John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Boston
During the three short years the Kennedys were in the White House, citizens fell in love with the presidential family. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy became an enduring pop-culture icon and completed the first full-scale restoration of the White House. Despite their short period in the public eye, the Kennedys were part of some of the most important events in recent history, such as the Cuban missile crisis, civil rights, and the establishment of the Peace Corps. The JFK Presidential Library in Boston is dedicated to telling the story of the first couple’s lives in their own words, with recordings and notes belonging to JFK and Mrs. Kennedy included in most of the exhibits.
Jackie Kennedy’s greatest accomplishment was the first-ever historical restoration of the White House. Under her care, the White House was given museum status and transformed to become not only the home of the president, but also a testament to the greatness of the office and the nation. The exhibit that highlights her restoration work includes hundreds of handwritten memos from the project, clips from the famous CBS broadcast and furniture on loan from the White House. There is even a copy of the first White House guidebook created by the first lady and the red wool dress she wore in the broadcast.
Popular artifacts include many of her dresses and hundreds of handwritten memos, as well as the camera she used during the time she worked as a reporter and photographer for the Washington Times-Herald, where she interviewed then Vice President Richard Nixon and Representative John F. Kennedy. Another favorite is the framed watercolor she painted for her husband, “The White House Long Ago,” which held pride of place in his Oval Office.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
Simi Valley, California
The Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, is like a tapestry dedicated to telling the story of the life and times of President Ronald Reagan with first lady Nancy Reagan’s story and causes interwoven throughout the exhibits.
One popular gallery tells the story of Ronald and Nancy’s courtship and marriage. The exhibit features more than 700 love letters, notes, cards and drawings that President Reagan wrote and sketched for his beloved.
Nancy Reagan, like so many first ladies, became a fashion icon of her time. Some people thought the clothes she wore during her husband’s presidency were too expensive. In response to her critics, she attended a function dressed entirely in clothes she had bought secondhand and surprised even President Reagan. This recycled ensemble is on display at the museum, along with her wedding dress, inaugural gown and other items from her wardrobe.
Groups can schedule guided tours in advance or peruse the exhibits and the Air Force One Pavilion or see the piece of the Berlin Wall on their own.
National First Ladies Library
Canton, Ohio
The National First Ladies’ Library in Canton, Ohio, is a unique offering for anyone interested in the women of the White House. The site was built in 1841 as the Saxton House, the family home of first lady Ida Saxton McKinley. It has since been restored to how it appeared in the late 1800s when Ida McKinley and President McKinley, then only a congressional representative, lived there. The other half of the site, now under the care of the National Park Service, is the education and research center, located in an old seven-story bank building. The research center includes a small theater, exhibit and meeting space, and a replica collection of books that belonged to the first White House library, assembled by first lady Abigail Fillmore.
“Trials of the Campaign Trail” is the current featured exhibit at the library. The display tells the story of first ladies and candidates’ wives who helped their husbands in their campaigns for the presidency. Among the topics included in the exhibit are Lady Bird Johnson and the story of her campaigning from her train, the Lady Bird Special; Eleanor Roosevelt’s speeches; and Ida McKinley’s participation in her husband’s front porch campaigns. The next scheduled exhibit at the library, set to debut at the end of November in conjunction with the presidential election, will focus on modern first ladies and their roles in recent inaugurations.
The library also hosts a regular lecture series called Legacy Lectures, which covers a variety of topics. The library is a great way to learn about more than 40 first ladies, including lesser-known figures like Pat Nixon, who traveled to more foreign countries than any other until Hillary Clinton.
