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Jimmy Carter National Historical Park pays homage to the rural roots of the 39th President of the United States. James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in the small town of Plains, Georgia, and rose from peanut farmer to the most powerful position in the world.
Jimmy Carter National Historical Park is composed of several sites in Plains and Jimmy Carter’s Boyhood Farm a few miles away. This entry will focus on the sites in Plains, and you can read about the boyhood farm here.
Only three of the sites are open to the public while others can be seen on a walking or driving tour of town. None of the sites charge admission.
Plains High School
The best place to start is the visitor center, located at the former Plains High School (built in 1921) where Carter attended school. It’s open daily from 9am to 5pm. Inside, you can find the principal’s office decorated as it would have been in the 1930s. You can also step into his 7th grade English classroom. Miss Julia Coleman was Carter’s English teacher in 1937 and played an integral part in his education.
Behind the welcome desk, you can see a replica of Carter’s desk and chair from the Oval Office, his Nobel prize, and lots of campaign memorabilia.
A museum about the life of Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter (1927-2023), takes up one wing of the building. The other wing features panels about the couple’s political life.
Plains Depot
The second site open to the public is the campaign headquarters which were housed in the old Plains Depot, which was built in 1888. It’s open fro 9am to 4:30pm.
Inside, you can learn about the successful two year presidential campaign run by Carter beginning in 1975. What’s the reason Carter chose the old depot? It was the only available building in Plains that had a bathroom.
Billy Carter’s Service Station
The third site you can visit in Plains is Billy Carter’s service station, which sits across the street from the depot. It’s not run by the National Park Service but still an important part of Jimmy Carter’s story. The building, which was built in 1952, was acquired by the Plains Better Hometown Association in 2008 who opened it as the Billy Carter Museum.
Inside, it’s got a lot of memorabilia on display and tells the story of Billy Carter (1937-1988), Jimmy’s brother, who bought the station in 1972 and ran it until 1981. During the presidential campaign, journalists used it as their headquarters.
Downtown
If you plan on driving or walking to other points of interest, you can start in the small downtown. The building with the huge “Home of Jimmy Carter” sign is the old Carter peanut warehouse. Jimmy’s father, Earl (1894-1953), ran a peanut business and the Earl Carter Insurance Agency from the building from 1934 until his death in 1953. After that, Jimmy took over and ran the business until 1961.
Nearby is Golden Peanut Company, which was once part of the Carter Warehouse complex from 1934 to the 1980s. There’s also the Williams Warehouse, which has been around since 1896.
Jimmy Carter’s Birthplace
Jimmy was born in what is now the Lillian G. Carter Nursing Center (1921). His mother Lillian worked there when it was a hospital called the Wise Sanitarium.
Roslynn’s House
Roslynn grew up in a modest home in the south of town. She was best friends with Jimmy’s sister Ruth (1929-1983). Jimmy and Roslynn went on their first date in 1945 when Jimmy was on leave from the US Naval Academy, and she lived in the house until the two were married.
Churches
Plains Baptist Church (1906) is where Jimmy was baptized and where his family attended church as he was growing up. Across the street, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (1907), is where Rosalynn often attended as a child with her grandmother.
The two were married at the Plains United Methodist Church (1910) on July 7, 1946. They later attended Maranatha Baptist Church (1978) north of town, where they became members in 1981. Jimmy occasionally taught Sunday School there.
Jimmy and Roslynn’s Homes
On the corner of Paschall and Thomas Streets is Public Housing Unit 9-A. Jimmy and Roslynn lived there for just over a year in 1953 after Jimmy returned from his Naval service. The complex provides public housing to this day.
From 1955 to 1961 the couple lived in the Rylander House (1850), which is on the way to the boyhood farm. In 1961, the couple built a ranch home where they resided for the rest of their lives. The Carter Compound is the only home they ever owned and is closed to the public. Don’t slow down or linger too much or you’ll attract the attention of the Secret Service!
Smiling Peanut
Finally, on the way to the Maranatha Baptist Church, you’ll notice the Smiling Peanut. This 13 foot peanut was built for a campaign rally in Evansville, Indiana, during the 1976 election, and then transported to Plains.
