The Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas

This unique museum is devoted to the life, career, and assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Travelers come from around the world to learn more about the building that was once the Texas School Book Depository, the investigation and controversy following the assassination, and the tributes paid to JFK by countries around the globe.

The mood is here almost church-like. Visitors quietly view the exhibits, many in their own private world as they listen to an audio guided tour program through headsets. Talk is hushed; photography is not permitted.

Although the 9,000-square-foot museum occupies the floor where the alleged assassin hid, exhibits here focus on more than the events of November 22, 1963. The 1960 presidential campaign, the space race, and domestic turmoil are explored in displays and a brief film looks at the 1000 days of the Kennedy presidency. Approaching the fateful trip to Dallas, another display covers the political reasons for the trip to Texas, with television footage on the reception the Kennedys received on their arrival.

These exhibits unfold to a display of still photos showing the motorcade's approach to Dealey Plaza. These photos were made from amateur movies, including the Zapruder film, the home movie taken by a Dallas businessman that became the second-by-second record of the shooting. In this display, as in all the exhibits at The Sixth Floor, only non-violent photos are shown.

The photo display ends at a UPI teletype machine that gave the world the first news of the assassination.

This machine now sits near the corner window, the vantage point from where Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot the President.

Today the corner is recreated to look as it did when investigators discovered it, with cardboard boxes used to store schoolbooks pushed to create a hiding place in the southeast corner.

Events moved quickly following the assassination, and they are detailed in exhibits on "The Crisis Hours," "The Oath of Office," and "National and World Response."

The television announcement of the President's death by Walter Cronkite is replayed here alongside a photo of Lyndon Baines Johnson as he takes the presidential oath with Jacqueline Kennedy standing by his side.

In the years since the assassination, many questions have arisen about Oswald and possible conspiracies. The museum examines the various theories and possible motives in a section called "Who Did It?" Witnessing these exhibits sometimes has a profound effect on visitors, who recall the day in their own lives when they first heard the news. As an outlet for these emotions, the historical foundation maintains "memory books." Moved by the museum, visitors share their personal reflections.

Location:

• The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. 411 Elm at Houston St. in West End Historic District.
• visit www. jfk.org

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