A slice of Texas … part 5 - A visit to the Texas School Book Depository
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy along with interpreting the Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark District and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza. At the time of the assassination, the building was known as the Texas School Book Depository. The building is now known as the Dallas County Administration Building.
The museum, on both the sixth and seventh floor, contains artifacts, photographs, documentary films, areas where evidence from the shooting was found, eyewitness accounts, and interactive educational programming. The collection - which continues to grow – includes approximately 45,000 items. The picture above shows the area where Lee Harvey Oswald is thought to have fired the fatal shots … at the top of the building, in the corner on the right side of the photo.
Below are photos of various plaques along the plaza - near the area of the grassy knoll that was also considered a possible site for the shooting …
This picture is from the front of the museum’s brochure.
For many, the museum is simply an interesting historical exhibit. However, as I walked through the exhibit and watched the documentaries, I was taken back in time … back to the hallways of the Princeton Junior High School. It was Friday and everyone was excited for the end of the week. An announcement came over the speaker system. The principal’s voice was shaky and very solemn. He announced that the President had been assassinated and school was being dismissed early. What? How could that be? The President was dead?! The hallways were in pandemonium … students crying, dropping their books, hugging one another … We were sent home to try to understand what had happened.
The following Sunday morning, I was standing in our living room, watching the news coverage (on our black and white TV) of agents moving Lee Harvey Oswald to another location. And, there - right before my eyes, Jack Rudy moved forward and shot Lee Harvey Oswald. I wasn’t sure I saw what I saw … I was stunned. I had just witnessed the first live murder in TV history. And so began our introduction to adulthood …
The photos below were taken from the 7th floor window, next to the area where Lee Harvey Oswald was hiding between piles of stacked books …
This shows the cross street …
And the plaza features …
This is the street where the President’s limousine sped away en route to the hospital, escorted by secret service …
The vehicle in this photo approximates the location of the car carrying JFK when he was assassinated …
And here is the proverbial “X” marks the spot - the location of the shooting …
If you are ever in Dallas, it is worth a trip to the Sixth Floor museum - forever known as the Texas School Book Depository.
Coming Next: A slice of Texas … part 6 - The Dallas Museum of Art.