President’s come to life

President Dwight Eisenhower was an avid painter. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was crying days after her husband Jack was assassinated in Dallas. First Lady Bess Truman was very cost conscious with taxpayer money.
These are just a few of the tidbits of history on display at the Pigeon Forge Public Library donated by Mabel Elizabeth “Liz” Walker Ciarrochi, a former Knoxville area native now deceased, who served as executive housekeeper for Presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy.
The exhibit features personal letters, Christmas postcards and a lot of presidential memorabilia which is perfect for celebrating the week starting with President’s Day. While not all the presidential artifacts are on display, those that are paint a behind-the-scenes glimpse of three of America’s First Families.
For instance, First Lady Bess Truman thought spending $6.28 on mushrooms “was pretty steep” according to handwritten letter sent to Ciarrochi. Truman also told the housekeeper about the president’s preference for avocadoes.
“He not only doesn’t like them (avocadoes), he is not supposed to eat them,” the First Lady wrote.
In Eisenhower’s spare time, he liked to paint. He painted a portrait of Lincoln and a number of landscapes. Noted world figure Winston Churchill once visited the White House while Ike was at his easel painting a lovely scene that featured a church he had seen in Bavaria. Impressed with Ike’s work, Churchill asked if he could have the painting.
Ciarrochi reports that Ike, who had planned to give the painting to her, gave it instead to Churchill. When the First Lady asked about the incident, Ike replied, “How could I turn Churchill down?”
Eisenhower painted another picture (also in the collection) for Ciarrochi when he learned that she and her husband Eli had plans to someday retire to the Tennessee Smoky Mountains area.
Sarah Green, a librarian at the Pigeon Forge Public Library, said the artifacts in the collection bring history to life.
“She kept everything that she was ever given at the White House,” she said. “I think the physical artifacts she collected over the years make the presidents and their families seem more real.”
While it is not on display, Green said one of the most memorable pieces in the collection is a rocking chair made special for President Kennedy to help his back. He only used it once when he decided he didn’t like it. Green said Kennedy then gave the chair to Ciarrochi who was also suffering from back problems.
According to a guidebook detailing the exhibit, Ciarrochi once overheard a conversation between Robert and John F. Kennedy which could have transformed American politics if events hadn’t conspired otherwise. The President said to his brother that he would not run for office again in 1964 because he wanted to live a “normal life,” according to Ciarrochi. He then asked his brother if he would instead consider running.
Robert declined and said he was happy being Attorney General and added that their father, noted patriarch Joseph Kennedy, would have been furious at the President’s decision.
Green said one of the more inspiring but tragic things she learned from the exhibit was when the veteran housekeeper found Jacqueline Kennedy crying alone shortly after the death of her husband President Kennedy. She said the tragic incident brought the two women closer together.
With stories and items like this, Green said the exhibit is very popular.
“We’ve had this exhibit for a few years now and quite a few people have come to see it,” she said. “I think it is excellent way to learn about history.”