Dallas County Historical Foundation

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 OPENED IN 1989 FEATURING THE CORE EXHIBIT, JOHN F. KENNEDY AND THE MEMORY OF A NATION. LOCATED ON THE SIXTH FLOOR OF THE FORMER TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY BUILDING, CRITICAL EVIDENCE WAS FOUND LINKED TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S ASSASSINATION ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963. THE EXHIBIT IS DIVIDED INTO KEY HISTORICAL SECTIONS WITH CONTEXTUAL OVERLAYS FOLLOWING THE PATH OF JOHN F. KENNEDY'S LIFE, POLITICAL CAREER, 1960 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, ELECTION, AND INAUGURAL ADDRESS; HIS YOUNG FAMILY AND LIFE IN THE WHITE HOUSE, AND KEY ADMINISTRATIVE CRISES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THE INITIAL REASONS LEADING TO KENNEDY'S NOVEMBER 1963 VISIT TO TEXAS ARE ADDRESSED; RECEPTION IN DALLAS; MOTORCADE IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS; DETAILS OF THE ASSASSINATION AND ITS AFTERMATH; MEDIA COVERAGE; MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS SURROUNDING THE CASE; EYEWITNESS TESTIMONIALS AND EVIDENCE CAPTURED ON STILL AND HOME MOVIE CAMERAS; FORENSIC AND BALLISTIC EVIDENCE; ETC., ONGOING QUESTIONS TODAY, AND IMPACT OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL LEGACY.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 PROGRAMSCREATIVE AND ENGAGING EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH AND PUBLIC PROGRAMMING ARE INTRINSIC TO THE MUSEUM'S MISSION TO SERVE A DIVERSE PUBLIC AND FULFILL A RESPONSIBILITY TO EMPOWER STUDENTS, TEACHERS, ADULTS, YOUTH, AND FAMILY AUDIENCES TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THE PAST IS ALWAYS RELEVANT TODAY. LECTURES, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES, PANEL CONVERSATIONS, LIVE ORAL HISTORY PRESENTATIONS, AUTHOR EVENTS, FAMILY PROGRAMS, STUDENT CONTESTS, TEACHER TRAININGS AND INTERACTIVE VIDEOCONFERENCES HELP ENGAGE SCHOOL AUDIENCES 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. IN FY2023 EDUCATION FIELD STUDY TRIPS AND PROGRAMS ENGAGED 10,206 STUDENTS AND ADULTS IN ADDITION TO 1,740 STUDENTS AND ADULTS SERVED THROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS.