The Assassination of John F. Kennedy and My Tour of the Sixth Floor Book Depository Museum

By Kenzie Fox (SMHS ‘19)

In my Honors US History class, I learned much about the the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In this regard, I specifically learned that:

• President Kennedy was assassasinatid on November 22, 1963.
• Kennedy was shot and killed, according to four government investigations, by Lee Harvey Oswald.
• ?Oswald fired the fatal shots from a downtown Dallas, Texas, 6th Floor, School Book Depository window, hitting the president in the back of the head while he was riding in a presidential motorcade through something called Dealy Plaza.”
• Oswald was arrested by the Dallas Police Department 70 minutes after the initial shooting.
• “At 11:21 a.m. November 24, 1963, as live television cameras were covering his transfer from the city jail to the county jail, Oswald was fatally shot in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters by Dallas nightclub operator Jack Ruby.
• Oswald died soon thereafter.
• Ruby was convicted of Oswald’s murder and Ruby died in prison in 1967.

After having learned all of the the above, my teacher encouraged me to locate some place more than fifty miles from the school that could teach me even more about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy . . . then go to that place, tour it, and write a 750–1000 History Travel Blog describing that tour.

In the History Travel Blog that appears below, I describe my tour of the Sixth Floor Book Depository Museum at Dealey Plaza — a place that chronicles the life, death and legacy of John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States.

The Sixth Floor Book Depository Museum at Dealey Plaza is located in Dallas, Texas, 1436 miles from my school, and I toured the museum while visiting Dallas with my family during my 2018 spring break.
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My name is Kenzie Fox and in my AP U.S. History class this past semester we learned about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Of all the things I’ve learned in this class this year, this was one of the most interesting. And to answer the question of why, I have to go back two summers ago. It was then, while on a family vacation, that we stopped in Springfield, Illinois go visit the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.

According to the site’s website” “Lincoln’s home in downtown Springfield has proved irresistible to visitors since it first opened to the public in 1887. Constructed in 1839 and beautifully restored to its 1860 appearance, the 12-room, Greek Revival house was Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s home for 17 years.

It’s the only home that Abraham Lincoln ever owned and he not only lived there, he also raised his children and practicing law there before he was elected President of the United States in 1860. This is also where he is buried and where his Presidential Museum was built.

When I was there, I visited his memorial and museum and I found it super interesting that he was assassinated. This was the beginning of my interest in the topic of Presidential assassinations.

Given this interest, when I read in my US History class textbook about the John F. Kennedy assassination, I was eager to learn more.

Given that interest and my learning a short time later that there was a museum all about Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas, where I coincidentally was going for my Spring Break, I asked my dad to buy the tickets needed to tour the Sixth Floor Book Depository Museum at Dealey Plaza.

My Tour of the Book Depository Museum

It was a lovely warm spring day in Dallas, Texas when my parents and I headed to The Sixth Floor Book Depository Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Before we went into the building, we walked around. Looking at the X’s on the street that marked where the shots hit was haunting.

There on the grass we ran into some who believed in one of five alternative theories as to who killed John F. Kennedy, but who don’t work for the museum. They had posters and binders full of facts and evidence about what they think “really” occurred.

After listening to them for a bit, we decided to go inside. There we had to wait in line for awhile. My mom joked that it was like we were at Disneyland, waiting in line for a ride and not knowing what to expect. Finally it was our turn to enter. A worker collected our tickets, gave us a headset, and we piled into a small elevator. Heading up to the 6th floor, I didn’t know what I would see when those doors opened. So many thoughts went through my head in that short elevator ride.

I couldn’t believe I was about to be on the same floor that Kennedy’s assassin had shot that rifle 55 years ago.

When I stepped off the elevator, the first thing I was told was that no one was allowed to take any pictures. Yet, I automatically started thinking of ways to sneak pictures because I knew I wanted them to look back on.

The Sixth Floor was set up sort of like a maze. You have to weave yourself through different areas. Every section is covered with pictures, artifacts and writing on the walls. Each section was labeled with a number, that you clicked on your headset and it would tell you about the specific information in front of you. In the beginning they talked about Kennedy before he was president. Then they talked about his presidency.

After that it explained his Texas trip which he would not return from. As I weaved through the museum, I felt as though I had traveled to the past. It seemed like the elevator was a time machine. I felt the same emotions Americans felt in 1963. Listening to audio of citizens tell their stories about that day, I could relate to their feelings. The room was almost silent, as everyone had their headphones on and listened quietly.

As I entered a new section of the floor, I saw a corner display of boxes blocked off by glass walls. This very corner was where Oswald took his deadly shots on the president. I looked out the window on to the street where Kennedy was shot. It was mind blowing to think all those years ago this is where everything changed. So many people woke up on November 22, 1963, thinking it would be just a normal Friday. However, in fact that day would not be normal. History would change forever, as that day the beloved President would take his last breath.

The Sixth Floor Book Depository Museum at Dealey was a fascinating museum. I highly recommend anyone to visit it, if they find themself in Dallas. I learned more about the logistics of the assassination, investigation, and how things continued after Kennedy’s death. I learned the Texas Governor, at the time, was hit by the first bullet but he survived. Another thing was Oswald was shot while being transported to his hearing, so there was never a confession or trial. Which means a lot of questions remain unanswered.

Click here, if you dare, to view a :53 second Youtube video clip entitled Lee Harvey Oswald Shot by Jack Ruby. Click here to view a 5:55 minute C-Span video describing the museum. And click here to view another Youtube video, this one lasting 2:34 minutes and entitled Dealey Plaza Then and Now.

Towards the end of the museum tour I noticed a wall display containing many different statistics. Most showed all the amazing things JFK had done for our country in just two years. There was also a study done asking varies questions about Kennedy and how he compared to other presidents. It is mind boggling to think how much more of an impact he could have had not only on America but also on the whole world if he had not been killed.