania Dutch
breakfast. Maime though wasn't quite as
adept in the kitchen and liked to joke
that she could only make fudge and
mayonnaise. Most of the meals were
prepared by Delores Moaney who had both
professional grade Vulcan gas and a GE
electric stove upon which to work her
culinary magic.
Beside the kitchen is the
butler's pantry, sizable enough to include
table and chairs, plenty of counter space,
a dishwasher, and a plate warmer.
Ike spent many relaxing hours reading and
playing bridge with friends here in the den.
The Eisenhower's wish to preserve part of
the original farmhouse is evident
throughout the room.
Wood from the old house was reused in
the construction of the floor and
ceiling while the old fireplace and oven
were salvaged from the original summer
kitchen which stood near the house. Much
of what you see throughout the room
reflect the generals interests. The Civil
War pike and musket above the fireplace,
his interest in Civil War history. The
red lamp decorated with fishing flies
and the Creole wastebasket, his love of
fishing. The art books in the bookcase, his
hobby of oil painting.
The adjacent half bath is green as is his
full bath upstairs.
Used for conducting farm and
presidential business, the small spartan
office, along with the den, became a
temporary White House while President
Eisenhower recuperated from his 1955
heart attack. The desk is a reproduction of
one used by George Washington, a gift
made from pine floorboards recovered
from the White House during his 1948
renovation. Eisenhower received a phone
call here on May 7th, 1960
informing him that the Soviet Union had
shot down the U2 spy plane and captured
its pilot Francis Gary Powers.