Day of Remembrance 2015

Wreath placed at John F. Kennedy's birthplace to mark the 50th anniversary of his death

NPS

News Release Date: November 17, 2015

Contact: Jim Roberts, 617-566-7937

 Brookline, Mass.-- John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site will open for a special day of remembrance on Sunday, November 22. The site will be open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Self-guided tours of JFK's birthplace will be available throughout the day. At 11:00 AM, the site will conduct a brief memorial ceremony to honor the legacy of President Kennedy. The ceremony will be held in front of the birthplace on Beals Street.

In 1963, the Town of Brookline paid "Final Tribute To Its Most Eminent Son" with a large memorial service in front of the president's birthplace at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. Town officials, church leaders, Brookline High School students, and citizens gathered at 83 Beals Street to pay their respects. The house, a private resident at that time, was repurchased by the Kennedy family in 1966 and gifted to the National Park Service in 1969. 

John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS preserves the birthplace and early boyhood home of the 35th President of the United States. The modest house was the first home shared by the president's parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy. John F. Kennedy, the second of nine children, spent his formative years in Brookline as his family began its rise to national prominence. In 1966, Mrs. Kennedy returned to 83 Beals Street to commemorate her son's life, recreating his birthplace to her recollection of its 1917 appearance. Today, National Park Rangers provide tours of the nine-room house where Kennedy family furnishings, photographs, and mementos personally collected and arranged by the president's mother are on exhibit. 

Except for the special November 22 opening and Presidents Day on February 15, 2016, the site is closed for the winter and reopens to the public on May 21, 2016. During the regular season, park rangers offer guided tours of the house and JFK's boyhood neighborhood. Children ages 5 - 12 are encouraged to participate in the site's Junior Ranger program. Printed materials are available in Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, and Spanish. For more information, call [phone] or visit www.nps.gov/jofi.