Improving the Eisenhower Birthplace Historic Site
Why Eisenhower’s Birthplace,
and Why Now?
The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is dedicated to telling the real stories of real Texans in the real places they happened—the most impactful way to tell a story. The stories about President Eisenhower’s neighborhood, family, and friends illuminate a larger narrative about what was occurring in Texas and across the country at the time and the circumstances that shaped the boy who would one day become the 34th President of the United States.
Today, the birthplace house is nearly all that’s left of the once active and diverse blue-collared neighborhood that surrounded it. The historic site requires significant restoration and renovation to fully share Eisenhower’s story, the impact of his achievements on today’s world, and illustrate what life was like in an 1800s working-class neighborhood.
Improvements to Come
The THC is planning several capital improvements to better tell the Eisenhower family story and make the historic site more accessible to all. The City of Denison is implementing its master plan for redesigning the downtown area, and the THC’s goal is to connect the Eisenhower Birthplace to the city’s original business district. Doing so will enhance visibility and access for visitors and residents alike. Proposed site improvements include:
- Development of lost neighborhood footprints to provide visitors, through detailed interpretation, a clear sense of the scale and complexity of the neighborhood and the families that lived there.
- Restoration and relocation of the sculpture plaza, with associated exhibits, landscaping, and enhanced access.
- A new entrance with vehicular and pedestrian improvements, new landscaping, and new lighting to improve access and visitor experience.
- Paving the new entrance with a dirt-colored surface to resemble the once unpaved roads.
- Development of the rail car plaza to better reflect the historical context of the site.
- Updated indoor exhibits in the birthplace house and the visitors’ center to illustrate the story of the Eisenhower family, General and President Eisenhower’s accomplishments, and the story of the neighborhood and the larger city of Denison.
Supporting the Cause
We are honored to partner with the THC and the Eisenhower Birthplace Capital Improvements Project Advisory Committee to build awareness about the site and its preservation needs.
The total cost of the restoration and improvements is $2.02 million, and of this total we are working to raise a remaining $1 million. Once these improvements are complete, the THC will continue to fund site operations through its biennial legislative appropriation, supplemented by public and private partnerships and the efforts of local volunteers.
Please join us in preserving this critical chapter of U.S. and Texas history for future generations.