The buck stops at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
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| Truman liked to work in his museum and greet visitors, even conducting mock press conferences with school groups. That scene might have made a nice postcard photo. |
Check out this auditorium at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Mo. It’s got seats and everything! I think I even see some acoustic panels – and both a piano and an organ!
Here's another awesome 1960's era ghost town photo that has to rank in a boring postcard hall of fame. This auditorium isn't exactly Radio City Music Hall.
But the museum itself was pretty neat.
I was covering a story in Kansas in 1995 and had some time before my return flight. I love baseball and all things presidential, so I knew there were two things I needed to see before departing: Kauffman Stadium and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
Truman used to joke that he used to spend so much time at the museum that he was practically an exhibit. He apparently loved to answer the phone, train volunteers and answer questions from visitors. He’s buried in the courtyard, so he must have liked the place.
The building was renovated in 2001, but was very much an old-school museum when I visited for what was essentially a whirlwind tour.
The ever-informative postcard back tells us that the auditorium seats 251, the piano was a gift from the American Federation of Musicians and the organ was used at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Truman was a character, and his playful personality was apparent as I walked among the exhibits. My favorite line was in the section where he described his duties as vice president: “The first thing I do is head down to the Senate and get them prayed, and Lord knows they need it.”
Not a single drop of Truman’s charm or the museum’s quality is present in this postcard – which makes it gloriously dull. Like Truman, it’s a classic.
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