EISENHOWER#2 The Green Ash Tree LbNA #11924 (ARCHIVED)

PLANTED BY: Ruby Tuesday, StillWater, The Gentleman, Tenderfoot, Sandy & Vandal

DIFFICULTY:Easy
DISTANCE to LETTERBOX: 35 feet

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Eisenhower's Birthplace is open year round (except Christmas and New Year's). Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (FREE tour to campers from Eisenhower State Park). The park features the Birthplace home, Visitors' Center, a covered pavilion for picnicking, limited hiking trails and landscaped grounds. The Visitors' Center contains information and displays related to the late president’s life, such as a bronze bust of Eisenhower, historic photographs of the Denison native and the “Ike Jacket,” the brown short-waisted, tailored wood field jacket sported by the U.S. general.
NOTE: We were able to bring two dogs on leashes and leave them tied up briefly outside the buildings.

DIRECTIONS: Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site - 609 S. Lamar Ave

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: More than 2,000 Eisenhower Green Ash trees now stand majestically in towns across the United States in honor of the men and women who bravely served their country during World War II. These trees have been grown from seeds cultivated from the Green Ash tree on Eisenhower’s birthplace grounds by the American Forests' Famous and Historic Tree Project. A 20-foot-tall Eisenhower green ash was planted on the grounds of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., to honor WWII veterans, particularly those who fought in the 1944 D Day invasion of Normandy. Six more, (one for each of the six branches of military service - the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines) were planted at Arlington National Cemetery as part of "Operation Silent Witness, A Pearl Harbor Remembrance" ceremony, in tribute to the idea that trees stand as silent witnesses to history.

CLUES: Begin at the Visitors' Center. Meander thru the rooms and learn a little more about President Eisenhower. We especially enjoyed photos of him as a teenager and his later artwork. Wait for the friendly docent to take you on a tour of the Birthplace Home. The Eisenhower Green Ash stands about 10 yards east of the back door of the house.

After your tour, walking back towards the Visitor's Center, you will cross a bridge over a small stream at the intersection of Lamar and Shepherd streets. Facing the picnic pavilion (where the restrooms are located), walk to your right along the edge of the embankment about 32 steps. You should have reached a large tree. Look in the hole at approximately shoulder height.