DALLAS COUNTY HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
411 ELM STREET, DALLAS, TX 75202 jfk.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALEY PLAZA CHRONICLES THE ASSASSINATION AND LEGACY OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY; INTERPRETS THE DEALEY PLAZA NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT AND THE JOHN F. KENNEDY MEMORIAL PLAZA; AND PRESENTS CONTEMPORARY CULTURE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY.

EXHIBITIONSTHE MUSEUM'S MAIN EXHIBIT, JOHN F. KENNEDY AND THE MEMORY OF A NATION, OPENED IN 1989, AND IS LOCATED ON THE SIXTH FLOOR OF THE FORMER TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY BUILDING, WHERE SHELL CASINGS AND A RIFLE RELATED TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S ASSASSINATION WERE FOUND ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963. THE EXHIBIT IS DIVIDED INTO KEY HISTORICAL SECTIONS, PROVIDING VISITORS WITH INTRODUCTORY CONTEXTUAL OVERLAYS OF THE EARLY 1960S, JOHN F. KENNEDY'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND HIS STORY AS THE YOUNGEST PRESIDENT EVER ELECTED, HIS FAMILY LIFE, MILITARY SERVICE, AND EXPERIENCE AS A CONGRESSMAN AND U.S. SENATOR. THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUCH AS THE CREATION OF THE PEACE CORPS, NEW POLICIES TO AID LATIN AMERICA, AND THE CELEBRATION OF CULTURE AND THE ARTS (HIGHLIGHTED BY THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF THE WHITE HOUSE) ARE PRESENTED. THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION, SUCH AS EFFORTS TO CURTAIL ORGANIZED CRIME, THE COLD WAR AND CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, ARE FOLDED INTO A HISTORICAL BACKDROP FOR UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSE OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S VISIT TO TEXAS IN 1963 AND ITS POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE AS HE SOUGHT TO GALVANIZE THE STATE'S DEMOCRATIC SUPPORTERS IN ADVANCE OF HIS 1964 RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN. THE PRESIDENT'S RECEPTION IN DALLAS AND CONCERNS FOR HIS SAFETY DURING THE TRIP ARE COVERED, FOLLOWED BY DETAILS OF THE ASSASSINATION ITSELF AND ITS AFTERMATH, INCLUDING THE ARREST OF THE ACCUSED ASSASSIN, LEE HARVEY OSWALD, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT DEATH TWO DAYS LATER AT THE HANDS OF DALLAS NIGHTCLUB OWNER JACK RUBY, AND THE ROUND-THE-CLOCK MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE STORY. A SECTION IS ALSO DEDICATED TO THE MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS SURROUNDING THE CASE WHICH TRIED TO MAKE SENSE OF THE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY, EVIDENCE CAPTURED ON STILL AND HOME MOVIE CAMERAS, NEWS AND RADIO MATERIAL, FORENSIC AND BALLISTIC EVIDENCE.INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION TO THE MUSEUM IS A SELF-GUIDED TOUCH-SCREEN, MULTIMEDIA AUDIO TOUR THAT PROVIDES GUESTS WITH MORE INTERPRETIVE CONTENT AND CONTROL OVER THEIR TOUR EXPERIENCE. NARRATED BY PIERCE ALLMAN, THE FIRST JOURNALIST INSIDE THE BOOK DEPOSITORY BUILDING AFTER SHOTS WERE FIRED ON THE PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE, THE AUDIO TOUR INTEGRATES THE EXHIBIT'S DOCUMENTS AND ARTIFACTS INTO THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE AND PERMITS VISITORS THE OPTION OF LEARNING MORE ABOUT TOPICS THAT ARE OF SPECIFIC INTEREST TO THEM. THE TOUR BUILDS UPON VISITOR FEEDBACK GATHERED OVER THE YEARS TO BETTER INTERPRET THE VIEW OF DEALEY PLAZA FROM THE SIXTH FLOOR WINDOWS, AND PROVIDES MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LEE HARVEY OSWALD, JACK RUBY AND RELATED ARTIFACTS. THE TOUCH-SCREEN TOUR IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, JAPANESE, PORTUGUESE, MANDARIN CHINESE, AND AS A FAMILY TOUR GEARED TO FAMILY OR SCHOOL GROUPS WITH YOUNGER VISITORS WHO MAY BE UNFAMILIAR WITH TERMS SUCH AS SEGREGATION, THE COLD WAR, MOTORCADE, ETC. BOTH THE GENERAL AND FAMILY AUDIO TOURS HAVE BEEN ALIGNED WITH NATIONAL AND STATE CURRICULUM STANDARDS. AN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE VIDEO TRANSLATION OF THE AUDIO GUIDE IS AVAILABLE FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING VISITORS. THE EXHIBIT ALSO INCLUDES TOUCH-SCREEN INTERACTIVE STATIONS NEAR THE SNIPER'S PERCH WINDOW THAT ALLOW VISITORS TO EXPLORE MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE MOTORCADE ROUTE AND VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN DEALEY PLAZA. SIX FILMS FEATURED IN THE EXHIBIT EXPERIENCE BRING THE STORY ALIVE THROUGH HISTORIC FOOTAGE AND NARRATION. THE EXHIBIT'S CLOSING FILM, LEGACY, OFFERS A CONTEMPORARY LOOK AT PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S INFLUENCE ON CIVIL RIGHTS, SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY, THE ARTS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE.IN ADDITION TO THIS CORE EXHIBIT, TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS, EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED IN A FLEXIBLE, MULTI-PURPOSE SPACE ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR. SPECIAL EVENT RENTAL AND COMMUNITY USE IS AVAILABLE AS SPACE PERMITS. CHANGING TEMPORARY EXHIBITS TYPICALLY EXTEND ASPECTS OF TOPICS RELATED TO THE CORE STORY, SHOWCASING DIMENSIONS OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS AND ORAL HISTORIES NOT FEATURED IN THE PERMANENT EXHIBIT.COLLECTIONSAN INTENSIVE THREE-YEAR, WALL-TO-WALL INVENTORY PROJECT OF THE ARTIFACT COLLECTIONS RESULTED IN A MORE ACCURATE COUNT OF LARGER SUB-COLLECTIONS THAN PREVIOUSLY ESTIMATED. THE SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALEY PLAZA'S COLLECTIONS HOLDS MORE THAN 90,000 ITEMS RELATED TO THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY, THE LOCAL AND GLOBAL AFTERMATH OF HIS TRAGIC DEATH AND THE LEGACY OF HIS PRESIDENCY, WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOCUSED ON THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF MID-20TH CENTURY DALLAS BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE ASSASSINATION, THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE ASSASSINATION, AND THE HISTORY OF DEALEY PLAZA, THE TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY BUILDING AND THE JOHN F. KENNEDY MEMORIAL. THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS INCLUDE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS, MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES, THREE-DIMENSIONAL ARTIFACTS, ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS AND AUDIO-VISUAL RECORDINGS INCLUDING EARLY 1960S TELEVISION AND RADIO BROADCASTS, AMATEUR HOME MOVIES AND NEARLY 2,000 ORAL HISTORIES. THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION STRENGTHS RELATE DIRECTLY TO THE SUBJECT OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACY, AND THE MUSEUM STRIVES TO ACQUIRE MATERIALS THAT ARE UNIQUE, ENDANGERED, AND/OR PERTINENT TO THOSE SUBJECTS. IN KEEPING WITH THE MUSEUM'S MISSION AND VISION, THE COLLECTION PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDES MATERIALS RELATED TO KENNEDY'S LEGACY-SUCH AS CIVIL RIGHTS, THE SPACE RACE, ETC., AS WELL AS LOCAL DALLAS HISTORY. THE ONGOING ORAL HISTORY PROJECT ACTIVELY COLLECTS INTERVIEWS THAT OFFER NEW DIMENSIONS TO THE VAST VARIETY OF RELATED TOPICS. THE MUSEUM PROVIDES A BROAD RANGE OF ACCESS TO ITS COLLECTIONS, THROUGH EXHIBITIONS, PUBLIC PROGRAMMING AND WORKSHOPS, ON-SITE RESEARCH IN THE READING ROOM, AND INTERNET-BASED ACCESS THROUGH THE MUSEUM'S SEARCHABLE ON-LINE COLLECTIONS DATABASE. COLLECTION ITEMS ARE ALSO REGULARLY FEATURED IN SOCIAL MEDIA INITIATIVES. THE MUSEUM'S READING ROOM OVERLOOKS DEALEY PLAZA AND OFFERS A REFLECTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES SEEKING INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE ASSASSINATION AND LEGACY OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY. RESEARCHERS HAVE ACCESS TO MORE THAN 8,000 BOOKS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS AND VIDEOS, COVERING TOPICS RANGING FROM KENNEDY'S LIFE AND LEGACY TO CONSPIRACY THEORIES TO 1960S POP CULTURE. ACCESS TO THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION ITEMS IS AVAILABLE BY APPOINTMENT. RESEARCHERS DETERMINE WHICH ASPECTS OF THE COLLECTION THEY ARE INTERESTED IN BY ACCESSING THE MUSEUM'S ONLINE COLLECTION DATABASE, A DIGITAL RESOURCE WITH LINKS TO FILMS, NEWSPAPERS, ARTIFACTS, ORAL HISTORIES AND OTHER PERMANENT COLLECTION ITEMS, OR VIA DIRECT CONTACT WITH MUSEUM STAFF. EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAMSTHE MISSION OF THE SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALEY PLAZA IS REALIZED THROUGH ITS EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS. CREATIVE AND ENGAGING PROGRAMS ADVANCE THE MUSEUM'S COMMITMENT TO EDUCATING A DIVERSE PUBLIC, FULFILLING A RESPONSIBILITY TO EMPOWER STUDENTS, TEACHERS, ADULT, YOUTH AND FAMILY AUDIENCES TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THE PAST IS STILL RELEVANT. THIS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH LECTURES, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES, PANEL CONVERSATIONS, LIVE ORAL HISTORY PRESENTATIONS, AUTHOR EVENTS, FAMILY PROGRAMS, STUDENT CONTESTS, TEACHER TRAININGS AND INTERACTIVE VIDEOCONFERENCES THAT REACH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT TEXAS, THE UNITED STATES AND BEYOND. THE MUSEUM'S EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS ALLOW AUDIENCES TO EXPLORE SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE HISTORY OF THE KENNEDY PRESIDENCY, ASSASSINATION, AND LEGACY-PROVIDING DEEPER ENGAGEMENT WITH PERSONAL STORIES AND EXPERIENCES, AS WELL AS THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS. IN FY2019, EDUCATION FIELD STUDY TRIPS AND PROGRAMS ENGAGED 12,038 SCHOOL-AGED STUDENTS AND 2,456 ADULTS; AND SPECIAL EVENT PROGRAMMING WAS ATTENDED BY OVER 500 ATTENDEES.

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