John F. Kennedy Birthplace
42.347019°N 71.123361°W

6/26/2012 4:59:21 PM

The birthplace of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, is located at 83 Beals St. Brookline Mass. He lived there until he was three years old. Today it is a museum open to the public.

Joseph and Rose Kennedy bought the home in 1914 just after they were married. They lived there until 1920 when the growing family needed more space (they moved to a larger home a few blocks away on the corner of Abbottsford and Naples). At the time, Joseph Kennedy was president of the Columbia Trust Bank, and he used a new Model T Ford to commute to work. Rose was in walking distance of the shopping district. Two of the Kennedy girls, Rosemary and Kathleen, were also born in the house, but the Kennedy' oldest child Joe was born in Hull, MA, while the couple was on vacation.

After JFK’s death, the Kennedy family bought the house from its private owner in order to restore it to its 1917 appearance and turn it into a memorial to JFK. Rose Kennedy worked with an interior decorator using period antiques and some original family artifacts to make the home look as she remembered it during John’s early childhood. Some of the many artifacts include Rose’s wedding china, her children’s christening cap and gown, and some of their toys and books. Two of John’s favorite childhood books are there; King Arthur and His Knights, and Billy Whiskers and His Kids. In 1967, Rose donated the house to the National Park Service. It is open to the public for guided and self guided tours.

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy pronunciation (help·info) (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his death in 1963.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John F. Kennedy