America’s Presidential Libraries and Museums are unique to our country. However, the 13
libraries and museums that are in the presidential library system (Lincoln’s
has not been added but is great to visit so has been included here), provide a
peek into the past of these amazing men, their times, and the challenges they
faced. They also allow us a glimpse into the future of America if you follow
the history closely enough. This article will provide an overview of some of
the Presidential libraries and museums. Subsequent articles will
focus on each of them specifically with details useful for travelers.
Franklin D. Roosevelt came up with idea for the first
presidential library to house all his papers while he was president.Herbert Hoover thought it was a great idea as well, so Hoover’s
came second, even though he was president first. Since then, every president
who has followed has been given the funding to build a library and museum at
the end of the last term through a combination of private and public funds.
Only credentialed historians are allowed access to the library itself, where
the papers are kept and preserved by the National Archives. The National Archives also own the contents of
the museums. But the land for the museums is owned by the National Park System,
so the museums and their artifacts are available for everyone to view.
The Lincoln Library and
Museum is one of most
high tech and interactive of them. The library and museum are in separate
buildings across from each other, but the Gettysburg Address sits out for all
to see. Several artifacts from Lincoln’s time were used in modern times; his
Bible was temporarily removed from the museum so President Obama could take the
Oath of Office on it, and the drawings of his funeral procession were used to
design the layout of President Kennedy’s funeral.
In
many cases, the homes and even neighborhoods of the former presidents
themselves have been restored and are worthy of a visit. Lincoln’s old
neighborhood in Springfield, Ill. brings you back to the past, and even the
center of town has been preserved to harken back to a simpler time where you
can enter the offices of his law firm. In Independence Missouri, whereTruman’s Library and Museum is located, a Truman themed Bed and Breakfast
sits right across from his historic home, and offers Truman themed events
during the year. The Truman Library in Independence, MO is 163 miles away from
theEisenhower Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas. So a visit to one can
easily lead to a visit to the next in the same trip.
All
the museums show a movie first. The Kennedy Library and Museum on the grounds of University of
Massachusetts in Boston was thought out well enough before his assassination so
that JFK himself greets you in the movie the from his boat in Hyannis Port.
After the movie, you enter the exhibits which take you through his political
campaign all the way to his assassination. You are treated to TV monitors along
the way with current events showing on the screens, since his was the first
presidency to really make use of the media. And as you leave, you see footage
of young Bill Clinton shaking hands with JFK.
The Johnson
Library and Museum in
Austin, TX takes you through the tumult of the first days following JFK's
assassination, and details the programs he developed as part of the Great
Society, most of which are still in place today. You have to drive quite a
distance to Johnson City, TX to see his former home and the oak tree where he
is buried, but that location too provides tours and gives an insight into his
presidency.
The Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas sits on the banks
of the Arkansas River, where you can see (and hear as he chats into your ear)
that he really did build a bridge to the 21st century. You can practically
touch it. By far the loveliest grounds for any of the libraries are the Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Valley, which overlooks the sprawl of
Southern California from the Simi Mountains and onto the coastline on a clear
day. It also houses the Air Force One jet he used during his presidency.
The George W Bush Library and Museum in Dallas, is high tech and interactive, but has
been controversial since its opening. Its focus is to present the public with
the options that were available to him at the time, and allow the public to
make their own decisions as to what they whey would have done. It covers every
crisis he faced, from the September 11 terrorist attacks, the two wars which
followed, to the financial collapse of 2008. For those who remember those times
clearly, it could be by far the most interesting.
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| Photo by Jann Segal |
Subsequent
articles will go into detail useful for travelers for all the libraries and
museums. But rest assured, these museums are nothing short of magnificent when
it comes to learning American history captured directly after the events
occurred. Many of them are also used regularly throughout the year. They are
venues for debates during political campaigns, funerals for politicians such as
Teddy Kennedy, and most have bi-partisan educational events or partisan
political fundraising events in the evenings throughout the year.
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