I first visited the Eisenhower PM in Salina, KS. Interestingly, his boyhood home and library actually opened while he was President because it was initially founded as a Veteran's Memorial after his great success in WWII and his retirement from public service. Eisenhower was raised in a pacifistic home, which was most surprising to me. He joined the military seeing it as the only way he would be able to get a college education, something his family strongly valued. It is amazing to see all of the military history juxtaposed with Ike's statements of peace and fighting for peace. He truly was a man shaped by his faith and stepped into our country's history for "such a time as this."
Overall, the grounds were amazing and inspiring. To observe the life of a person so thoroughly, one who had such an important role in world events and the life of our nation, was truly humbling. I found this one tidbit curious:
I next drove just a couple hours over to Independence, MO to visit Truman's PM.
It was a little odd visiting these museums in reverse historical order. I must say that Truman's PM was heads above Eisenhower's. It was very modern and engaging. I think I was honestly amazed by what I learned at this museum. Looking at Truman's selection as VP for FDR's 4th term, his ascension to the presidency after only a few months as VP, the first 4 months of his presidency [some of the most historic in modern history], his use of the atomic bomb and the ongoing controversy of that decision, the complete gutting and rebuilding of the White House during his time in office [which I had no idea ever happened], the assassination attempt on his life, etc.; all of which seemed like I was reading a history I had never known. Some of these are captured in the pictures below:
There is an exhibit that discussed dropping the atomic bomb. There are quotes from prominent people of the day. There is also a book for visitors to write their thoughts. My assessment from reading through many of the notes left: There is nothing new under the sun. The arguments for/against dropping the bomb are the same ones used today when discussing almost any point of military use, international intervention, diplomacy, violence, discipline, etc.
It was also interesting to see almost no references to faith, God, or even fate, in Truman's PM. He was a member of the Mason's and attained to the highest levels in that organization. Additionally, it was as if the entire town was a Truman Museum. Truman was a walker, and could be seen walking every morning after he left office. There were signs all around town like this:
I then drove about 5-6 hours up to West Branch, IA to visit the Herbert Hoover PM.
This PM was honestly the most inspiring, sad, different, and consistent that I've seen. What I mean is that Hoover was portrayed as an amazing human being. After all, he was known as The Great Humanitarian. His personal accomplishments before he became President (which directly contributed to his becoming President), were admirable, as well as fascinating, in every way. He was an orphan and eventually attended the first class at Stanford University (which now hosts the Hoover Institution). He lived in Australia and then China (where he learned and spoke fluent Chinese). He was the Secretary of Commerce, and so effectively so that he was often referred to as the Secretary of Everything Else. He is the only person in history to be awarded the honor of A Friend of the Belgian People for his work distributing food after WWI.
When he was persuaded to run for the Presidency due to his world renown and popularity, he won decisively. He did everything he could to reduce the size and cost of the federal government. A majority of his initiatives were enacted and future Presidents continued to draw from Hoover's efforts. However, a short 4 years after he took office he was blamed for the Great Depression and drummed out of town in the largest defeat in US History at that time. He lived in political exile for the next 15 years during the FDR Administration, which did not call him once or invite him to the White House that entire time. It was only after Truman became President and then asked him to come back and help manage the rebuilding of Europe after WWII.
The most endearing part of this PM was learning how much Hoover and his wife loved children. He had a direct hand in starting the Boys Clubs of America, his wife was co-founder of the Girl Scouts, he was instrumental in creating the Child's Bill of Rights, and in his latter years he responded regularly to letters that children wrote to him. There were so many quotes and statements posted around the PM that I wish they were all in a book. For example:
What is a Boy?
You can absolutely rely on a boy if you know what to expect. A boy is Nature's answer to false belief that there is no such thing as perpetual motion. A boy can run like a deer, swim like a fish, climb like a squirrel, balk like a mule, bellow like a bull, eat like a pig, or act like a jackass, according to climatic conditions. The world is so full of boys that it's impossible to touch off a fire cracker, strike up a band, or pitch a ball without collecting a thousand of them. Boys are not ornamental; they're useful. If it were not for boys, the newspapers would go undelivered and unread and a hundred thousand picture shows would go bankrupt. The boy is a natural spectator; he watches parades, fires, fights, football games, automobiles and planes with equal fervor. However, he will not watch a clock. A boy is a piece of skin stretched over an appetite. However, he eats only when he's awake. Boys imitate their Dads in spite of all efforts to teach them good manners. Boys are very durable. A boy if not washed too often and if kept in a cool quiet place after each accident, will survive broken bones, hornets nests, swimming holes and five helpings of pie. Boys love to trade things. They'll trade fish hooks, marbles, broken knives and snakes for anything that is priceless or worthless. When he grows up he”ll trade puppy love, energy, warts, bashfulness and a cast-iron stomach for a bay window, pride, ambition, pretense and a bald head and will immediately begin to say that 'boys aren't what thy used to be in the good old days."
There was one exhibit exclusively dedicated to the topic of Children in the White House. It was a fascinating exhibit, but pictures were not allowed. You might be able to find them on the link for his PM above.
The "different" was that Hoover was an engineer, not a lawyer or politician. He brought his analytical mind to the tasks at hand. This led him to promote standardization in much of American industry, including driving laws between states, manufacturing of light bulbs and sockets, an almost assembly-line precision for home construction, and even radio airwaves, etc. The "consistent" was that Hoover's sad demise in public opinion was very consistent with both Truman and Eisenhower. I see it with Ford (coming up later) and even currently with Bush. The American People are very fickle. That is a truth of History.
Well, I finally made it "home" and had the chance to take my nephew to his first PM, that of Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids.
This PM was actually fairly small, but reasonable considering his only 2.5 years as President. There was a lot of news footage and cultural iconography related to the tumultuous times surrounding his term in office, specifically related to the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon's Administration. Of course, there was the traditional history of the man, his boyhood life and influences, schooling, and marriage/family. These were all very fascinating. But the most intriguing element of Ford's entire Presidency is that he is the only man to hold the office without ever being elected for either the VP or the Presidency. This was due to the resignation of VP Spiro Agnew under Nixon, and then the resignation of Richard Nixon only 9 months after his appointment as VP. Ironically, this whole process was instituted when Nixon was VP under Eisenhower as described below (sorry for the fuzzy picture):
Well, this concludes my Presidential Tour on my journey home. I would love to hit the Southern PMs: Carter, LBJ, Clinton and Bush. Roosevelt's is in NY. I would highly recommend taking the time if you are ever in the area or driving through. Most PMs are not solely about obscure governmental policies, but truly focus on the Life and Times of the men who have held the office.