I came across this article on the birthplace of Dwight Eisenhower, Abilene, KS.  This isn’t much of a news story, but it’s proof that we existed and were acknowledged once.  The Hispanic=White is interesting to me too.

via The Abilene Reflector-Chronicle

Dave Bergmeier
Editor and Publisher
Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009

Cindy Harris, who has done extensive research on 19th and early 20th century Abilene gave an overview of civic, business, social and cultural life at the turn of the 20th century. She was among the speakers for the latest installment of Ike’s Abilene Saturday at the Eisenhower Visitors Center. Saturday’s edition was entitled “Life in the City, 1900: Political, Business and Social History.” The focus on the series is about Abilene during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s youth and when he grew to a young man who would later become the nation’s 34th president.

…Her studies indicated that Abilene had a diversified community. Census forms indicated only three races were available to check — white, black and mulatto (someone with a black parent and white parent). As a result, Hispanics, who worked in the railroad industry were listed as white.

David and Ida Eisenhower lived in the south part of Abilene, considered south of the tracks, where people of mixed races also lived, Harris said. However, there were other mixed race neighborhoods in other parts of Abilene.

Harris said Dwight Eisenhower was proud of his Abilene roots and what the people and community meant to him.