The Head Herdsman's Home

This was the home of the head herdsman of the Eisenhower cattle herd.

EISE NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Eisenhower National Historic Site

Significance:

This was the home of the head herdsman of the Eisenhower cattle herd. Today, it is the headquarters for the staff of the Eisenhower National Historic Site.

Designation:

Original Structure

Amenities

2 listed

Cellular Signal, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board

The core of this stone farmhouse dates to the original European owners of the property, the Armstrongs. Isaac Armstrong may have constructed the building sometime in the 1790s, and by the time of his death in 1835, the home was part of a prosperous tannery. In 1954 the farm was purchased by W. Alton Jones, the president’s cattle partner, and become part of the Eisenhower show cattle operation. 

Initially farmhand Ivan Feaster lived in the house until his resignation in 1957. It was then that herdsman Bob Hartley and his family moved into the home. They would remain there until the show cattle operation ended in 1967. Today the building is the headquarters for the Eisenhower National Historic Site, housing the site’s administrative offices.