Eisenhower’s Gettysburg Farm

In his long life, Dwight Eisenhower owned only one homestead: his Gettysburg farm. Following his rise to prominence as the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe in World War II, Eisenhower sought to purchase a piece of property where he and Mamie could settle down and where he could leave the land better than he found it. With the help of their friends, George and Mary Allen, the Eisenhowers found a 189-acre farmstead, the Redding property, and purchased it in 1950.

In this talk Birkner and Hegeman will draw on their book Eisenhower’s Gettysburg Farm to present the story of the Eisenhowers before and during their Gettysburg years. They will look back on their early years including courtship, marriage, and their time in Gettysburg during Ike’s first independent command at Camp Colt on the Gettysburg battlefield. A brief discussion of the interwar years, World War II, NATO, the Presidency, and world leaders at the farm will be mentioned. Our account of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower will conclude with the lives they made in Gettysburg and how each of them engaged with the local community.

Tickets are free for ACHS members and $10/general admission. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/ybd5cbdp

Come by early for a book signing at 6 p.m.

“Eisenhower’s Gettysburg Farm” is part of the Battlefield Overlook Event Series.