Jimmy Carter will be buried Thursday in his hometown Plains after a six-day funeral procession that began Saturday in southwest Georgia and traveled to Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Follow along here today as the AJC shares real-time dispatches from journalists at the scene in the nation’s capital and Georgia.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported extensively on Carter’s life and legacy since the Georgia peanut farmer-turned-president died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Our reporters and photographers also have chronicled the funeral procession every step of the way.
In addition to today’s live updates and analysis, we invite you to browse the AJC’s collection of Jimmy Carter coverage. You’ll find stories, photo galleries and videos about Jimmy Carter — from his early days in Plains to his time in the White House to his post-presidential life.
The motorcade including the casket of President Jimmy Carter has arrived in Plains, where the streets are lined with people.
Carter is heading to Maranatha Baptist Church, were his second funeral service of the day will be held.
Tony Lowden, Carter's personal pastor, will deliver his eulogy.
A hush has fallen over Maranatha Baptist Church, disrupted only by the birds flying through the cloudless blue sky, as the Army band, honor guard and a group of mourners wait on the church lawn for the procession bringing Carter to his final homecoming in Plains.
The motorcade is slowly making its way to Maranatha, where Carter’s private funeral for family and friends will be held.
They quieted their dogs when he jogged by their homes. They saw him getting ice cream. Or paying respects at graveside services. Or popping in for a fried catfish dinner. Or pitching against them in a softball game. Or stopping by to welcome them to the community. Or riding by on bicycles with his wife.
All very normal and neighborly. Well, except maybe for the Secret Service detail quietly tailing him.
In Plains, over many decades, just about everyone crossed paths with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn.
Many shared their stories with the AJC after Carter entered home hospice in early 2023. Read the full story here.
The sturdy, little wood table that Jimmy Carter built for children waits in a backroom of his church.
It's tucked behind the sanctuary, in a room marked “Preschool 2&3,” at Maranatha Baptist, the little country church with pale green walls where he taught Sunday school for decades in Plains.
The small table Carter crafted waits, ready to continue serving the next generations.
The motorcade carrying President Carter departed Fort Moore, shortly before 4 p.m.
From there, Carter will travel to his hometown of Plains and Maranatha Baptist Church for a funeral service. That service is scheduled to begin around 5 p.m.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter met in Plains when they were young, and they were married for 77 years, until Rosalynn died in November 2023.
Here's an AJC article about their (mostly) happy love story.
And here's an AJC interview with the former first couple in 2021 as they prepared to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary.
Among the guests who came to Plains to celebrate the milestone: hundreds of neighbors, along with the likes of former President Bill Clinton, former U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, then-U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, civil rights icon Andrew Young, country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and media mogul Ted Turner.
The ceremonial troops and military band who will be participating in Carter’s private funeral are arriving at Maranatha Baptist Church.
An honor guard will line the walkway in front of the church as Carter’s casket is brought inside while the band will play “Ruffles and Flourishes,” “Hail to the Chief” and the hymn “How Firm a Foundation.”
Members from all four military branches are participating.
President Jimmy Carter has returned to Georgia.
After departing Joint Base Andrews around 1:40 p.m. to return to Georgia, the plane carrying Carter's casket landed at Lawson Army Airfield at Fort Moore, Georgia, at 3:40 p.m.
From the plane, his casket was carried to a hearse. The motorcade will then travel to Plains.
Plains is nestled among “pine trees, peanut fields, magnolias, and gnats,” according to the town’s official website. The rural community in southwest Georgia is also where Jimmy Carter grew up and spent most of his life.
The former U.S. president and his wife Rosalynn lived together in the same ranch house since 1961, apart from their time in the Governor’s Mansion and the White House, until their deaths. Later today, Jimmy will be buried outside the home, next to Rosalynn.
The town, about a three-hour drive south of Atlanta, has barely 500 residents. It doesn’t have a supermarket, gas station, or hotel. But just about everyone who lives in Plains has crossed paths with the former first couple. And visitors see signs of Jimmy and Rosalynn everywhere, including a red-white-and-blue one welcoming them to the home of “Our 39th President.”
Here's an interactive map of Plains and various Carter sites.
Maranatha Baptist, a small church in a small town, is preparing to say farewell to a famous member.
Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school at his hometown church in Plains for decades, drawing crowds bigger than Maranatha could hold.
There also won't be enough seats to accommodate everyone later this afternoon, when Carter's hearse arrives and a funeral service is held inside.
Here is an overview of Maranatha and a profile of its new pastor, Rev. Ashley Guthas, the first woman to lead it.
Here are stories about Carter's Sunday school teaching and his faith.