The President's Library and Museum

The view of Boston Harbor and Columbia Point from inside the JFK Library. 6/30/2022 dwm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Our Boston hotel was in Dorchester, close to the University of Massachusetts campus.  The John F Kennedy Museum and Library is located on 10 acres of the campus on Columbia Point overlooking Boston Harbor.  

The November 9, 1960 paper.

 While President Kennedy was shot and killed in 1963, the library and museum didn't open until 1979.  The library is the official repository of Kennedy's papers from his time in office.  The museum presents a series of exhibits that tell the story of the country's 35th president.

 

 The Library was the only place on our trip still observing Covid-19 protocols with timed admission.  Once inside, we passed through exhibits as part of a group because the welcoming film, a 20-minute look at Kennedy's life up to the night he was nominated to run for President, gathered us in a theater before releasing us to see the exhibits.

 We walked into a recreation of his 1960 campaign rally and the studio where the Nixon - Kennedy debate was broadcast.  The next display showed footage from network news coverage followed with a film showing his Inaugural Address.

  Kennedy was only President the first two months of my life.  I have no memories but learned about him through books, movies, and personal stories.  The visit created a contrast with today's political climate. 

The most famous quote of the Inaugural Address is in the top paragraph. The revisions in red are JFK's.

A replica of Michelangelo's Pieta given to JFK.

The most interesting, and chilling, exhibit was a short film about the Cuban Missile Crisis.  President Kennedy had installed recording equipment in some of the White House meeting rooms (something that became a problem for the 37th President).  The movie shows how close the world was to a nuclear war in the words of the President and his top advisors.

The world was literally on the precipice of at least partial annihilation.

In other spaces were documents and gifts given to the Head of State by visiting dignitaries.  

Pope Paul VI gave the President a replica of a statue by Michelangelo (photo above right) during a visit to the Vatican July 2, 1963.  It's one of several items on display.

The President, Caroline, and John Jr. (Library)

 The first display after paying admission is a space representing John Kennedy's childhood with artifacts, including his World War II dog tags.  

 The last exhibit features the President's children which were a sensation as they were the first young family in the White House.  

 The First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy did a lot to give Caroline and John Jr. a normal childhood.  Imagine what it would have been like if today's technology was around in 1961.

 The assassination is remembered on a series of small black and white TVs showing live news coverage.  

The final exhibits has pieces of the President's legacy, noted quotations, and part of the dismantled Berlin Wall.

Above:  The Museum Pavilion

A view of the Boston Skyline from the Museum Pavilion.  7/30/2022 dwm photo