History, after all, is the memory of a nation. – John F Kennedy 1917-1963
While we were in Dallas, TX a couple of weekends ago for the NASCAR race, we decided to visit Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum. For those that may not recognize those locations right off hand, Dealey Plaza is the area in Dallas where President Kennedy was fatally shot. The Sixth Floor Museum is located on the Sixth Floor of the Texas School Book Depository where it is believed Lee Harvey Oswald was located when he assassinated the President.
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza is a significant part of Dallas history. The site marks the birthplace of Dallas, originally founded by John Neely Bryan in the 1840s. Almost a century later, during President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, the familiar concrete colonnades and triple underpass were constructed, making this vehicular park an example of successful city planning. These projects were spearheaded by civic leader George Bannerman Dealey. After G.B. Dealey died in 1946, a bronze statue to honor him was installed in the park that already bore his name.
Hailed as “The Front Door of Dallas,” Dealey Plaza served as the major gateway to the city from the west and, equally important, as a symbol of civic pride. (The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza)
Dealey Plaza is located on Houston St and between Elm & Commerce Streets in downtown Dallas. President Kennedy was in Dallas as part of a 5 city tour of Texas for part of the 1964 campaign.
It was presidential politics pure and simple. It was the opening effort of the 1964 campaign. It was going beautifully. – Lyndon B Johnson (The Vantage Point, 1971)
The above photo contains 2 red arrows. The arrows are pointing at X’s painted on Elm St. The foreground arrow is the location of the President’s limo when he was first shot in the upper back/lower neck. The background arrow is the location of the President’s limo when he was fatally shot in the head.
Who shot President John F Kennedy?
The year 2000 will see men still arguing…about the president’s death. – Journalist Harrison Salisbury (The New York Times, 1964)
Well, my simple answer to that is Lee Harvey Oswald on the 6th floor in the Texas School Book Depository with a rifle. I didn’t see anything in what was presented there to make me think there was another shooter. I know I’m no expert but it sure looks to me like the shots came from where Oswald was perched. I’m not completely convinced it was all of his doing, though. Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald definitely makes me think there might have been more to the story than it just being as simple as Oswald deciding to shoot Kennedy. I don’t think we’ll ever truly know the entire story, and I’m sure it will be discussed and debated forever as the journalist said in his quote above.
The Sixth Floor Museum
“John F Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation” is the permanent historical exhibition that examines the life, death, and legacy of the 35th US President. From his 1960 presidential campaign through his influence on current events, the exhibit features documentary films, historic footage, hundreds of photographs, and artifacts. Two areas that appear as they did on November 22, 1963, highlight the exhibit: the sniper’s perch and the staircase area where the sniper exited the sixth floor and a rifle was found. Also on display are the cameras used in Dealey Plaza on that fateful day and a scale model of Dealey Plaza created by the FBI for use by the Warren Commission. (The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza)
I took that explanation of the Sixth Floor Museum from a brochure I picked up as I was purchasing my admission into the museum itself. The adult admission price was $13.50 (with reduced rates for seniors, youth, & free for children under 5). I thought that was a great price. It took us a good 2 hours to go through the audio tour of the museum (which is included in the admission). I wasn’t born until 1980 so I really only knew what I learned in school and saw on television and in movies about Kennedy’s Presidency & Assassination. I must say I learned a lot and came out of there with a whole new respect for President & Mrs Kennedy.
If you are ever in Dallas, I recommend visiting Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum. Whether you are Republican or Democrat, whether or not you supported Kennedy, or even whether or not you are old enough to remember JFK, it is neat to visit there and listen to & read the account of the events leading up to and on that Saturday afternoon back in 1963.
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