The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, located in Plains, Georgia

Plains, Georgia

Plains is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 776 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Notable people:...

, preserves sites associated with James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr.

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

 (1924 - present), 39th President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

. These include his residence, boyhood farm, school, and the town railroad depot, which served as his campaign headquarters during the 1976 election. The building which used to be Plains High School (opened in 1921 and closed in 1979) serves as the park’s museum and visitor center. As President Carter lives in Plains, the area surrounding the residence is under the protection of the United States Secret Service

United States Secret Service

The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...

 and is not open to the public.

The Carters returned to Plains in January 1981. The former President and First Lady Rosalynn Carter

Rosalynn Carter

Eleanor Rosalynn Carter is the wife of the former President of the United States Jimmy Carter and in that capacity served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981. As First Lady and after, she has been a leading advocate for numerous causes, perhaps most prominently for mental...

 pursue many of the goals of his administration through the Carter Center

Carter Center

The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. In partnership with Emory University, The Carter Center works to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering...

 in Atlanta, which has programs to alleviate human suffering and to promote human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 and world peace

World peace

World Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to...

. When they are in Plains, Carter teaches Sunday school

Sunday school

Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...

 at Maranatha Baptist Church, which is open to the public. The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site will also be the future grave site for President and Mrs. Carter.

Visitor Center and Museum

The former Plains High School, where both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter attended, now serves as the park's visitor center and museum. It features a classroom, principal's office, and auditorium which have been restored to look as they would have when Jimmy Carter attended. Other rooms feature exhibits that explain the lives of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, and a short video focuses on the life of Jimmy Carter according to his friends, neighbors, and family.

Boyhood Home

The farm where Jimmy lived from age four in 1928 until he left for college in 1941, has been restored to its appearance before electricity was installed in 1938.

Campaign Headquarters

The former Plains Train Depot, where Carter headquartered his presidential campaign, now serves as a museum focusing on the 1976 Presidential Campaign and Election. It features exhibits which highlight Jimmy Carter's campaign for President. The train depot operated from 1888 until 1951, when all public transportation to and from the area ceased.

Carter Compound

The current home of the Carters, while not open to the public, is technically a part of the National Historic Site

National Historic Sites (United States)

National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...

. The Carters have lived in the home since 1961. During his presidency, it was used as his summer white house

Summer White Houses

A "Summer White House" is typically the name given to the regular vacation residence of the sitting President of the United States aside from Camp David, the mountain-based military camp in Frederick County, Maryland, used as a country retreat and for high-alert protection of Presidents and their...

.

External links

• Official Park Service site