The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, located in
Plains, Georgia, preserves sites associated with
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born 1924), 39th
president of the United States. These include his residence, boyhood farm, school, and the town railroad depot, which served as his campaign headquarters during the
1976 election. The building which used to be Plains High School (opened in 1921 and closed in 1979) serves as the park's museum and visitor center. As Carter lives in Plains, the area surrounding the residence is under the protection of the
United States Secret Service and is not open to the public.
The Carters returned to Plains in 1981. The former President and First Lady
Rosalynn Carter pursue many of the goals of his administration through the
Carter Center in
Atlanta, which has programs to alleviate human suffering and to promote
human rights and
world peace. When they are in Plains, Carter teaches
Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
at Maranatha Baptist Church, which is open to the public.
It was established in 1987 by as Jimmy Carter
National Historic Site and renamed as a
national historical park in 2021.
Visitor center and museum
The former Plains High School, which both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter attended, now serves as the park's visitor center and museum.
It features a classroom, principal's office, and auditorium which have been restored to look as they would have when Jimmy Carter attended.
An exact replica of the
''Resolute'' desk, which Jimmy Carter brought back to the Oval Office to use as his presidential desk, is exhibited, as is his 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. Other rooms feature exhibits that explain the lives of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, and a short video focuses on the life of Jimmy Carter according to his friends, neighbors, and family.
Boyhood home
The farm in rural
Archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
where Jimmy lived from age four in 1928 until he left for college
in 1941 has been restored to its appearance before electricity was installed in 1938.
Campaign headquarters
The former Plains Train Depot, where Carter headquartered his presidential campaign, now serves as a museum focusing on the 1976 Presidential Campaign and Election.
It features exhibits which highlight Jimmy Carter's campaign for President. The train depot operated from 1888 until 1951,
when all public transportation to and from the area ceased.
Carter compound
The current home of the Carters,
209 Woodland Drive
209 Woodland Drive is a house in Plains, Georgia that has been the home of the American politician and former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, since 1960. It is the only house that the Carters have ever owned; th ...
, while not open to the public, is technically a part of the park.
The Carters have lived in the home since 1961.
During his presidency, it was used as his
Summer White House.
Photos
Plains Train Depot
Image:CarterHQ.jpg, Plains train depot, which served as the 1976 Carter campaign headquarters
Image:Jimmy Carter campaign headquarters, inside, Plains, GA, US.jpg, Inside the campaign headquarters
Visitor Center and Museum
Image:Jimmy Carter's High School, Plains, GA, US.jpg, Carter's High School, now a museum and visitor center
Image:16 02 021 carter.jpg, Detail of classroom
Image:19-06-355-carter.jpg, Auditorium
Image:21-20-097-marker.jpg, Historical Marker
Carter Boyhood Farm
Image:17 02 0166 carter.jpg, Map of farm
Image:Windmill water pump on Jimmy Carter homesite, Plains, GA, US.jpg, A water pump powered by a windmill
Image:16 02 167 carter.jpg, Barn and old farm equipment
Image:17 25 003 carter.jpg, Blacksmith shop
Image:17 02 181 carter.jpg, Earl and Lillian Carter home
Image:16 02 046 carter.jpg, Detail of front porch
Image:16 02 051 carter.jpg, Detail of dining room
Image:17 02 060 carter.jpg, Detail of bedroom
Image:16 02 056 carter.jpg, Detail of bedroom
Image:17 02 111 carter.jpg, Carter family country store
Image:16 02 094 carter.jpg, Detail of country store
Image:17 02 129 carter.jpg, Rachel and Jack Clark's tenant house
Image:16 02 155 carter.jpg, Tenant house, main room
Image:17 25 027 carter.jpg, Tenant house, kitchen
Sources
External links
Official Park Service site"Life Portrait of Jimmy Carter"
from C-SPAN
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...
's '' American Presidents: Life Portraits'', broadcast from the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, December 3, 1999
Jimmy Carter's Boyhood Home
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Jimmy National Historic Site
National Historical Parks of the United States
Protected areas of Sumter County, Georgia
Presidential homes in the United States
National Historic Site
Historic house museums in Georgia (U.S. state)
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site
Presidential museums in Georgia (U.S. state)
Protected areas established in 1987
1987 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Houses in Sumter County, Georgia
National Register of Historic Places in Sumter County, Georgia