While in Abilene we stopped at the Dwight D. Eisenhower home, museum and library. The Eisenhower home is on its original site and has not been modified except as was done by the family. Mrs. Eisenhower lived in this home until her death. As a result the home is completely authentic. The furniture in the house was the family furniture. The family bible that recorded all of the family major events, births, marriages, and deaths, is proudly on display. It is hard to imagine that six boys were raised in this home. It is not large at all. The original structure had three bedrooms. Can you imagine trying to raise all of those boys with just three bedrooms, especially since one of the bedrooms was practically a large closet? At some point Mr. Eisenhower decided to add onto the home. He enlisted his boys help and they added on two bedrooms to the first floor. The front bedroom became that of the parents. The back bedroom was designed for Mr. Eisenhower's aging father until his passing.
During our visit the museum was undergoing some renovations and therefore not open to the public. Luckily the various displays were moved to the library for viewing. The exhibit consisted mostly of his presidential campaign items. (At least that's how I remember it.) Some of the things that stuck out to me were some of Mrs. Eisenhower's gowns and jewelry on display.
I was happy to learn that President Eisenhower was an artist. Some of his art is on display, including one of his unfinished paintings. This is the one I liked the most. Even though it is unfinished it seems perfect the way it is.
Among the other buildings on the property is the Place of Meditation. Within these walls rest President Eisenhower, Mamie, and their first born son, Doud. It is very pretty place. The inside so much more tranquil than the outside would ever indicate.
I enjoyed visiting, but I found it wanting after our visit to the Truman Library. It is much smaller and contains fewer items. I suppose this more a reflection of the fact that Truman had a major part in the development of his library. While Eisenhower wanted to make his more about the triumphs of the men under his command than about him. He seems to have been rather hands off about the process in comparison.
Next up on the big trip was a stop in a tiny little town called Victoria. When we drove into Victoria I can honestly say that I was shocked. It is a very small place. There is one church in the town. Just one that we found. It is The Basilica of St. Fidelis. Also known as The Cathedral of the Plains.
St. Fidelis is a Roman Catholic church to rival any others into which I have been blessed enough to walk. It has an amazing history. The land was first settled by Englishmen then by Volga-Germans. The English, being unable to change the land to their purposes and unable to change themselves to the land, returned to England. The Volga-Germans remained and raised a cross in the village to pray The Rosary. The nearest priest was 90 miles away in Salina, but the village still raised the first church in 1876. The second church was raised a year later to accommodate the growing congregation. The third church was built on land donated by the Kansas Pacific Railway Company. It now had a seating capacity of 600 souls and was named in memory of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen.
Finally, in 1908, the present building that houses the faithful was started. By 1911 the building was finished and became a place of God. At the time the building was dedicated it was the largest church west of the Mississippi seating 1,100 faithful.
In 1912, William Jennings Bryan, named it the "Cathedral of the Plains" during his campaign for the presidency. In 1971, it was placed in the National Register of Historic Places. Truly, this is a place that glorifies God in all its beauty. I could have sat in the pews for hours, both studying the intricacies of the place and in prayer.
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