In 1975 when Jimmy Carter began his race for the Presidency, national attention was focused
on this small southern town. Plains, population 653, was a beehive of activities with press and tourists in the thousands crowding the streets.
Dateline: November 5, 1976, Daybreak Plains, Georgia
"Excitement at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Election Headquarters in the old Seaboard Railroad Depot is at a high fever. This tiny town is packed with thousands of people who have been up all night celebrating Mr. Carter's win. Fires burn in metal drums along the street, three bands have played during the night and a huge television screen mounted on
a building across from the depot has continuously flashed the election returns. It is impossible to drive in Plains; only residents that know back roads can get in or out of town.
Pandemonium breaks out anew as a motorcade from Atlanta arrives carrying Jimmy Carter, the first person to be elected President from the Deep South since the Civil War. As the sun rises over the horizon, President-elect Jimmy Carter addresses this tremendous crowd of supporters from the Railroad Depot as their upturned faces shine with enthusiasm, warmth, and pride."
Today, Plains is, once again, a quiet, peaceful small town (population 716) with business as usual and smaller numbers of tourist visiting a President's hometown hoping to get a glimpse of Jimmy Carter and to see this little southern town where a young boy grew up to become the 39th President of the United States.
The rural southern culture of Plains that revolves around farming, church and school had a large influence in molding Mr. Carter's character and in shaping his political policies.
For this reason, the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site and Preservation District was established to interpret the life and Presidency of Jimmy Carter and to preserve the history of this small rural southern town.
Plains High School (the official State School of Georgia) is the visitor center and museum for the
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, which
consist of 77 acres in Plains administered by the U.S. Department of Interior. The restored school where both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter attended is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visitors can see films, exhibits all depicting the history of Plains and the 39th President of the United States.
More than any President in recent years, Jimmy Carter is closely identified with his hometown. Americans marvel at how a man from such isolated, small-town upbringing came to broaden his horizons to eventually aspire to the highest office in the country. Even his hometown people were surprised by his decision to seek the Presidency.
"It was a little shocking that someone we knew wanted to be the President. Why not?" said Mrs. Maxine Reese, campaign manager at the Plains headquarters.
Why not, indeed! The townspeople of Plains rolled up their sleeves and eagerly set to work to help elect their native son to the Presidency. The Democratic National Committee was thrilled when the town of Plains put on a covered dish campaign dinner that raised one million dollars, the most ever raised at a single fundraising event. Hometown support was obvious when an eighteen-car passenger train dubbed the "Peanut Express (Special)," departed from the Plains depot filled to capacity with ecstatic passengers bound for the 39th Presidential Inauguration.
Other points of interest include his boyhood home on the outskirts of town, and the Carter's current residence.