"I was a relatively isolated and backward country boy from Archery, Georgia, and the life of a high school boy in Plains could have been a difficult and unproductive time. But Miss Julia Coleman was there…"

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter Visitor Center -

First time visitors to Plains, Georgia, encounter a pleasant surprise. Their natural instinct is to stop first at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site visitor center to learn more about the town where our 39^th President and his wife grew up. Instead of finding a modern building serving as a visitor center, they are pleased to discover the museum and visitor center located in the former Plains High School which is the school once attended by President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter.

This is similar to the school I went to is the response many have when first entering the historic building. Plains High School was built in 1921 and closed as a public school in 1979. After a six-year restoration project, the building was converted into a museum and reopened in 1996. Both President and Mrs. Carter attended all their public schooling in this building. Jimmy Carter was salutatorian of the class of 1941 and Rosalynn Carter was valedictorian of her class in 1944. Both graduated after completing grades one through eleven. A twelfth grade was added to the school in 1952.

The school has a rich history of educators and a progressive curriculum. The school was selected as a model school in the state of Georgia in the 1930s. Today it has a place distinction as one of Georgia’s state symbols like the state bird, the state tree, and state song. Plains High School, in 1997, was selected as the official state school of Georgia.

Just to the left after you enter the school is the principal’s office. There, two of young Jimmy’s most influential teachers presided: Principal and later Superintendent Julia L. Coleman and Coach and Principal Y.T. Sheffield. "Miss Julia", who taught in Plains from 1908 to 1958, especially instilled a love of music, art, and literature.

 In the next room, rows of old-fashioned desks with black cast-iron frames line up neatly on the polished wood floor of the high-ceilinged classroom. Transoms lean open above tall doors of dark wood. Sun streams past half-pulled window shades. It’s easy to imagine freckle-faced children fidgeting on a spring day, with Miss Julia competing against the sights, sounds, and scents of the outdoors drifting through open windows.

By the former President’s account, she was up to the challenge. He speaks warmly of her influence. Jimmy’s wife, Rosalynn recalls, "We had to be prepared for the outside world. She reminded us that in a country as great as ours, ‘any schoolboy, even one of ours, might grow up to be President of the United States.’ "

Museum-style displays fill other old classrooms. They trace Jimmy’s political career, the history of the town and the school, and the powerful pull that a small town like Plains (population 700) has exerted on its most famous son.

The visitor center also includes an audio-visual tour by Jimmy and Rosalynn of their house. Also, a 25-minute program is offered in the restored school auditorium to provide visitors with a good, overall history of the community that shaped the characters of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.

Fittingly, this Plains High School Museum and Visitor Center is much more than just a building to place on the itinerary of tourists. It is an educational resource for students. Through a partnership of the Georgia Department of Education, Sumter County Schools, and the National Park Service, an educational program is offered for students to visit the museum and spend the day learning in the same setting that challenged President and Mrs. Carter to excel. Teachers may contact the school for information and reservations. Materials may also be requested by teachers to be used in their classrooms if a visit to the historic site is not possible.

The story of the Plains High School underscores the difference between average educational opportunities and what can happen when teachers care to take innovative and remarkable steps in instructing their students. The story told in the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site Museum/Visitor Center is one of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things.

"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles."

Miss Julia Coleman

Superintendent of Plains High School 1927-1949

Quoted in President Carter’s Inaugural Address,

January 20, 1977