U.S. History: Presidential Libraries & Museums

Experience history like never before. Step inside key moments in Lincoln's life, from triumph to tragedy. Explore immersive displays and shows that drive home the human costs of slavery and war. Connect with Lincoln and his family through artifacts that can't be found anywhere else in the world. You'll feel like you're walking in Lincoln's shoes.

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum was opened to the public on August 10, 1962, Mr. Hoover's 88th birthday. In 1992 the museum increased in size from 32,000 to 44,500 square feet. The permanent galleries tell the story of Hoover's fifty years of public service and the large temporary gallery features changing exhibits. The Library and Museum also includes a 180 seat autitorium, a multi-purpose room and a conference room.

The collections at the library contain personal and family papers, manuscripts related to his public career at the state and national level, photographs, sound and motion picture recordings, books, and periodicals. FDR also had a vast memorabilia collection, including ship models, prints and paintings, state gifts, gifts from the American people, and family items.

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum is a dynamic educational resource that inspires life-long learning, spurs discussions about democracy and service, and supports local, national, and global citizenship. The Library uses President Truman’s life and legacy to inform, inspire, educate, and engage modern audiences about his timeless wisdom and significant contributions from which the world continues to benefit.

The Eisenhower Presidential Library is home to a world-class research facility that caters to scholars and history enthusiasts from around the world.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is dedicated to the memory of our nation's thirty-fifth president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world.

The mission of the LBJ Presidential Library is "to preserve and protect the historical materials in the collections of the library and make them readily accessible; to increase public awareness of the American experience through relevant exhibitions and educational programs; to advance the LBJ Library's standing as a center for intellectual activity and community leadership while meeting the challenges of a changing world."

The Nixon Library's primary mission is educate and inform. They serve the public interest by displaying in their permanent and temporary galleries, and preserving and making available for research on-line and through the on-site research operation, the documents and audiovisual materials of President Nixon's life and times.

The Gerald R. Ford Library collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public a rich body of archival materials on U.S. domestic issues, foreign relations, and political affairs during the Cold War era, focusing on the Ford administration. At the core of the Museum is the permanent exhibit, which allows visitors to experience highlights from President and Mrs. Ford's lives. The exhibit teaches democratic citizenship and allows for quiet reflection. In addition to the permanent exhibits, changing temporary exhibits draw artifacts from Museums all over the country.

Continuously, the Jimmy Carter Library actively solicits material of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, major figures in the Carter administration, the Carters’ political or close personal friends, figures of secondary importance with significant aspects of the Carter administration, and President Carter’s family. Today, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library houses 40,000,000 pages, 1,000,000 photographs, 2,200,000 feet of film, and 2,500 hours of video.

As a Presidential Library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Reagan Library, under the authority of the Presidential Records Act, is the repository of presidential records for President Reagan's administration. The Library’s holdings include over 60 million pages of documents, over 1.6 million photographs, a half million feet of motion picture film, tens of thousands of audio and video tape, and over 40,000 artifacts.

The mission of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University is to preserve and make available the records and artifacts of George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States. They promote civic literacy and increased historical understanding of the national experience, and foster a community of public service and volunteerism.

The museum collection at the Clinton Presidential Library includes over 100,000 objects and works of art. The Clinton family received gifts from everyone imaginable including citizens of the United States and foreign heads of state. The collection also includes objects collected by the museum since President Clinton left office, including those related to his life and presidency and items from his campaigns for President.

Located on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum serves as a resource for the study of the life and career of George W. Bush, while also promoting a better understanding of the Presidency, American history, and important issues of public policy.