I’ve seen (pictures of, really) plaques commemorating birthplaces of US presidents (not just the town, but at the actual address where the place stands/stood). All the ones I’ve seen though, were presidents froma long time ago, 18th and 19th century Presidents. I don’t recall seeing such monuments for modern presidents; and by modern presidents I believe this means ones born in hospital), is this because most of them are still alive and they don’t put up such signs while they’re still alive, or is this because they were born in a hospital and they don’t put up such signs on hospitals?
Is there a sign already up at Kapi’olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital?
According to several presidential trivia sites I’ve looked at, Carter was the first future president to be born in a hospital, so I don’t know if that affects the question.
Hmm. If you follow the link and read the article, you’ll see that the “Birthplace” is actually the house he first lived in, not the Julia Chester Hospital in Hope, Arkansas.
Nor, AFAIK, are there any markers at the hospitals where Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush or Barak Obama were born.
Regarding George W Bush, according to the New Haven Register, in 2002 the state of Connecticut put up signs on I-95 and I-91 noting that New Haven was the birthplace of GWB. The signs were vandalized, so the state replaced them. But after the replacement signs were also vandalized, the state gave up and so there are no signs on the highway leading into New Haven.
I wonder if the vandalism was done by the locals (I’m a local) who predominantly don’t like Bush or by Bush supporters since he never was particularly willing to mention that CT was his birth state.
Do I wonder? No not really. I’m pretty sure it was done by those who don’t like Bush. Was Bush reluctant to say he was born in CT? Yes. Here is one cite from the NY Times.
Not really asking about signs proclaiming such and such a town is the birthplace of POTUS X (like Dewey Finn and others mentioned), but signs marking the house/hospital.
The Clinton one is making progress towards my answer, but I’m hoping of hospitals that are still standing, there must be one besides Obama’s. If not, why not? Is it because he’s still serving? (The New Haven signs seem to have gone up shortly after GWB started, so that doesn’t seem to be an excuse.)
And Reagan was born in a bank? This explains Reaganomics …
No-one knows at the time the child is born that the hospital is a presidential birth place. Presidents must be at least 35 years old. The youngest we’ve ever had was 42. The median is more like 55.
How many hospitals are still operating 50 years later (and possibly much longer after they were founded)?
Certainly some large ones in major cities. What about in rural areas?
It would seem to me, based on current construction trends, that the small rural hospitals would tend to get replaced with much larger and more modern consolidated facilities.
Originally Posted by joebuck20 View Post
Does Hawaii have signs up at their airports and other ports of entry announcing it as the birthplace of Obama?
Yeah, because nobody knows where obama was born.
How can anyone put up a sign if nobody knows where obama was born and he will not show us?
That’s a good point. I’m only 34, and the building where I was born is no longer a hospital. A new hospital was built across town with the same name when I was about 12. IIRC, the old hospital was going to be turned into a nursing home. Google Maps suggests the building still exists. Doubt I’ll be president, but a nursing home would be a strange place for the plaque.
