Park reveals 1st look at Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's burial site

(Jimmy Carter National Historic Park)

The Jimmy Carter National Historic Park has shared a first look at the former president and first lady Rosalynn Carter's resting place.

The Carters are buried next to each other in their hometown of Plains, Georgia.

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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's burial site 

The backstory:

Carter died on Dec. 29, 2024 at the age of 100, living so long that two of the eulogies at his funeral in Washington, D.C. were written by people who died before him — his vice president, Walter Mondale, and his presidential predecessor, Gerald Ford.

After nearly a week of ceremonies in both the nation's capital and across Georgia, Carter's last service was at Maranatha Baptist Church, the small edifice where he taught Sunday school for decades. His casket sat beneath a wooden cross he fashioned in his own woodshop.

Following a final ride through his hometown, past the old train depot that served as his 1976 campaign headquarters, Carter was interred on family land in a plot next to Rosalynn, who died in 2023. 

Dig deeper:

The Carter Home and Garden is part of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park, which also includes his boyhood home and farm, the high school where he graduated, and Plains United Methodist Church, where he and Eleanor Rosalynn Smith were married in 1946.

Carter hand-built the one-story home in 1960, long before he considered becoming a politician, and expanded it to accommodate their growing family. It is the only home that he and Rosalynn ever owned. 

While the home is part of the park, it remains a private residence.

What we know:

The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park received permission from the family to share the first public images of the Carters' final resting place on Facebook.

Both gravestones were modest and looked onto the pond that the couple built themselves and fished in.

Park officials say the couple's burial markers are modeled after the simplicity of Richard and Patricia Nixon’s markers.

Jimmy Carter's headstone describes his achievements simply, referencing his time as a Georgia state senator and governor, president, and co-founder of the Carter Center. Rosalynn's is very similar, mentioning her time as first lady, and her work at the Carter Center and as the founder of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. 

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(Jimmy Carter National Historic Park)

What's next:

The area is currently closed to visitors, but plans are in the works to open the grounds of the Carters' home to the public for tours.

The Source: Information for this story came from a Facebook post the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park, previous FOX 5 reporting, and the Associated Press.

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