I visited a presidential library for the first time. Here are 6 things that surprised me, including a celebrity cameo from 'The West Wing.'
Talia Lakritz
- I visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.
- I was surprised by the historical significance of artifacts on display and a celebrity cameo.
As someone who often writes about US presidents, first families, and White House history, I've wanted to visit a presidential library for a while.
Not every former US president has built one — only 15 have done so since Congress established the practice with the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955. Maintained by the National Archives, the libraries preserve documents and artifacts from a president's time in office. Some also include museums with exhibits about their administrations.
On a trip to Atlanta in October, I spent the afternoon at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, which opened in 1986. The library stores millions of documents, photos, and hours of video from Carter's time in the White House, and the museum features 15,269 square feet of exhibits about his life and presidency, according to the organization's official website.
Here's what I found surprising during my visit.
I didn't realize how many other programs were housed at Jimmy Carter's presidential library.
The 30-acre campus houses The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conflict resolution, eradicating diseases, and promoting human rights around the world, as well as the private offices of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. The grounds also contain a restaurant, non-denominational chapel, reception hall, and meeting rooms for retreats and training sessions.
I was astonished by how many authentic pieces of White House history were on display.
The Bible that Carter was sworn in on. The "red phone" that sat on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office that he used to communicate with the US military in crisis. Presidential speeches with Carter's handwritten notes. I figured there would be some notable artifacts at the presidential library and museum, but I didn't realize just how many and how significant they would be.
I also didn't expect to see so many relics from Carter's early life, like his sixth-grade report card.
Carter grew up in the small farming town of Plains, Georgia, which is about 150 miles south of the presidential library in Atlanta. In a section about Carter's youth, a display case held Carter's sixth-grade report card, high-school diploma, class ring, and an essay that earned him an "A." I loved that the museum focused on his childhood, as well as his presidency.
Walking into the museum's full-scale replica of the Oval Office left me speechless.
The replica was designed to look exactly like the Oval Office did during Carter's presidency, complete with the same pink, gold, and green striped couches and oval-shaped rug.
In the audio tour of the room, Carter said that people would often walk into the magnificent office and feel so awestruck that they'd forget what they were going to say. Even though it was just a recreation of the actual room, I could feel the same gravitas.
When I heard a familiar voice narrating the exhibits, I was surprised to discover it belonged to actor Martin Sheen, who played President Bartlet in "The West Wing."
Sheen narrated an introductory video at the entrance to the museum as well as the "Day in the Life of the President" exhibit chronicling Carter's schedule of meetings and memos on December 11, 1978.
Sheen told Empire magazine that President Bartlet in "The West Wing" was partially inspired by Carter as well as John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.
"We wanted to represent the very best that we had in that office in recent history and those three men covered all of the territory that Bartlet would inhabit," he said.
In the gift shop, I was thrilled to discover a passport that you could fill with stamps from presidential libraries nationwide.
This was my first visit to a presidential library, but it won't be my last. I'm determined to collect stamps from all 15 across the US.
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