Only future history will reveal how President Bill Clinton’s administration is viewed and rated. The sex scandal that led to his becoming only the second President in American history to be impeached is just too fresh in our minds. But even with the periodic scandals that marred his administration from 1993-2001, Clinton still ranks high in the list of all-time greatest Presidents and left office with relatively high approval ratings. His accomplishments in the areas of foreign and domestic policy have been unmatched since the days of Ronald Reagan. In my view, he was also the most fiscally responsible President that we have had in the last 50 years.
Personally, I think that Bill Clinton was and is a good man who left the country better than he found it. He continues to do a great deal of charitable work as an active ex-President. I am still holding out hope that one day I will get to meet our nation’s 42nd United States President, but until that day comes, I’ll have to happy with visiting some of the key sites to the life of Bill Clinton.
Monday, July 4, 2011 – Bill Clinton birthplace – As an admirer of President Clinton, it was apropos for me to be visiting the town of Clinton’s birth in Hope, Arkansas, on Independence Day. My girlfriend Jamie and I rolled into town that morning and hit all of the Clinton sites relevant to his early life. One of the most unusual was the site of his birth. Born William Jefferson Blythe on August 19, 1946, Clinton was only the second President to have been born in a hospital. Unfortunately, of the now-four hospitals claiming a Presidential birth, this is the only one no longer standing.
I had done internet research for several years trying find out whether there was a marker on the location of the actual birthplace, but didn’t come across a photo of it until right before trip. Turns out that the site of the Julia Chester Hospital where he was born now has the Brazzel Oakrest Funeral Home sitting on it. Fortunately, there is a plaque under an American flag noting the location’s importance to history – but oddly, the plaque does not face the road, but the funeral home.
Overview of the former location of the Julia Chester Hospital. The plaque is located under the flag.
The plaque and me
Bricks that were part of the original structure can be found at the site of Bill Clinton’s second boyhood home.
Physically, this is all that it left of the Julia Chester Hospital. The bricks in this monument were taken from there. This is sitting in the front yard of Bill Clinton’s second home.
Monday, July 4, 2011 – Bill Clinton’s First Boyhood Home – Sadly, the biological father of William Jefferson Blythe was killed in a car accident before his son was born. Therefore, his mother moved back into the home of her parents, and eventually left young Bill to live with them while she was working in New Orleans. Although for years, this location in Hope, Arkansas, was touted as the Bill Clinton birthplace, he was actually born in a local hospital (see notes above).
Less than three months before our arrival, President Bill Clinton himself was onsite to dedicate the birthplace home to the National Park Service.
Displays in the visitor center of the Birthplace Home
The side of the former Clinton home. The opening at the top wasn’t an escape hatch; it was where a box fan could be placed during the summer.
On the front porch of the house
Young Bill would live in this home for the first four years of his life, before his mother Virginia married Roger Clinton (hence the last name of Bill Clinton). Even after the new family moved to another house in Hope, young Bill would often come back and visit his Grandparents in this home on South Hervey Street. This was the house that he himself always considered ‘his childhood home’.
We had a nice tour of the house, which had been decorated and restored to resemble the time period when Bill Clinton was a child. Bill’s mother Virginia actually helped to point out where things were located within the home. There were no areas off-limits and photos were welcome, so I got plenty in all of the rooms of the home.
Bill had his crib in the master bedroom where he stayed with his mother as an infant
Bill Clinton’s room as he got older. His grandparents bought him the desk so he could work on ‘becoming President’.
One of little Billy Blythe’s children’s books
The household lounge
In the Clinton living room. Bill’s Mom helped them get the decor right.
Monday, July 4, 2011 – Bill Clinton’s Second Boyhood Home – Once Bill Clinton’s mother re-married, she and her husband Roger moved along with Bill into another house in Hope, Arkansas. This one was not currently open to the public, and was actually occupied by a local handicapped man. The agreement with the city is that he will keep the house up and in turn they let him live in it. With this understanding in mind, it is perfectly permissible to go up to the porch of the house for photos. There are even handouts there highlighting the other locations in Hope.
The Clinton’s lived in this home from 1950 – 1953, at which time they re-located to Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Because of noise from the highway traffic, filming for this interview was moved from the Birthplace Home to the second boyhood home
The second boyhood home in Hope
Monday, July 4, 2011 – Other Bill Clinton Sites in Hope, Arkansas – It was a holiday as Jamie and I made our way around Hope, Arkansas, so there didn’t appear to be much going on. We did, however, find a couple of other interesting sites that related to the life of President Bill Clinton. The first was the Brookwood Elementary School, where young Bill attended first grade. The school was still open for business, but was closed at the time for summer vacation.
I looked all over town to find this sign!
Brookwood Elementary, clearly proud of their heritage
In the local Hope Cemetery known as Rose Hill are the graves of Bill Clinton’s parents William Jefferson Blythe and Virginia Clinton Kelley. We made a quick visit here to check out the graves, which are located inside a small fenced-in area (that is quite easy to scale), and pay our respects.
The easily scalable fence surrounded the graves of Bill Clinton’s parents and grandparents
The graves of Clinton’s parents
Tuesday, July 5, 2011 – Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock, Arkansas – Bill Clinton had served an interrupted term as Governor of the State of Arkansas from 1979-81 (as the 40th Governor), and from 1983-92 (as the 42nd). Clinton’s was the 7th family to occupy the mansion since it opened in 1950. There were several remnants of the Clintons’ occupancy, including a library of books that were donated by the President.
The Governor’s Mansion. We had to be buzzed in like real important folk.
Little Rock or bust! This Clinton tribute may be found in the front yard of the mansion near the front gate.
Great seal rug in the foyer
Photo of Clinton and other Governors of Arkansas taken in the living room
The same living room. Note the funny painting.
Library of books that were collected by Bill Clinton during his twelve years of living in the Governor’s Mansion
During Governor Mike Huckabee’s administration, extensive additions were made to the mansion, placing the outdoor balcony (from which Bill Clinton first announced that his running mate would be Al Gore), on the inside of an extended ballroom area.
This once-outdoors balcony is now enclosed in the new addition of the mansion. From here, Bill Clinton announced for the first time that his running mate would be Al Gore.
Gubernatorial portrait of Bill Clinton in the new addition to the mansion
I had arranged a semi-private tour of the residence, and it was fun to check out the indoors and grounds of this historic location.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011 – The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park – It pains me to say it, but out of the seven Presidential Libraries that I have visited to date, this one was by far the weakest. It was the architecture and layout that bothered me the most. Instead of having a distinct flow of displays like a museum should, this one was almost like a wide-open warehouse, with small glass displays of various chapters in the Clinton administration. Very little information was given about Clinton’s life before or after the Presidency.
Visiting my 7th Presidential Library
And worst of all was that the revolving exhibit that was stationed there for the summer was devoted to Elvis Presley – which I had a hard time relating to anything in the political or Presidential realm. There was a display of Elvis relics (some from the collection of Bill Clinton himself) and a photographic display called “Elvis at 21”.
The Elvis display signs were unfortunately prominent outside the museum
Jamie and I had a nice lunch in the museum restaurant (which was simply called Forty Two) before we started our tour. Although not under any tremendous time contraints, we were only in the museum for an hour and fifteen minutes – and that included the 15-minute film showing, as well as a viewing of Bill Clinton’s incredibly funny skit of The Final Days, in which he feigned boredom as his administration wound down. This was actually the highpoint of the visit. About the only thing in this museum that was in line with the others was a reproduction of the Oval Office, built to re-create the office at the time that Bill Clinton resided there.
The Cadillac Fleetwood Presidential Limosuine – built in 1993 and used by Bill Clinton during his administration
Amongst the displays in the Clinton Presidential Library. The binders were a miniscule portion of the Presidential papers stored in the Library.
The Clinton Oval Office reproduction
Presidential China
The abandoned Rock Island Railroad Bridge over the Arkansas River, as seen from the Bill Clinton Library
I desperately wanted the Library to be better, but it just simply wasn’t. And if there wasn’t enough to complain about inside, the gift shop was located in a building separate from the Library itself – one that a free shuttle (ie. golf cart) would drive you too. If it weren’t for the magnet I needed, I wouldn’t have even gone there. Sorry, Bubba… great President, crummy museum.
Continue to the next President…
Return to Monday 2011 in Arkansas…
Return to Tuesday 2011 in Arkansas…
Monica Lewinsky’s blue dress wasn’t on display? And not even one cigar?
Bill
September 22nd, 2011
I always thought Bill Clinton and Elvis Presley were one in the same…talk about hiding in plain sight!
When is the second comeback tour?
Dave Chasteen
September 23rd, 2011