New JFK Hyannis Museum Exhibit Focuses on Former President’s Mother

HYANNIS – Next year will mark the centenary of President John F. Kennedy’s birth, but this year, the museum named after him in Hyannis will honor his mother.

“Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Mother of a President,” the 2016 special exhibit at the JFK Hyannis Museum, opened Friday on Main Street.

It tells the story of the Kennedy family matriarch, and her long time residency in Hyannis Port.

The exhibit is comprised mainly of photographs, some of which have never been seen by the public.

There are also videos and recorded interviews with Rose and her family members.

According to museum executive director John Allen, the exhibit also features images from the family’s “Court of Saint James” period in England.

“You see in these very beautiful images a role that she and her family played on behalf of the U.S. in England,” he said. “A collection of images that brings back a chapter that not too many know about, and it is very powerful.”

The role of Rose, he said, was worth presenting on the heels of what would have been her son’s 100^th birthday.

Allen said she was widely known for her “honest gaze” and “chic elegance” during public appearances.

The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum is located at 397 Main Street.