Whether you love them or hate them, each U.S. president has undeniably left a unique legacy behind—including thousands of documents and artifacts. There are currently 15 U.S. presidential libraries overseen by the Office of Presidential Libraries in the National Archives and Records Administration. Each houses and exhibits the papers, outfits, and other ephemera left behind by former presidents (the newest, dedicated to Barack Obama, is the first fully-digital presidential library).
At the dedication of his library in 1971, 36th President Lyndon B. Johnson said, “It is all here: The story of our time with the bark off ... This library will show the facts, not just the joy and triumphs, but the sorrow and failures, too.”
This library and museum sits 130 miles northeast of Clinton's birthplace and houses artifacts and timelines detailing what life was like for the 42nd president. Permanent displays include replicas of both the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, and the presidential limousine which was custom built by Cadillac in the early '90s.
The National The Carter Presidential Library was built in Atlanta, fulfilling the 39th president's wish to have his library "someplace in Georgia." Open since 1986, the Jimmy Carter Library continues to add to its collection, which includes 40 million pages, 1 million photographs, and more than 2,000 hours of video.
Located in Truman’s hometown of Independence, Missouri, The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Kansas City region. It’s set to reopen sometime in 2021 following massive renovations. Among its collections, the museum features many of Truman’s personal letters and documents from the 7 million pages he donated to the U.S. government.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library is located on the grounds of the boyhood home of the 34th president in Abilene, Kansas. On the library’s 22-acre campus, you’ll find a 25,000-square-foot museum, a Place of Meditation, and the six-room house where Ike and his siblings grew up.
