Chapter 30

Ten Presidential Libraries Worth Visiting

IN THIS CHAPTER

Finding information about U.S. presidents

Visiting the top presidential libraries

In this chapter, I look at presidential libraries. Most of America’s older, historical presidents don’t have libraries, so a lot of the libraries worth visiting are those of more modern presidents.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the first presidential library in 1939. Every U.S. president since Franklin Roosevelt has set up a presidential library after finishing his term in office. The National Archives and Records administration operates all presidential libraries. Getting the financing to build his library, through private donations, is up to the president. After it is built, the federal government takes over and operates the library.

The ten libraries in the following list are the ones I recommend that you visit at some point in your life. The list begins with the best coming first. (Remember, this list is subjective in nature; it represents my own personal preferences.)

When mentioning presidential libraries, it is important to keep in mind that the libraries are found in the home state of each particular president, or the state he considered his home. For example, Truman was born in Missouri: He considered it his home, and he represented it in the Senate. Thus, he chose Missouri as the site for his presidential library. Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, was born in Illinois, but he considered California, the state he governed, his home. So, his library is in California.

Presidential libraries contain all the public papers of a president, including information concerning his public career before his presidency. The presidential libraries even include some private information on the chief executives. In addition, the libraries contain pictures and films, and tapes of presidential speeches. Finally, gifts from foreign dignitaries are on display, because the president, as a public official, is not allowed to keep them.

Many of the presidential libraries have become important research facilities for scholars studying the respective presidents. All presidential libraries are open to the public and have a wealth of information available to anybody interested in finding out more about the president.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the largest presidential library in the United States. The library — located in beautiful Simi Valley, California — contains all of Reagan’s public and personal papers. In addition, it is the burial place of both Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The library contains a section of the Berlin Wall and the actual Air Force One airplane used by President Reagan.

Contact Info: 40 Presidential Dr., Simi Valley, CA 93065; phone 800-410-8354; website: www.reaganlibrary.gov.

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which contains the Presidential Library and Museum, was opened in 2013 and is located on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU), Laura Bush’s alma mater, in Dallas, Texas. It is the second largest presidential library in the United States and will be the future burial place for President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. The library contains almost 70 million documents and a full-size replica of the George W. Bush Oval Office and the White House Situation Room. The museum offers an exhibit, entitled “A Nation Under Attack,” which displays steel from the World Trade Center and letters President Bush received following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Contact Info: 2943 SMU Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75205; phone: 214-346-1699; website: www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu.

William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum

Opened in 2004 and located in Little Rock, Arkansas, the library contains not just the Clinton Presidential Library but also the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. The library has the largest archives of all presidential libraries with 80 million documents and 2 million photographs. Also worth noting, the library contains a full-scale replica of the Clinton Oval Office.

Contact Info: 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201; phone 501-374-4242; website: www.clintonlibrary.gov.

George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

The George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Bush chose to build the library on the campus of the second-largest university in his home state because Lyndon Johnson had already built his presidential library at the University of Texas.

The library, which contains the private and public papers of America’s 41st president, opened in 1997 and is the burial site of George H. W. Bush. It contains a life-size replica of the Bush Oval Office and the actual locomotive (UP 4141) that powered Bush’s funeral train in 2018 (President George H. W. Bush loved trains, and UP 4141 was named after him).

Contact Info: 1000 George Bush Drive West, College Station, TX 77845; phone 979-691-4000; website: www.bush41.org.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library and Museum is in Boston, Massachusetts. The library is one of the best research facilities in the United States for the social sciences. The museum contains many displays of Kennedy’s life. It also has gift shops for the public.

Contact Info: Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125; phone: 617-514-1600; website: www.jfklibrary.org.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum is on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. It is a top-notch research facility for the social sciences and the humanities, containing over 35 million documents. The museum traces the life of Lyndon Johnson.

Contact Info: 2313 Red River Street, Austin, TX 78705; phone 512-721-0200; website: www.lbjlibrary.org.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is part of a larger center that contains President Roosevelt’s childhood home and the burial place of the president and his wife, Eleanor. It is the first presidential library in U.S. history.

Contact Info: 4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538; phone 845-486-7763; website: www.fdrlibrary.org.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum

Located in Abilene, Kansas, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library is one of five buildings within the Eisenhower Center. The center also contains Eisenhower’s boyhood home, his burial place, a visitors’ center, and the Eisenhower museum.

Contact Info: 200 Southeast Fourth St., Abilene, KS 67410; phone 1-877-746-4453 or 785-263-6700; website: www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov.

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

The Richard Nixon Library is in Yorba Linda, California, the birthplace of the former president. The library contains most of Nixon’s papers and tapes, including the controversial Watergate tapes. It is surrounded by a beautiful park open to the public. The burial places of Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, are also at the site.

Contact Info: 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, CA 92886; phone 714-983-9120; website: www.nixonlibrary.gov.

Jimmy Carter Library and Museum

The Jimmy Carter Library is part of the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It contains a research center, which houses Carter’s presidential documents (over 27 million pages), a museum, and a full-size replica of the Carter Oval Office.

Contact Info: 441 Freedom Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30307; phone 404-865-7100; website: www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov.