Georgia National Historical Parks

10/2/1997 Headed east to Plains and Jimmy Carter NHS. Passed the road JC lives on (no public access) and stopped at the (old and restored) Plains High School where JC graduated (Roslyn C also). Saw exhibits about Carter and drove to his nearby boyhood home. Went back to the center of town, by the depot where Carter ran his campaign, and bought fried peanuts, salted roasted peanuts and peanut brittle.

The park sign

Plains High School

The Carter boyhood home

5/3/2026 President Jimmy Carter Grave. In the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. The Carters’ graves are located in the central memorial garden, designed by Rosalynn Carter herself. It offers a quiet, contemplative space for visitors to reflect on the couple’s lifelong dedication to peace, service, and community. The garden overlooks a pond the Carters built together, where you may spot wildlife such as foxes, herons, or butterflies fluttering among the native blooms. The property features several butterfly gardens, planted to support pollinators and reflect the couple’s environmental values. The site is on the road originally providing Secret Service-protected access to the Carter Compound and is still gated after hours (hence our plan to make sure we got here in time). Across from the Gardens we could get some views (and photos) of ... President Jimmy Carter Home. It is the only house that the Carters ever owned, and the family occupied it from 1961 until Jimmy Carter's death in 2024. The house was built by the Carters in 1960 and 1961, and additional work on the home occurred in 1974 and 1981, with the addition of a porch, garage, and guest apartment. The Carters knocked down a wall themselves during remodeling of the house in the 2010s. Rosalynn Carter described the work of knocking down the wall as "second-nature" due to the couple's extensive work with the charity Habitat for Humanity. Heading a bit west of here we hit ... Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm (In the NHP, and President site). The Boyhood Farm, once owned by Earl Carter, Jimmy Carter's father, has a rich history dating back to 1928 when it came under the Carters' ownership. For over two decades, Earl Carter cultivated a variety of crops, including corn, cotton, peanuts, and sugar cane, alongside maintaining a large family garden. Young Jimmy Carter called this place home from the age of four until he left for college, and it holds some of his earliest and most cherished memories. Here we could take a nice walk around the place where Carter grew up. We saw the farm area with attractive old barn, windmill, tennis courts (surprisingly), and walked through his boyhood home with restored rooms. Mural Jimmy Carter. Showing Presidential Seal and other Carter images. Plains Depot. In 1976, the Plains Depot took on a new and exciting role in the town's history. It became the center for Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign, marking a pivotal moment in both local and national politics. During this time, approximately 10,000 people a day flocked to Plains, eager to learn more about candidate Jimmy Carter. It was at the Plains Depot that many state primary victories and, ultimately, the historic presidential victory were celebrated, echoing with the jubilant cheers of supporters in the streets around the depot. Also in the NHP. President Jimmy Carter Birthplace. Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924 at the Wise Sanitarium. He was the first U.S. president born in a hospital. Lillian Gordy Carter worked as a registered nurse when this was the Wise Sanitarium, one of the first small Georgia hospitals to receive accreditation.

The sign for this park section

A look at ...

... the Carter's grave

A close-up of Jimmy

Nice looking gardens ...

... with pretty flowers

A nice close-up

At the Carter Compound

A closer look ...

... and the front door

Sign for ...

... the Boyhood Farm

A look at the barn ...

... and boyhood home ...

... with bedroom ...

... kitchen ...

... and dining room

A look from the porch side

A Carter themed mural ...

... with Ken

Plains Depot ...

... with Carter info

A look down the tracks

Carter birthplace...

... now Lillian G. Carter Nursing Center

5/9/1996 ... drove to Atlanta to Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site [Historic District]. Here the whole section of Auburn is being restored by the NPS. Took a tour of MLK birth home - nicely restored, with period furniture and household items.

5/23/2023 Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Co. NHL. Built in 1891, this was the headquarters and bottling plant of the company, and where the transition from a soda fountain drink to a mass-marketed bottled soft drink took place. The building is now part of Georgia State University, and in the Martin Luther King, Jr. NHP.

The Dixie Coca-Cola building

Some park info ...

... about the NHS (now NHP)

Ken photos the NHL plaque

10/2/1997 ... on the way to Macon and Ocmulgee NM. Saw a film/exhibits about the Indians who lived here 1000 years ago, creating the burial mounds. Took a nice hike around some of the mounds (and on top of the Great Mound) and to the area where a trading post used to be.

National Historical Parks - Georgia