Jimmy Carter historic sites in Georgia get national historic park designation
A historic site in Georgia honoring former President Jimmy Carter is now a national historic park.
President Donald Trump signed the resolution into law Wednesday, upgrading the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site to Jimmy Carter National Historic Park, according to the White House.
The site features four locations, including Carter’s boyhood farm and the Plains Train Depot, in the former president’s hometown of Plains, about 50 miles southeast of Columbus. It’s now the third national historic park in Georgia, joining the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park in Atlanta and the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park in Macon.
Carter’s political rise put the small, rural town on the map beginning in 1970, when he was elected as Georgia’s governor.
“The tempo quickened tremendously by 1976 when Carter became the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States,” according to the National Park Service. “After his return from the presidency in 1981, Carter didn’t fade from the world scene because he undertook many projects to fulfill his ideals for public service and world peace.”
An effort to redesignate the Carter Historic Site as a national historic park was introduced in December 2019 by Rep. Sanford Bishop, WXIA reported. Outgoing Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler co-sponsored the bill, helping it pass in the Senate last year.
“Only in America could the son of a small-town peanut farmer become President of the United States,” Perdue said at the time. ”This designation will ensure Plains, Georgia continues to be a living monument to the Carters and their lifetime of service. I’m proud to stand with the entire Georgia delegation in preserving President Carter’s legacy for generations to come.”
Carter served as the nation’s 39th president from 1977 to 1981.
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Jimmy Carter historic sites in Georgia get national historic park designation."