Presidential Libraries

Atrium area of the JFK library

JFK hallway

This is a driveway that runs from FDR's house to what was the main road. After the onset of polio, he would set goals to walk from his house to the end of this driveway.

Graves of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt. The actual, very plain graves are in the foreground.

Krista asked for a list, so here it is: We, or some of us have visited:

Richard Nixon - Located in Yorba Linda, California, this library actually took us by surprise. I guess that we were not expecting much perhaps, but there was much to learn about this man, and the library did a good job of presenting all that Nixon had done. There was no attempt, it seemed, to gloss over Watergate. They had moved his boyhood home to the library site, the home was built by his father from a kit.

LBJ - Repeated visits to this library on the campus of the University of Texas. It is my least favorite of the libraries though, from a building standpoint, it is interesting made more so by glass wall encompassing several stories where a visitor can see all of the archives not open to the public.

Harry Truman - Leslie is the only one of us to have visited this library located in Independence, Missouri. The library site is the place where he returned, lived, and worked after his presidency. Leslie was impressed and left wanting to know more about him.

Kennedy - Cold is the word that describes this library. While laid out well making it easy for the visitor not to miss anything, the information is partial and seems to be a lot of marketing. Interestingly, a very small portion is devoted to the assassination. There is a good slice of it dedicated to the family accomplishments and to the First Lady.

George Bush ( 41) - A great library in College Station that has visiting exhibits on a regular basis that are outstanding. Leslie ran into the former president at the library once when he introduced author David McCullough, who was there to speak about "Fathers and Sons". A great part of this library is all of the letters that the president wrote, he was a prolific letter writer, to his children and friends. They show an intimate, thoughtful side of the man.

FDR - This is located in Hyde Park, New York. The most intersesting thing about this library is the home that he lived in that is located there so it has a personal flair. His desk is there and it is left as it was on the day he died. Most of the items were simple gifts from friends. The library itself was smaller that many of the others. It was the first one built. It was built and running while FDR was still president.

Ronald Reagan - My personal favorite partly because he is a favorite of mine. There was so much to learn. This one is located in sort of desert region in California. The exhibits were excellent.

Abraham Lincoln - Located in Springfield, Illinois. Recently built from private donations and an outstanding spot for a vacation stop. The National Park Service has a museum about him located there, as well, since he lived in Springfield. Very interactive.