Here are detailed instructions on how to get there, because there are no signs or maps pointing the way.
After finding a parking spot in the Love Field garage (where the first 30 minutes is free), head toward baggage claim. You won't need to go through security, so no need for a boarding pass. Once inside, hook a right at baggage claim, down a corridor and look for escalators on your left that lead to the security doors where arriving passengers barrel through. Take the escalators to the second floor, then hang a right. A Dunkin' Donuts kiosk is on the right, and a small bar is a little farther down on the left.
Grab a seat at the bar, or if you're not parched, walk just a bit past it to the large bay window overlooking the tarmac full of Southwest airplanes. They're the ones that ferry thousands of people each day, completely unaware of the presidential landmark they slow-roll past.
Near the large window — which is great for plane-spotting — you'll find a presidential seal, bronze marker and wall display explaining that just beyond the glass is a light on the tarmac, flush with the cement, illuminating the exact spot where Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson stood as he took the oath of office aboard Air Force One at Love Field at 2:38 p.m. on Nov. 22, 1963.
The light shines towards the window and can be seen all day even at high noon. However, if you didn't know to look for it, you'd never notice it amidst the many lights at an airport.
On the wall there you'll find a duplicate of the bronze marker on the tarmac, along with a presidential seal donated by Amy and Farris Rookstool III, the latter a former FBI agent and JFK historian.
The project got started more than a decade ago when a team of city leaders, the Rookstools and Love Field officials collaborated to determine and enshrine the exact spot on the tarmac where the nation's 36th president was sworn in.
The Texas Tribune reported that plans for this small exhibit were mysteriously paused in 2013 just before the 50th anniversary. Along with knocking down a wall for the bay window overlooking the spot, other features of the exhibit were to include "potential artifacts and technology to incorporate," under the banner of "Transition from Tragedy."
Texas Tribune goes on to explain that in 2016, days after the light was originally installed and illuminated, Dallas' Department of Aviation turned the light off. Officials told Emily Black of WFAA they were looking for a "way to reduce the intensity of the light," even though the FAA hadn't received any complaints from pilots.
Four years later in 2020, the full project, including the light and display in the terminal, was completed.
The light can be seen in the center-right of this photo, where two black lines split (or join, depending on your perspective).
Lauren Drewes Daniels
However, there isn't any signage pointing the way to this obscure part of the airport. If you're sitting at the bar, staring into space, you might notice it. I found it by aimlessly walking around waiting for an arrival and staring out the window for a few minutes before even noticing the signs on the wall (the bar was closed).
Lauren Rounds with the City of Dallas attributed the lack of information or signage to "operational destinations" and not wanting to confuse travelers with unnecessary signs. The Fly Bar sign is OK, as is Dunkin' Donuts' hot-pink lit sign. But not a sign pointing to a significant spot in the nation's history.
We asked Anne Wheeler, communications director at the LBJ Library and Foundation, about the general lack of knowledge (we unofficially conducted a poll and no one knew about it) and peculiar placement. She avoided that question completely but noted that there are only a handful of places where presidents have been sworn into office. Which is our point.
Those places, for the record, include Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Buffalo, New York; New York City; Plymouth Notch, Vermont; and Dallas.
"As such, Love Field, where Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, is an important historic site and should be recognized as such," Wheeler wrote.
We reached out to Farris Rookstool and the executive director of the Sixth Floor Museum for comments about the display and did not get a response from either.
Nothing related to JFK in this town is without a conspiracy theory, so perhaps this is fitting. If you're looking for an interesting bar seat with a touch of history, check out the Fly Bar at Love Field, open every day of the week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
When we went back a second time for pictures, the bar was cash-only due to the system being offline, so we got to drink only water. The conspiracies continue.
