Capturing history: Sixth Floor Museum presents new immersive exhibition

Dallas was changed forever on November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza, and journalists from the Dallas Times Herald were there to document history as it unfolded. 

Now the Sixth Floor Museum’s new exhibition, “On Assignment: Dallas Times Herald 1963,” offers a behind-the-scenes look at reporters and photographers who captured one of America’s most defining moments.  

“We wanted to tell a deeply personal story,” said Stephen Fagin, curator and oral historian at the Sixth Floor Museum. “The Sixth Floor provides this broad overview of the 1960s, the Kennedy assassination and the president’s legacy. But this is an opportunity here to craft a more personal narrative following this small group of men and woman through the experience they lived on November and the subsequent days.” 

The exhibition is the brainchild of Fagin and the Sixth Floor Museum’s Chief Experience Officer, Amanda Rutland. It took them seven months to create it.  

It showcases 130 artifacts and photos from the weekend of the assassination, curated to tell a story — with interactive activities — that focuses on the Dallas Times Herald newspaper. And it follows the perspectives of journalists Keith Shelton, Darwin Payne, Vivian Castleberry and Jim Lehrer, and photojournalists Eamon Kennedy and Bob Jackson. 

The Dallas Times Herald was the longtime afternoon newspaper in Dallas, and it ceased publication in 1991.

“The assassination was something that impacted people around the world, and the history that we now read about in our history books, that didn’t materialize out of thin air,” Fagin said. “It was gathered by the men and women of local newspapers, the local TV stations, the national and international reporters.” 

Fagin says that the journalists during this time hit the ground with their notepads and their dimes for the pay phones. The first draft of history was written by those on assignment. Fagin and Rutland want people to understand the significant role of journalism and the emotional element to it through this exhibition.  

Museumgoers can explore all of the artifacts and participate in interactive activities throughout the exhibition. They can also pick up a specific reporter’s press pass and follow their story.  

Among the artifacts is a red sailor suit worn by a girl who was photographed at Dallas Love Field airport when the president arrived on Air Force One. That photo of her is adjacent to the dress.

Another artifact is the notebook of reporter Keith Shelton, who was aboard a press bus in Kennedy’s motorcade. He was taking notes about an election campaign sign he saw among the crowd, and his notes were interrupted with two lines on his notepad, signifying when he heard the gunshots. 

The interactive portions of the exhibit include a puzzle that shows a photo of the Times Herald’s Vivian Castleberry covering a luncheon at the Dallas Trade Mart, which was the president’s destination. Another interactive portion is the ’60s “newsroom” where visitors can dress up as reporters, crop photos and even make a breaking-news call from across the exhibit. Plus, many more artifacts, photos, interactive portions and quotes from the journalists. 

One of the standout quotes in the exhibition is by Castleberry, who was the Times Herald’s women’s news editor: “I hope I never cover another story of that significance, but I would not have been anywhere else on Earth while it was happening.” 

“We want this to be a timely exhibit and it’s interesting that these journalists’ recollections still resonate even though some of them are gone now,” Fagin said. “They speak to us across time and space and provide these very valuable and timely lessons about journalistic integrity and empathy.” 

The exhibition is on display until March 28, 2027 and is included with museum admission at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, 411 Elm St., Dallas. Timed tickets can be purchased online for $24 for adults, $22 for senior citizens and $20 for youth. jfk.org.