Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
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The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Ford served as a Representative in the House from 1949 to 1973. It is located at the intersection of Pearl and Scribner at 303 Pearl Street NW, near the Grand Valley State University Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
The museum opened in September of 1981. Unlike most other presidential libraries and museums, Ford's are two geographically separate buildings. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the campus of Ford's alma mater, the University of Michigan.
Following Ford's death on December 26, 2006, thousands of people paid tribute to the President on the grounds of the museum. A spontaneous memorial with candles, flags, flowers, and handwritten notes was set up at the Pearl Street entrance to the museum. During the night of January 2, 2007, through the morning of January 3, around 60,000 people viewed the casket as Ford lay in repose in the museum lobby. Ford was buried on the grounds of the museum later that day.
[edit] Trivia
- Ford signed over the papers of his public life while still in office. He was the first sitting president to do so.
- On January 3, 2007 President Gerald Ford was interred into the grounds of the museum. He is only the fifth president to be buried in federally operated property.
- Ford was also the only American president never to be elected to offices of president and vice-president.
[edit] Permanent exhibits
- Gerald Ford's America: Pop culture of the 1970's.
- Young Jerry Ford: His formative years to inauguration as vice president.
- Constitution in Crisis: The Watergate years.
- At Work in the Oval Office: A recreation of the Oval Office during Ford's years as President of the United States.
- Leadership in Diplomacy: Ford's foreign trips with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
- Ford Cabinet Room: A recreation of the Cabinet Room of the Ford Presidency. Videos highlight the pardon of Richard Nixon, the seizure of the SS Mayaguez, and the New York City financial crisis.
[edit] External links
| U.S. Presidential Libraries |
|---|
| Lincoln • Hayes • Wilson • Coolidge • Hoover • Franklin Roosevelt • Truman • Eisenhower • Kennedy • Johnson • Nixon • Ford Museum • Ford Library • Carter • Reagan • George H.W. Bush • Clinton • George W. Bush |
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
