LiveNOW’s Andrew Craft checks in with FOX 5 Atlanta’s Deidra Dukes as mourners continue to visit Jimmy Carter as he lies in repose at the Carter Center in Georgia.
WASHINGTON – Former President Jimmy Carter died on December 29, 2024 at the age of 100, prompting a state funeral in Washington and plans for a burial at his beloved in Plains, Pennsylvania, Georgia, the Carter Center announced.
As the country prepares to honor its 39th president, Carter’s death adds another crack to the history of presidential burial sites that stretches from Mount Vernon to the elegant presidential libraries.
FILE – Mourners view the casket of former President Jimmy Carter as it rests at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on January 6, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo via Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
The backstory: The burial places of U.S. presidents have evolved over time, reflecting changes in tradition and how we memorialize our nation’s leaders.
Early presidents often chose to be laid to rest on their family estates, a practice started by George Washington at Mount Vernon and followed by fellow Virginians Thomas Jefferson at Monticello and James Madison at Montpelier.
However, the 20th century saw an evolution toward presidential libraries as the ultimate resting place for fashionable presidents, beginning with Herbert Hoover in West Branch, Iowa. These establishments serve as record repositories and museums, celebrating the lives and legacy of the leaders they honor.
Today, presidents have the choice of being buried at their presidential libraries, historic family estates, or private family plots, each option offering a unique way to remember and honor their contributions to the nation.
By the numbers:
Early Presidents (1-10):
Presidents of the mid-nineteenth century (11-20)
Late 19th-Early 20th Century Presidents (21-30)
Modern Presidents (31-39)
The Source: Information from National Archives records, presidential library documentation, Arlington National Cemetery historical records, Baaron’s Hill historical database of presidential burial sites, and the Carter Center announcements.