Kansas Is Home to America’s Most Inspiring Presidential Library
For much of American history, presidents donated their papers to the Library of Congress, their college or a local historical society. After Franklin Roosevelt’s administration, which donated documents to the Roosevelt library, America’s chief executives began to leave behind legacies in the form of libraries. But it’s only with Eisenhower that “we started building pyramids the way the Egyptians did to our presidents,” says Michael Mayer, Professor of History at the University of Montana.
First, “Herbert Hoover decided that he was much abused and deserved his own site,” says Mayer. Then Truman’s supporters raised money to build a large library in his name. “Eisenhower’s people figured, well, Truman was a pipsqueak and Eisenhower is a giant so he deserves an even bigger monument,” says Mayer.
Eisenhower’s library is a tome of information, from the papers of members of his family and administration, to “books about the fifties, everything from politics, culture, you name it.” The Eisenhower site also includes a museum, a memorial, a chapel and the grave sites of family members. Most striking, however, is Eisenhower’s own childhood home. “It’s breathtaking—you realize it’s a clapboard home,” says Mayer.