These Lovely Homes Are Where the 8 Best US Presidents Lived

George Washington/s Mount Vernon in Virginia, courtesy of Wikipedia

My husband and I have been to thirty of the forty-five American Presidents’ homes, tombs, and/or presidential libraries. We always sought them out while we RVed across the US. It’s too bad we didn’t get to all of them. In this post, I focus on the eight presidential homes which made the greatest impression on us. When I completed the list, I found out they also represent great times in our history.  And the Presidents that lived there are the Top 8 of the ranking of presidents from C-SPAN'S Presidential Historians Survey of 2017 where nearly 100 historians measured them according to 10 qualities of presidential leadership. 

Our Early Years

The first president of the US is George Washington (1789-1797). He was the general who led the country to victory in America’s War for Independence. Mt. Vernon is his historic home and estate. The land had been owned by his family since 1674 and the original house was built by his father in 1754. George Washington expanded it into a one and a half story mansion in the 1750s and 1770s.  A typical southern plantation with servants’ homes, carriage sheds, storage buildings, gardens, and a family tomb, it is now a National Historic Landmark, just 13 miles south of Washington DC. The back of the mansion dramatically looks out to the historic Potomac River.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, courtesy of Wikipedia

Our third president is Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809). He is remembered as a Founding Father and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He inherited this estate in Charlottesville, Virginia when he was just 26 when he immediately started designing the plantation house in neoclassical design. He further improved it with French elements while he served as the nation’s MInister to France. This most impressive estate displays his brilliance in influencing a new architectural style with new and highly functional elements. Designated a National Historic Landmark, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the University of Virginia which he also designed. Located on an 850-ft high summit of Southwest Mountains, Monticello means “little mountain.”

The Civil War Years

the Lincoln family welcoming us into the Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois

Our 16^th President, Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865), is frequently cited as the best president we have ever had because he ably led the country during its worst crisis. He was able to preserve the union and abolished slavery and his untimely assassination further glorified his presidency. His Greek revival style modest home is great to visit because it is he and his wife, Mary, played by actors, who welcome you to the tour in downtown Springfield, Illinois. Actually, we also visited the Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Hodgenville, Kentucky. It exhibits his humble beginnings with the tiny cabin where he was born and the 56 steps representing his short life leading to it. But it is the Lincoln Presidential Library in the city that is the testament to his greatness. To me, it is the best presidential library and museum we have visited because he comes alive in holograms, in the Douglas-Lincoln debates using multiple TVs and other innovations.

The Conservation Years

the Maltese Cross Cabin at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, courtesy of the NPS

Our 26th President (1901-1909) is the youngest president we have ever had. He rose to the presidency at 42 after President McKinley was assassinated. But he made such a significant contribution to the country. He is known for his Square Deal and the start of the construction of the Panama Canal but he made conservation a top priority, establishing national parks, forests, and monuments to preserve the nations's natural resources. We were not able to visit his Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in New York but we were able to visit his birthplace in New York City. But it was seeing the Maltese Cross Cabin now on display at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park that gave us a better view of the man whose cabin experiences in North Dakota gave him his great interest in the outdoors. that shaped his conservationist views.

The WWII Years

Bill at Franklin Roosevelt's Springwood Estate in Hyde Park, New York

Franklin Roosevelt was our 32^nd President (1933-1945). He won a record four presidential elections, led the nation through the Great Depression and through WWII. His home, the Springwood Estate, in Hyde Park, New York is a National Historic Site. The last renovation he made doubled the size of the mansion and made it in Colonial revival style. Since it was owned by his mother, he built Top Cottage in Hyde Park as his own private home. His wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, redefined the role of the First Lady and became ninth of the Top 10 Most Widely Admired People of the 20^th Century. Her home, Val-Kill Cottage, just two miles from Springwood, has also been named a National Historic Site.

Harry Truman's Little White House in Key West, Florida, courtesy of Wikipedia

When Roosevelt died, his vice-president, Harry Truman became our 33^rd president. He authorized the first and only use of nuclear weapons that ended WWII, led the rebuilding of Europe after WWII through the Marshall Plan, and established the Truman doctrine and NATO. He also established the Little White House in Key West, Florida where he spent the winters when his doctor ordered him to stay in warmer places. It was originally the first officers’ quarters of a submarine naval station later converted into the base commandant’s home. The House would later be the site of many historic agreements and meetings.

Post-WWII Years

Dwight Eisenhower's Boyhood Home and Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas 

Dwight Eisenhower became our 34^th president (1953-1961). A 5-star general, he was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe and was directly responsible for the success of Operation Normandy that led to the end of WWII. He authorized the creation of NASA, contributed to the end of McCarthyism, and built the Interstate Highway System. His terms saw widespread economic prosperity. The Eisenhower National Historic Site is near Gettysburg in Pennsylvania but it was his boyhood home in Abilene, Kansas which we visited, my husband being a native of Kansas, too. It is a two-story wood-frame house in an acre of land. It also houses his Presidential Library and Museum and his final resting place. 

John Kennedy's Hyannis Memorial and Museum in Hyannis, Massachusetts

After Eisenhower, John Kennedy was elected to become our 35^th president (1961-1963). It may have been a short presidency but it was a beloved one. The majority of his work was done during the height of the Cold War and his speeches inspired the nation. The whole world mourned his assassination. We visited the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Kennedy used it as a base for his presidential campaign and later as a summer White House. There are three buildings: the Main House owned by the patriarch Joseph Kennedy and where Edward Kennedy lived until his death, John Kennedy’s smaller home on Irving Avenue, and Robert Kennedy’s home on Marchant Avenue. None of these places are open to the public. Instead, we visited the JFK Hyannis Museum nearby.

We are still hoping to see the other fifteen homes of the presidents we were not able to see. Visiting presidential homes has been truly instructive for us. They show us how great men were influenced to be the men they eventually became and how, in turn, they influenced the country by the way they lived and governed.

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OLA: Making Our Way to Pittsburg, Kansas for Bill's 50th Reunion!

had fun being framed  by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri!

On September 6-9 Bill’s 50^th high school reunion goes  into full swing in Pittsburg, Kansas. That iis why we have driven from our Canadian trip down through Michigan, making our way through Illinois and Missouri. There we had the chance to visit the cities of Springfield and St. Louis, respectively, which we missed the first time!

being welcomed by the Lincolns at the White House

a presidential museum of the highest order

Tribute to Lincoln: Springfield, Illinois

This is Lincoln's world, where he studied to be a lawyer, practiced law, got married, bore children, and became the most beloved president (according to combined surveys) of the USA. It was no surprise, therefore, that the Presidential Library and Museum (his archives and exhibits of his legacy) take up two full city blocks.  The Lincoln National Historic Site (his home and neighborhood) occupy two more blocks, another block is the law office where he studied and worked,  and the Lincoln tomb is enshrined in the Springfield Cemetery.

Bill in front of Lincoln's home which, together with the neighborhood of his time,\
 is a National Historic Site

Lincoln's final resting place

The Presidential Library is the most advanced in the world, using all available technologies to make Lincoln’s story come alive (a hologram theatre for portraying his work life,  a wax museum to display how one may have been welcomed to the White House, multiple flat panels to depict the crucial campaign of 1860, and a 4-D (sight, smell, hearing, and touch) theatre to tell his life story (I jumped every time the cannons fired!), an interactive Q&A with him, etc.   But he deserves no less!

prominent 2-headed sculpture fronting the glass nursery at Meijer

my yellow garden with a huge cactus...sculpture!

Then there is Meijer Sculpture Park and Garden. How beautiful are the sculptures, all 300 0f them!  More beautiful are the plants in 30 acres!  I found my yellow garden with what I thought was the biggest cactus I have ever seen… until Bill told me that it was a sculpture! Nevertheless, I was entranced! You can’t walk this park and garden. Shuttle buses have to move you around!

Tribute to Jefferson: Tribute St. Louis, Missouri

the better shot: the Old Cathedral framed by the Gateway Arch

Scott Joplin National Historic Landmark

I couldn’t stop taking pictures of St. Louis’ iconic Gateway Arch as soon as it loomed on the horizon. Bill’s desire to give me great angles made him take a wrong turn that brought us to the heart of downtown where an RV is not supposed to be! Bill managed to maneuver M’a ‘turn through the city streets and get us back to the interstate.  When we visited the museum under the Arch, we found out that the site’s real name is the Jefferson National Westward Expansion Memorial, dedicated to the doubling of the US after the Lewis and Clark expedition commissioned by Jefferson. But it is the shot of the Arch together with the centuries-old Basilica of King Louis of France which is awesome!

Ulysses S. Grant's White Home

Then we went to two notable homes in the city:  the Scott Joplin National Historic Site and the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site called White Haven (even though it is green). Scott Joplin introduced ragtime music and is best known for his song, The Entertainer, which was popularized by the movie, Sting.  Grant, on the other hand, was the commanding general of the Union forces during the Civil War just as Washington was during the American Revolution. Washington became the first president while Grant became the 18th president after the conclusion of the Civil War.

We are so glad we found the time to visit Springfield and St. Louis!  And now we are in Pittsburg, Kansas, Bill’s hometown, getting ready for his high school class’ 50^th reunion. And I am busy choosing the dress to wear for the Saturday Night Gala and helping prepare some write-ups. Next week I will tell you all about it!

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Meeting in My Kind of Town, Chicago! OLA

Marilyn Monroe, larger-than-life in Pioneer Square, Chicago!

Sear's Tower's dramatic silhouette

We met Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood last year. But in Chicago she is literally larger-than-life! Loy was driving Fides, Bill and me around when we chanced upon the 26-ft. femme fatale in a well-known iconic image from the film, ‘The Seven-Year Itch’.  The statue has stood since early this month on Pioneer Square and the scene rightly belongs to this windy city!  See all those people under her skirt? That’s where Bill and Loy wanted to be but we were so hungry for deep-dish pizza especially the kind at Giordano’s.  But, alas, the line was so long and the wait, 1 ½ hours! Thai ‘pizza’ wasn't bad at all.

1 1/2 hour wait at Giordano's
 for Chicago's deep-dish pizza

Chicago is my kind of town! As we approached it from the Wisconsin day trip courtesy of Loy, the dramatic silhouette of the Sears Tower was the first to meet us. Between that and the magical one with Marilyn, we had two other important meetings in the city. The first was a Friday dinner reunion of I/ACT (Institute of Advanced Computer Technology) colleagues that had been planned for a year and then my reunions with relatives from my mother’s hometown in the Philippines, Rosario, Batangas. I had not seen them since 1998 the last time I was in the city.

I/ACT colleagues in Chicago Reunion

We met my I/ACT colleagues at the home of Glenda and Ariel in Long Grove, a Chicago burb. Peng flew from London, Marge from San Francisco, and Fides from Seattle. Lea drove up from Ohio and Watet, Aleli, and Loy are locals. We reminisced about the good old days, Fides was in charge of production, and I, marketing. We may have been at odds then but it was a time of tremendous growth for I/ACT. Funny, but we both settled in Seattle and have become good friends since. The rest are much younger than us, got into I/ACT at almost the same time and remained friends through the years.

Ate Ofreng, Ate Amor, Araceli, and Ate Belen
in chicago's Little Quiapo

Then I had two reunions with relatives.  The first was with Ate (Tagalog for an elder sister/woman) Ofreng, Ate Amor, Ate Belen, and their friend Araceli at Little Quiapo, the very popular Filipino restaurant in Chicago, reminiscent of the one in Manila. I feasted on dinuguan (Filipino blood pudding), pancit malabon (Filipino noodles), and varied rice cakes. After that, we had halo-halo (Filipino shaved ice dessert) and more kinds of cakes in Glendale Heights, another Chicago burb, at Ate Feling’s with Butch, Nora, Amang, and children. It is so nice to be able to make these visits as we cruise around the country.

the Albertos in their home in Chicago

We stayed at the Pine Country Resort of Thousand Trails in Belvidere, Illinois. With the heat wave sweeping across most of America, I jumped into the Olympic-size pool almost as soon as we arrived and hooked up!   We discovered Belvidere’s 15 murals that give the city much pride. Our favorite one covered an entire building wall fronting a parking lot. It virtually transformed the place into a row of traditional favorite shops that looked very real from a distance. But our Chicago meetings prevented us from relaxing at the campground. Besides we wanted to visit the other nearby Illinois towns. 

just a mural...not a row of stores...in Belvidere, Illinois

Ronald Reagan's boyhood home

We were drawn to Dixon, Illinois, Reagan’s Boyhood Home where they lived for 17 years before he went to seek his fortune in Hollywood. The Lincoln State Memorial (a statue of 24-year-old Lincoln) also stands nearby because where he was stationed there to fight during the BlackHawk War. Further down in Grand Detour, we found the John Deere Historical Site where the first steel plow was used, near his home.  Nearer Oregon, Illinois stands the second largest concrete statue in the world (48 ft. tall) of Black Hawk, the brave Indian Chief, arms folded, staring far into the river below, amidst the thick of trees.

Lincoln, as a young soldier in Dixon, Illinois

the first steel plow at John Deere's home 

Other Illinois towns have a lot to offer but, being a big city girl, I absolutely loved the exuberant Chicago that Loy showed us! I can’t help but hum the tune, ‘Chicago is one town that won’t let you down, it’s my kind of town!’ So we will be back next year on the way down from Eastern Canada! We have not even gone to the Lincoln home and Our Lady of Snows Shrine in the southern part of the state.  And, of course, it will be another opportunity to meet our friends and relatives in this, my kind of town!

BlackHawk in Oregon, Illinois

Next Stop: Standing at the Crossroads of America, Indiana

Peeling the Intriguing Layers of Wisconsin OLA

Colby cheese in the making in Decatur Dairy, Wisconsin 

We were not able to get to the northern part of Minnesota along Lake Superior and the western section where most of the lakes are (the state is known as the Land of 10,000 lakes). But from our campground there and from the one in Illinois, we peeled the fascinating layers of Wisconsin, one layer at a time, without staying in the state even a single night!

world's largest 6-pack in La Crosse

At La Crosse, on the Minnesota border, we were pleasantly shocked at suddenly coming upon the World’s Largest 6-Pack! Bill didn’t even know about La Crosse beer when those huge beer cans showed up, dwarfing the trees and parked cars. And happily raising his beer mug to the passers-by was the King of Beer from the 13^th century, Gambrinus.

National Historical Cheesemaking Center

From the Illinois border, we toured Decatur Dairy near Monroe, the Swiss Cheese Capital of the US and home to the National Historical Cheese Making Center.  Decatur’s Master Cheese Maker Steve has won many awards in the state, the US and Europe. Wisconsin supplies 26% of the cheese consumed in the country. Over 2.6 B pounds of 600 varieties of cheese are produced every year from the milk of 1.26 M cows in 13,000 dairy farms in the state.

Gambrinus, King of Beer

In Milwaukee, along the other great lake, Lake Michigan, we had lunch at Mader’s, a German restaurant that has been operating since 1902. We had the best beef goulash, pork schnitzel, veal sauerbreuten we have ever had. It was also my first time to have pretzel rolls…yummy! And for dessert…apple strudel! Gambrinus was again there, staring at me as I sank into their BIG chair. The region is home to a lot of good German cuisine. This is the first layer: outstanding food and beverage.

Milwaukee Art Museum

Wright's Place...Taliesin

Also in Milwaukee we were taken aback as the Milwaukee Art Museum loomed before us. It is prominently featured in Transformers 3. And this leads us to the second layer: art and architecture! A famous Wisconsin son: Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland, Wisconsin but there are 7 possible houses where he was born. Just a few miles south is Taliesin where Wright built his home, tucked away into the hills, as is his style, together with a school of architecture, a restaurant, and a visitor center.  

the Infinity Room of the House on the Rock

A few miles south in Spring Green, Wisconsin, is the House on the Rock, a complex of architecturally designed rooms, streets, gardens and shops by Alex Jordan, Jr.  On a singular standing rock he slowly built his home from left-over materials of his carpenter-father. Trees have now almost covered the spectacular view except for the Infinity Room that soars out 250-feet into the valley 150-ft below.

     

the Basilica on Holy Hill

A friend of ours (Didi Manarang) told us of her annual pilgrimage to Hubertus, Wisconsin, where the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary sits on top of a Holy Hill. In the Roman Catholic Church, a basilica is the highest Papal designation given to a building that carries special spiritual, historical, and architectural significance. Beside the Meditation Chapel inside the basilica is a receptacle of crutches that have, through miraculous healing, become no longer needed.

the simple tomb of Adele Brise

Further north near Green Bay, Wisconsin is the site of one of only 15 approved sites of a Marian apparition, an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared supernaturally to one or more people. Another friend, Loy Aquino, brought us there. Just a year after Lourdes, Adele Brise, a young Belgian immigrant, saw a beautiful woman standing between a maple and a hemlock tree and was given the mission to teach the children of the area their Catechism. The approval for Our Lady of Good Help just came on Dec. 8 last year. This is the layer that happily surprised us: religion.

Lambeau Field of the Green Bay Packers

But, according to Bill, Green Bay is host to a spot, another miracle, where thousands gather! It is known as Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, SuperBowl legends! I also have to mention that Harley-Davidson’s Head Office is in Milwaukee (although we took the plant tour in Kansas City instead)! Well, that’s Wisconsin for you…made up of solid layers that make the state known and loved in the country…plus all the other bonuses!

6 layers of motorcycles at Harley-Davidson

Next Stop: Meeting in My Kind of Town, Chicago!