The U.S. president who lived in Plains public housing

PLAINS – In 1953, Jimmy Carter retired from the U.S. Navy and moved back to his hometown to take over the family business from his late father.

Upon returning, the Carter family did not have assured income and applied for an apartment in a new public housing community, Dura Apartments. They qualified and moved into Unit 9A – the first family to take up residence in the complex. The family lived there a little over a year. 

“Our apartment in the government housing project was small but comfortable,” Carter wrote in his book, “A Full Life.” 

In 1986, Unit 9A was dedicated as a place of historical significance, with Carter’s permission. For years, a plaque marked the apartment, located on Paschal Street in Plains. However, in 2019, the Americus Housing Authority and Plains Historic Preservation Trust began working to turn the site into a museum. George Edge, the CEO of the Americus Housing Authority said he wanted to restore the apartment to reflect the time period the Carters lived there and to shine a light on an important piece of Jimmy Carter’s story.

“It’s an amazing story that the 39th president of the U.S. lived in public housing,” Edge said. “It models what public housing’s intent is – a stepping stone to something greater. That’s exactly what the Carters used it for. They lived there for that period and moved on and ultimately to the White House.”

The apartment restoration was completed in July, and a rededication ceremony was held in conjunction with Carter’s 100th birthday celebration. His son, Chip Carter, was the keynote speaker. The plan is to have the site available for tours by the spring. 

Stepping inside Unit 9A begins a trip back in time to 1953. The tiny living room displays the original couch the Carters used when they lived in the apartment. Family photos, period magazines and memorabilia, and a furnace reminiscent of the one the Carters used to heat the home also fill the space.

Much of the artifacts that fill the home were acquired by the Plains Historic Preservation Trust. Annette Wise, a president of the trust and Plains native, said she began accumulating items donated from the Carter family, community members and other treasures found throughout Georgia about six years ago.

The Housing Authority closely followed original floor plans for the unit and conducted paint analyses, transforming the walls into their original colors – a deep green living room and bright yellow kitchen. 

Wise also worked closely with Rosalynn Carter to design the museum. Wise walked through the apartment with the former first lady and recorded her as she remembered bits and pieces of her family’s time in Unit 9A: curtains she had sewn, a tiny kitchen table tucked in a corner and a Japanese doll the family brought back from Hawaii from a young Japanese woman who helped care for the Carter children. 

“She said the young woman had changed her perspective on WWII and the interaction between the U.S. and Japan,” Wise said. “She had a totally different idea, knowing somebody personally whose family had experienced that.”

When it came to transforming the kitchen to its original appearance, Wise said Rosalynn Carter worked alongside her with a sponge and a bucket.

The closets in the unit are filled with 1950s clothing, including dresses worn by the former first lady. The master bedroom has a vintage camera on the bedside table, reflecting Jimmy Carter’s love for photography. The boys’ rooms have old toys and a Roy Rogers quilt. 

Wise said she hopes future visitors to the museum get a sense of how simple the Carters’ life was at the time.

“It was a small apartment that had a tremendous impact,” she said. “I think public housing’s mission is to be a place for people to get back on their feet and move above and beyond.”

Edge, who is a native of Plains and who witnessed Carter’s run for presidency, said it was totally fulfilling to create the museum. 

“I think this is one of the last pieces of the legacy of President Carter that has yet to be completely told,” he said. 

Edge said throughout Jimmy Carter’s presidency and after he was an advocate for affordable housing. Carter worked closely with Habitat for Humanity, a global nonprofit organization that helps families build or improve affordable housing. He and Rosalynn Carter personally helped build or remodel 4,447 homes in 14 countries. 

Edge said a website to book tours of the unit is being worked on. Members of the Plains Historic Preservation Trust will give tours. He said he’s excited to host school groups to give students a chance to learn about the Carters’ time in Plains Public Housing. 

“This is the last piece of the puzzle. This is where it all started,” Edge said. “From being a chairperson on the Board of Education, to the Senate, to governorship and ultimately to the presidency, Unit 9A was a very important piece of the whole legacy.”