Historic Treasures
Rescued From
THE FLAMES
Reagan Library Packed With Fascinating Exhibits
COLIN SIMPSON
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California
MAJOR items recalling momentous events in 20th Century history were preserved last month when the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was saved from a wildfire.
Whatever you think of Reagan and his politics, the library in Simi Valley, California, is a fascinating place to visit. There are blockbuster exhibits such as Air Force One and an armoured presidential limo, and small personal items such as Reagan’s collection of inspiring quotes.
Bizarrely, a herd of 500 goats was credited with helping to keep the flames at bay. They were released into the grounds in the spring to graze on scrubland that would otherwise have provided fuel for the fire.
Historic Treasures
Rescued From
THE FLAMES
Reagan Library Packed With Fascinating Exhibits
COLIN SIMPSON
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California
MAJOR items recalling momentous events in 20th Century history were preserved last month when the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was saved from a wildfire.
Whatever you think of Reagan and his politics, the library in Simi Valley, California, is a fascinating place to visit. There are blockbuster exhibits such as Air Force One and an armoured presidential limo, and small personal items such as Reagan’s collection of inspiring quotes.
Bizarrely, a herd of 500 goats was credited with helping to keep the flames at bay. They were released into the grounds in the spring to graze on scrubland that would otherwise have provided fuel for the fire.
Ronald Reagan, the US’s 40th president, served from 1981 to 1989. He was known for economic policies that were dubbed “Reaganomics”, and had previously been a Hollywood actor and governor of California.
The centre houses the records of his administration, amounting to a mind-boggling 63.6 million pages. But don’t let the name “library” give you a false impression. The opportunity to walk through a presidential jet, have a drink in a pub named after Reagan, and appear with him in a scene from a film make this a fun visit.
The exhibits and records are contained in a red-roofed, Spanish mission-style complex 64 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles. The dedication took place in 1991, and the project cost $57 million.
It is one of 12 presidential libraries – Richard Nixon’s is 133 kilometres away. While we were at the Reagan one we met a woman who planned to visit them all as a way of getting to know her country better.
As Brits, we found it all particularly interesting as we don’t have anything like it at home. There was once some talk of a library being set up for Reagan’s friend Margaret Thatcher, the former UK Prime Minister, but it came to nothing.
The centrepiece is the Air Force One Pavilion, a hangar containing the Boeing 707 used by Reagan and six other presidents between 1973 and 2001. Friendly and helpful docents (guides) are on hand as you make your way through the cabin.
Also on show in the pavilion is a Marine One presidential helicopter.
Reagan’s armour-plated limousine, a 1984 Cadillac, is displayed as part of a motorcade. It was built exclusively for presidential transport, and a sign next to the car says it appears courtesy of the Secret Service.
The Gipper license plate relates to Reagan’s nickname and his political slogan “win one for the Gipper”. Reagan played American football star George Gipp, known as the Gipper, in the 1940 movie Knute Rockne, All American.
Another impressive exhibit is a recreation of the Oval Office as it looked during the Reagan administration.
The more intimate items on display include the bible on which Reagan swore his oath of office at his two inaugurations. It belonged to his mother, Nelle Reagan, and contains notes written by her.
There is an album of quotes that Reagan wrote out on index cards over 40 years. They include the words of Aristophanes, Cicero and Gandhi, among many others, and Reagan drew on them when working on his speeches.
We are old enough to remember Reagan’s visit to the UK in 1982, and the sensation caused when he delivered a long speech without referring to notes. This was the first time we had seen someone use a teleprompter, a device that projects text onto a clear panel so that only the speaker can see it. Visitors to the library get to try it out while standing at a presidential lectern.
A quirky attraction is the Ronald Reagan Pub, where you can stop for a drink or a snack. This is a real pub from Ballyporeen in Ireland, Reagan’s ancestral home, where he downed a pint of beer during a visit in 1984. When the pub closed some years later it was dismantled and shipped to the library, where it was reassembled and installed close to Air Force One.
Of course, any site like this would not be complete without a gift shop, and sure enough a selection of Reagan clothing and other items is available.
You can also buy Ronald Reagan jelly beans. Reagan started eating these when he gave up pipe smoking in 1966, and they were supplied to the White House during his administration. He gave the beans to visiting heads of states, diplomats and other visitors in packaging similar to what is on sale in the shop.
Thirty years ago this month, the gates of the Berlin Wall were thrown open, and thousands of East Germans flooded into the west of the city. The fall of the wall on November 9, 1989, came two years after Reagan, in a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, made his famous appeal to the Soviet Union’s president: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” A section of the wall stands in the grounds of the library.
Also in the grounds is Reagan’s grave. He died aged 93 in 2004, and when his wife Nancy died in 2016 her body was interred next to his at a site overlooking the valley.
Leaders from around the world had sent messages of condolence to Mrs Reagan, and some, including this one from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, can be seen at the museum.
November 2019
MORE INFO
THE MUSEUM is sustained by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, and its site has information about the Reagans’ life and times, the presidency, and notable quotes and speeches. READ MORE
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LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH!
Historic Treasures Rescued From the Flames
Reagan Library Packed With Fascinating Exhibits
COLIN SIMPSON
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California
MAJOR items recalling momentous events in 20th Century history were preserved last month when the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was saved from a wildfire.
Whatever you think of Reagan and his politics, the library in Simi Valley, California, is a fascinating place to visit. There are blockbuster exhibits such as Air Force One and an armoured presidential limo, and small personal items such as Reagan’s collection of inspiring quotes.
Bizarrely, a herd of 500 goats was credited with helping to keep the flames at bay. They were released into the grounds in the spring to graze on scrubland that would otherwise have provided fuel for the fire.
Reagan, the US’s 40th president, served from 1981 to 1989. He was known for economic policies that were dubbed “Reaganomics”, and had previously been a Hollywood actor and governor of California.
The centre houses the records of his administration, amounting to a mind-boggling 63.6 million pages. But don’t let the name “library” give you a false impression. The opportunity to walk through a presidential jet, have a drink in a pub named after Reagan, and appear with him in a scene from a film make this a fun visit.
The exhibits and records are contained in a red-roofed, Spanish mission-style complex 64 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles. The dedication took place in 1991, and the project cost $57 million.
It is one of 12 presidential libraries – Richard Nixon’s is 133 kilometres away. While we were at the Reagan one we met a woman who planned to visit them all as a way of getting to know her country better.
As Brits, we found it all particularly interesting as we don’t have anything like it at home. There was once some talk of a library being set up for Reagan’s friend Margaret Thatcher, the former UK Prime Minister, but it came to nothing.
Also on show in the pavilion is a Marine One presidential helicopter.
Reagan’s armour-plated limousine, a 1984 Cadillac, is displayed as part of a motorcade. It was built exclusively for presidential transport, and a sign next to the car says it appears courtesy of the Secret Service.
The Gipper license plate relates to Reagan’s nickname and his political slogan “win one for the Gipper”. Reagan played American football star George Gipp, known as the Gipper, in the 1940 movie Knute Rockne, All American.
Another impressive exhibit is a recreation of the Oval Office as it looked during the Reagan administration.
The more intimate items on display include the bible on which Reagan swore his oath of office at his two inaugurations. It belonged to his mother, Nelle Reagan, and contains notes written by her.
There is an album of quotes that Reagan wrote out on index cards over 40 years. They include the words of Aristophanes, Cicero and Gandhi, among many others, and Reagan drew on them when working on his speeches.
We are old enough to remember Reagan’s visit to the UK in 1982, and the sensation caused when he delivered a long speech without referring to notes. This was the first time we had seen someone use a teleprompter, a device that projects text onto a clear panel so that only the speaker can see it. Visitors to the library get to try it out while standing at a presidential lectern.
A quirky attraction is the Ronald Reagan Pub, where you can stop for a drink or a snack. This is a real pub from Ballyporeen in Ireland, Reagan’s ancestral home, where he downed a pint of beer during a visit in 1984. When the pub closed some years later it was dismantled and shipped to the library, where it was reassembled and installed close to Air Force One.
Of course, any site like this would not be complete without a gift shop, and sure enough a selection of Reagan clothing and other items is available.
You can also buy Ronald Reagan jelly beans. Reagan started eating these when he gave up pipe smoking in 1966, and they were supplied to the White House during his administration. He gave the beans to visiting heads of states, diplomats and other visitors in packaging similar to what is on sale in the shop.
Thirty years ago this month, the gates of the Berlin Wall were thrown open, and thousands of East Germans flooded into the west of the city. The fall of the wall on November 9, 1989, came two years after Reagan, in a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, made his famous appeal to the Soviet Union’s president: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” A section of the wall stands in the grounds of the library.
Also in the grounds is Reagan’s grave. He died aged 93 in 2004, and when his wife Nancy died in 2016 her body was interred next to his at a site overlooking the valley.
Leaders from around the world had sent messages of condolence to Mrs Reagan, and some, including this one from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, can be seen at the museum.
November 2019
MORE INFO
THE MUSEUM is sustained by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, and its site has information about the Reagans’ life and times, the presidency, and notable quotes and speeches. READ MORE
RELATED
THE WARTIME BLOCKBUSTER MIDWAY has come under heavy bombardment from the critics. But another Midway you can go and see deserves sparkling reviews. READ MORE
HOME OF THE WESTERN: For nearly 100 years, Hollywood’s greatest stars have come to the small town of Lone Pine to make some of the best-loved movies and TV shows… READ MORE
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WELCOME TO OUR WORLD! Afaranwide’s home page – this is where you can find out about our latest posts and other highlights. READ MORE
TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS: Many of the world’s most popular tourists sites are closed because of the coronavirus crisis, but you can still visit them virtually while you’re self-isolating. READ MORE
SHIMLA, QUEEN OF THE HILLS: Government officials once retreated to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas to escape India’s blazing hot summers. Now tourists make the same journey. READ MORE
TEN THINGS WE LEARNED: Our detailed guide to creating a website, one step at a time. The costs, the mistakes – it’s what we wish we’d known when we started blogging. READ MORE
TROUBLED TIMES FOR EXPATS: Moving abroad can seem an idyllic prospect, but what happens when sudden upheavals or the inescapable realities of life intrude? READ MORE