The Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas, Texas

Yesterday we went back into Dallas to visit The Sixth Floor Museum in Dealey Plaza. Formerly the Texas Schoolbook Depository, this is where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots that killed President John F. Kennedy, and has since been turned into a museum which chronicles the presidency, assassination, and legacy of JFK. I was just 7 years old on that fateful November day in 1963, and I only have one or two concrete recollections of the impact this horrific event had on the people around me. My "memories" of this day are based mostly on what I learned over time, and many years after the actual event. As time went on, I learned much about the Kennedy's, JFK's presidency, and the events leading up to and following his assassination in school, film, and even literature, but actually having the chance to visit this historic place took my accumulated knowledge and scant memories to a whole new dimension. I was flooded with emotion as Dan and I retraced the parade route where JFK took his last breaths. Actually standing just feet away from where Oswald fired his rifle, looking out the same window, and trying to imagine what could possibly have driven him to take those shots was eerie and disturbing. So much is still unclear about Oswald and his motives, and with more questions than answers, it's unlikely the whole truth will ever be known. Below I have included pieces of this unsolved puzzle, including pictures of the Schoolbook Repository building, photos of the 1st shot, the famous Zapruder picture, the two "X's" in the middle of Elm Street that mark the spots where the President was shot, the infamous Grassy Knoll, and pictures of the outside and inside of the window the fatal shots were fired from. There are also a couple pictures of the JFK Memorial Plaza and Dealey Plaza.