ruth paine house museum

I was on the first tour of the Ruth Paine House and it was very spooky to be in the same room as John F Kennedy's assassin. You could see where the rifle lay and see where he slept in a very intimate environment. Very surreal and essential for every History Buff.

The Ruth Paine House Museum is located in a residential neighborhood on a quiet street in Irving, Texas. Unassuming from the street, the house immerses you in history as you walk through the door. Marina Oswald, wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, lived with her children in this house with Ruth Paine during the months surrounding the assassination of President John Kennedy. The house is meticulously restored to reflect the early 1960's. The rooms have audiovisual displays that bring the people and era to life. I highly recommend the Ruth Paine House Museum to history buffs and other people interested in the local connections to the Kennedy assassination.

My girlfriend and I travelled from Australia to Texas for a holiday. The highlight of our visit to Dallas was to visit this historic home in Irving. Ruth Paine's house is a fascinating insight into the events surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy. Anyone with a interest in history must take this tour. The house has been lovingly restored to 1963 era. No matter what your views are regarding the assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald, or this address, this home takes you back in time.

My father and I attended this tour on a Thursday after the 4 p.m. tour was to begin. We arrived late but were welcomed to take a tour on our own after the 4 p.m. tour was cancelled. Tour started in the library and ended at Ruth Paine's home. So much history and our tour guide was so knowledgeable! Would highly recommend this to anyone interested in more history surrounding JFK.

I only heard about the Ruth Payne house being opened for tours by word of mouth. This only opened last November so i dont think that many people know thta it is open.The house has been restored to the way it was in 1963. It has the original kitchen and bathroom. For people who are fascinated by the JFK assassination: Lee Harvey Oswald stayed here the night before the JFK murder and he kept his rifle in the garage.An amazing tour and i found it very emotional.i didnt have a ticket and just missed the 10am timeslot but Kevin who works at the library was so helpful. He still let me take the tour. Kevin is full of knowledge about Ruth Payne and the house it made the trip even more worthwhile. You visit the visitor center on the third floor first then you are driven to the house.If you are in Dallas, the Ruth Payne house should be top on your list to visit right along side with the sixth floor museum.The People in charge of this project have done a great job in recreating the house: it was like stepping back to 1963.Thanks to Kevin and the library for making this a magic tour.I wish it every success.

This is a fascinating place to visit. Here’s some background since there aren’t any details listed here. This is the house that Lee Harvey Oswald stayed the night before the Kennedy assassination. Oswald’s wife, Marina, was staying at the house with their two children because they were separated. Lee was staying at a boarding house in Dallas during the week, but stayed at this house on weekends to spend time with his children. A lady named Ruth Paine owned the house and was a friend of Marina's. A neighbor three doors down from the house worked at the School Book Depository and got Oswald his job there. Since Oswald didn't drive, he would ride home from work with that neighbor on Fridays and back to work with him on Monday mornings. The night before the assassination (a Thursday), Oswald rode home with that neighbor, surprised Marina and Ruth and wanted to spend the night there. It turns out he had stored his gun in the garage and wanted to retrieve it. The house’s furnishings were re-created from photographs and they did an outstanding job – the appliances, the furniture, even the small details like the children’s toys, lamps and drapes. Throughout the house, there are panels on the walls that are full of interesting information. In 3 rooms, there are see-through screens that have actor’s portrayals of the events projected on to them – a very unique way to convey the story and since they are life-size, it makes for lots of cool photo opportunities. If you want to stay with the Kennedy theme, this tour would be a great addition to The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas and/or the Kennedy Tribute in Fort Worth. You could also see Oswald’s grave in Fort Worth’s Rose Hill Park Cemetery, or take a trolley tour around Dallas that visits the site where Oswald shot Officer Tippet, the movie theater he was arrested in, the boarding house he was staying at, the motorcade route and Jack Ruby’s club.If you want to stay in the immediate area, there is a very nice Veteran’s Memorial Park next to the Library and the National Scouting Museum is less than 5 miles away. In addition to the Scout-related collections, they have an extensive collection of original art by Norman Rockwell.

DO NOT MISS THIS TOUR if you are interested in events leading up to President Kennedy's assassination on November 22nd, 1963. You can't believe that you are in the actual house where LHO had slept on Nov. 21st, 1963. You learn so many fascinating facts about Lee and Marina Oswald. The city of Irving have done an amazing job at restoring the few things that had been changed in the past 50 years. But the real highlight is that the tour guide (Kevin) is incredibly knowledgable and extremely personable. They just opened the home for viewing at the end of 2013. Make sure you book in advance online as this tour is sure to become a sell-out. Go to www.cityofirving.org and click on museums.

My wife and I were traveling through Dallas and had to check out the JFK history here. Our guide, Kevin, was very knowledgeable and friendly. You must go up to the third floor of the Irving Public Library (use the elevator) and start in a small preliminary display. We had about 20 minutes to check this out then traveled by van to the actual house. Very worthwhile if you have an interest in JFK. Puts a real human face on the unbelievable events of that day. Kevin actually interviewed Ruth Payne as well as others who were there. Lots of great content and context from him. Really gets you thinking. Overall highly recommended.

I visited this fairly new attraction today and was pleasantly surprised. It's just a suburban home among many others, but it's so much more than that.The tour begins at the Irving Public Library. I had trouble finding the place, and the website doesn't make it so clear, but that's where you go. Park in the library parking lot and go into the library.There is a single room upstairs of the library with some artifacts related to Oswald and the Paine's, and the tour guide gives a brief background of the events. I was the only visitor on this day, so he left me for a while to peruse the things in the room and watch the available videos, which there are about seven or eight.After the visit in this one-room "museum," the tour guide leads you outside to the shuttle bus for the two- or three-mile trip to the Ruth Paine house. Inside, the tour guide explains some of the historical events and lets you explore on your own. Again, I was the only visitor today, so a group might have a slightly different experience.I found the guide Kevin to be very knowledgeable and patient with my many questions. He offered up some interesting aspects of acquiring and restoring the house to 1960s vintage. From what he explained, the house is very much like it was during the time Oswald and his wife stayed there. We spent about 45 minutes at the house, and then went back to the library.I thought the projected-screen actors inside the home to be a little bizarre and distracting, others might find them helpful. I also think the curators should emphasize a bit more the bedroom where Oswald spent his final night before heading to the Book Depository the next morning, and significantly leaving his wedding band and almost all his money on the dresser for his wife. This fact is completely overlooked during the tour in the house, which I think is a major oversight. I'd highly recommend this tour to anyone with an interest in history and the Kennedy assassination. To some, this might just be a nondescript house in the middle of a residential area, but if you appreciate the significance, this is a visit well worth your time and entry fee.