The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, located in
Plains, Georgia
Plains is a town in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 776 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area. Plains is best known as the birthplace and home of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president ...
, preserves sites associated with
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born 1924), 39th
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief 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
The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...
and is not open to the public.
The Carters returned to Plains in 1981. The former President and First Lady
Rosalynn Carter
Eleanor Rosalynn Carter ( ; née Smith; born August 18, 1927) is an American writer and activist who served as First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. For decades, she has been a leading advocate ...
pursue many of the goals of his administration through the
Carter Center
The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter partnered with Emory University just after his defeat in the 1980 United States presid ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, which has programs to alleviate human suffering and to promote
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
and
world peace
World peace, or peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would ...
. When they are in Plains, Carter teaches
Sunday school 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
National Historic Site (NHS) is a designation for an officially recognized area of national historic significance in the United States. An NHS usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject. The National Historic ...
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 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
Listed below are the private residences of the various presidents of the United States. For a list of official residences, see President of the United States § Residence.
Private homes of the presidents
This is a list of homes where ...
.
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'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
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 t ...
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