Former President Jimmy Carter will be buried next week near the home in Plains he shared with his wife, Rosalynn, for more than six decades.
But first, six days of tributes and services will trace the arc of the 39th president’s life, from his tiny Southwest Georgia hometown to the State Capitol in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
From Plains to Atlanta
The tightly choreographed state funeral, which has been planned and tweaked over years, begins Saturday in Sumter County. Current and former members of Carter’s Secret Service details will carry the former president’s remains to the hearse from the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus.
The motorcade will pause in front of his family’s farm, where the National Park Service will ring the historic farm bell 39 times. Carter will then make his final trip to Atlanta, a trek he made as a State Senator beginning in 1963 and later, when he was inaugurated the state’s governor in 1971.
At the State Capitol, Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and members of the state legislature will hold a moment of silence as the motorcade pauses outside the Gold Dome.
Carter will then make his way to the Carter Presidential Center near Inman Park. After a service, Carter will lie in repose for several days.
The public will have the opportunity to pay their respects from 7 p.m. on Saturday to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Organizers say to expect long lines, tight security measures and limited parking in the vicinity.
From the State Capitol to the White House
After Carter won the presidency in 1976, he arrived in Washington, D.C. as a one-term governor with minimal experience in the nation’s capital.
On Tuesday morning, Jan. 7, Carter and his family will travel from the Carter Presidential Center to Dobbins Air Reserve Base and board Special Air Mission 39 bound for Washington.
From Joint Base Andrews, Carter, who served in the Navy, and his family will go to the U.S. Navy Memorial near the National Mall. The late president’s remains will be transferred to a horse-drawn caisson, a type of horse-drawn military wagon, for a funeral procession to the U.S. Capitol at 2 p.m.
Carter will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda through the morning of Thursday, Jan. 9, under the watch of a military guard of honor. The public will also be invited to pay respects.
A 10 a.m. funeral service is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, Jan. 9 at the Washington National Cathedral, where President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy.
A final journey home
Following the service in Washington, Carter will make a final trip home to Georgia, landing at Fort Moore near Columbus later that afternoon.
The motorcade will bring Carter and his family to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, the congregation where Carter taught Sunday school for years. After a private service, the motorcade will head for the Carter residence for the late president’s internment just before sunset.
The community and visitors will be allowed to observe the motorcade route as Carter passes one last time through the hometown that so deeply shaped him. The U.S. Navy will also conduct a flyover.
Carter will be buried alongside his wife Rosalynn, who died last year, near the modest home they shared for more than six decades.
