This diary was written by George Boardman, a young man from Maine, who joined the 22nd Regiment during the Civil War. He wrote of many things: the pride and anxiety they experienced as they paraded through downtown Calais before departing for Bangor; his encounter with citizens who did not welcome Union troops; a miserable trip in a dirty coal car; his fear that death would soon intrude on the grand adventure for him and his friends; cold, rainy nights; his excitement at glimpsing the ironclad Monitor. Read more about this diary from the point of view of an archivist at the Eisenhower Presidential Library (and see a larger image): http://go.usa.gov/4ZtY
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This diary was written by George Boardman, a young man from Maine, who joined the 22nd Regiment during the Civil War.

He wrote of many things: the pride and anxiety they experienced as they paraded through downtown Calais before departing for Bangor; his encounter with citizens who did not welcome Union troops; a miserable trip in a dirty coal car; his fear that death would soon intrude on the grand adventure for him and his friends; cold, rainy nights; his excitement at glimpsing the ironclad Monitor.


Read more about this diary from the point of view of an archivist at the Eisenhower Presidential Library (and see a larger image): http://go.usa.gov/4ZtY

President Dwight D. Eisenhower is lassoed by cowboy star Montie Montana (with permission from the Secret Service) while reviewing the inaugural parade as Vice President Richard M. Nixon and other dignitaries look on on January 20, 1953. Originally, the parade was meant to escort the President to the White House from the Capitol, but it soon developed into something more. Jefferson began the tradition of the open house. Americans could come directly into the White House and congratulate the President. Over time, the crowds became so enormous that President Jackson fled the crush through an open window. By the time Grover Cleveland took office, the number of inaugural visitors was too large to manage, and so Cleveland had parade stands set up outside, where he could review the troops. Over time, this the review came to include floats and other civilian contributions. For Clinton’s second inauguration, the parade featured floats, choirs, and marching bands from all 50 states.
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower is lassoed by cowboy star Montie Montana (with permission from the Secret Service) while reviewing the inaugural parade as Vice President Richard M. Nixon and other dignitaries look on on January 20, 1953.

Originally, the parade was meant to escort the President to the White House from the Capitol, but it soon developed into something more. Jefferson began the tradition of the open house. Americans could come directly into the White House and congratulate the President. Over time, the crowds became so enormous that President Jackson fled the crush through an open window.

By the time Grover Cleveland took office, the number of inaugural visitors was too large to manage, and so Cleveland had parade stands set up outside, where he could review the troops. Over time, this the review came to include floats and other civilian contributions. For Clinton’s second inauguration, the parade featured floats, choirs, and marching bands from all 50 states.

In 1958, Elvis fans sent pleas directly to the First Lady, hoping she would be sympathetic to their cause and recall Elvis Presley from service in the Army. But this letter to Mamie Eisenhower was forwarded to the Army, with the notation “Respectfully referred for appropriate handling.” Dear Mamie, Will you please please be so sweet and kind as to ask Ike to please bring Elvis Presley back to us from the Army. We need him in our entertainment world to make us all laugh. The theatres need him to help fill their many empty seats… . Also did you know Elvis has been paying $500,000 in income taxes. We feel the huge taxes he has been paying could help our defense effort far more than his stay in the Army. Please ask Ike to bring Elvis back to us soon. To read more about fan letters protesting Elvis’s service, read our Facial Hair Friday post “Presley, Presley is our cry.”
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In 1958, Elvis fans sent pleas directly to the First Lady, hoping she would be sympathetic to their cause and recall Elvis Presley from service in the Army. But this letter to Mamie Eisenhower was forwarded to the Army, with the notation “Respectfully referred for appropriate handling.”

Dear Mamie,
Will you please please be so sweet and kind as to ask Ike to please bring Elvis Presley back to us from the Army. We need him in our entertainment world to make us all laugh. The theatres need him to help fill their many empty seats… . Also did you know Elvis has been paying $500,000 in income taxes. We feel the huge taxes he has been paying could help our defense effort far more than his stay in the Army. Please ask Ike to bring Elvis back to us soon.

To read more about fan letters protesting Elvis’s service, read our Facial Hair Friday post “Presley, Presley is our cry.”

This letter in braille was sent to Eisenhower in 1956 by thirteen-year-old John Beaulieu. To write this letter, Beaulieu used a stylus to push raised letters into heavy paper that was clamped into a hinged slate. The dotted border marks the frame on the slate that held the paper in place.

In 2004, we located the author and invited him to the opening of the Public Vaults, where the letter is now on permanent display:

“It is absolutely amazing to think that something I did as a child would get this kind of recognition. I still find it hard to believe, but I know that it’s real because I was there,” he said.

Come see the letter in our Public Vaults exhibit! You can also learn more about the Presidential records related to disability history on our new webpage, created in honor of the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed on July 26, 1990.

President Eisenhower and Pearl Harbor

A special exhibit featuring documents and artifacts from the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum holdings will be on display through December 2011 in the Library and Museum building lobbies to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Artifacts in the exhibit include Pearl Harbor posters, buttons, sheet music and commemorative stamps, as well as Japanese military items.