Did You Know? By Brantley Partin

Wayne County Museum

President Lyndon Johnson arrived at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base on May 7, 1964 in Air Force One, a custom made Boeing 707. The President (holding his trademark Stetson hat) is walking with longtime North Carolina politician Terry Sanford, who served as governor during this period. The president followed a marathon schedule that day: He left the White House just after 8am and travelled first to Cumberland, Maryland followed by stops in Martinsburg, West Virginia; Columbus and Athens, Ohio; and Knoxville, Tennessee.

The President arrived at Seymour Johnson from Knoxville at 6pm. After short remarks to the crowd he flew by helicopter to the home of tenant farmer William Marlowe and then travelled by car to Rocky Mount. He returned to Seymour Johnson Base by helicopter, arriving just before 9pm and departing once again at 9:20, landing in Atlanta just after 11pm. After greeting a crowd at the hotel, the President’s day ended by midnight.

In November of 1963, President Kennedy’s term abruptly ended by assassination. Then Vice President Johnson finished out the term, but sought to retain the office in the 1964 election. For several preceding decades in state politics, North Carolina historically supported Democratic candidates, but at this time started shifting to Republican control.

Organizing the collection room at the Wayne County Museum, we stumbled across over 300 beautiful photographs that document local culture dating to the 1930s. Please help us identify people and locations. All the images are available at waynemuseum.org