With the untimely demise of Senator Ted Kennedy, Camelot has suffered a great loss. No more will she have a Kennedy king exercise his royal rein from behind her legendary walls. While Hyannis Port Massachusetts is just a figurative Camelot and two of the Kennedy brothers never actually obtained their “kingship”, the place reined supreme, nonetheless. But John, Robert and now, Ted Kennedy, have all passed away and moved on to perhaps another kingdom. So Camelot’s Kennedy rein appears to be no more. The Camelot era has come to an end. We take a quick look back at both the figurative and the legendary Camelot, as we say goodbye to the last Kennedy brother to rein there supreme.

Former president John F. Kennedy was decidedly one of the most inspirational men in America’s history. His fight for justice and equality for all men touched more than just American hearts. John F Kennedy (JFK) grew up with his family in Hyannis Port, a wealthy residential village located on Hyannis Harbor. His affluent surroundings didn’t interfere with his ever-burning desire to help those who were less fortunate and not in a position to help them selves. Championing the causes of the underdog is the kind of gallantry that subtly set the tone for his presidency being associated with Camelot.

When JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963, it was truly a shot that rang out around the world. Among the many people that loved and survived him, was his wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Not long after JFK’s funeral, while the nation was still numb from the loss, Jacqueline Kennedy contacted a writer for Life magazine and made a request. She asked Theodore White to come to Hyannis Port for an interview so he could write a piece about her late husband. Out of the countless articles that have been written about former president John F. Kennedy, this is probably the most memorable one. It would serve to thoroughly put Hyannis Port on the map, not only as a historical place to visit, but an idyllic place to live. It would also mark the beginning of the Kennedy’s Hyannis Port home being referred to as Camelot, in memory of JFK’s royal presidential rein. This was the beginning of Camelot.

The interview that Jacqueline Kennedy gave to Mr. White that day in Hyannis Port was so moving that it inspired him to write an essay based on her statements. The former First Lady’s touching words about her late husband conveyed how she likened his presidency to an American Camelot. It was her request that his memory be preserved. Theodore White used the imagery of King Arthur’s court and the Knights of the Round Table to fuel his writing. In his essay, he expounded on the Camelot comment Jacqueline Kennedy had made. Speaking about the 1000-day presidency of JFK, he made a reference to Camelot and went on to write how Camelot represented “a magic moment in American history.” Needless to say, on December 6, 1963, when Life Magazine published the essay (based on the interview with the figurative Lady Guinevere), journalist picked up on the connection to Camelot. Everyone began to center on Jacqueline’s inferences that JFK’s shinning moments of his presidency were in fact reminiscent of the legends of Camelot. From that point on, the Kennedy’s Hyannis Port home that had been a haven to JFK would be referred to as Camelot. The Hyannis home would in fact, continue to be a place for the remaining Kennedy brothers, as well as other family members, to retreat and regroup from their royal responsibilities.

The Camelot of old (at least according to legends), was rooted in a time when good King Arthur ruled with his noble Knights of the Round Table. This was a happy period for the kingdom. The people truly loved the honest king who ruled with integrity and justice. The fairy tale romance of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere only helped to enhance the idyllic picture of perfection. Those who idolize the happy and magical time that Camelot represents, obviously don’t remember the complete story of King Arthur and Lady Guinevere. If so, they conveniently overlook small details, such as Guinevere’s unfaithfulness to her husband. Apparently, the world chose to overlook the indiscretions of both the legendary and the figurative, modern day couple. Though rumors of infidelity within the Hyannis Port Camelot were later substantiated, it did little to tarnish the country’s views of the late president. Camelot continued to prevail.

Long before the Kennedy’s Hyannis Port home was dubbed Camelot, it was home to the large Kennedy clan, which included John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Edward Kennedy (most well known as Teddy). In 1929, their parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, had bought a summerhouse there that they had been renting. Eventually, throughout the years, their children ended up establishing homes in adjacent properties. The Kennedy family spent many happy years there, both as children and growing up and maturing into adulthood. Much of that time was on the water. Their love for sailing in the beautiful sea of Cape Cod became a life-long interest. Between the sailing, and other competitive activities, as well as the large family gatherings, Hyannis Port represented a time of rest, relaxation and even peace for the members of the Kennedy family. Hyannis Port was Camelot to the Kennedy’s long before the world even knew it.

Of the seven villages located in the town of Barnstabe, Massachusetts, Hyannis Port is the largest. It is located on Cape Cod and is the town’s commercial and transportation hub. Hyannis is a popular summer town among the affluent and is often referred to as the Capital of the Cape. Like a picture clipped from a beautiful and scenic resort brochure, Hyannis Port is impressive in it’s own right. It obviously doesn’t hurt to have been privileged enough to have not one, not two, but three of the most memorable men in American history reside in the little village.

There is plenty to do in Hyannis Port, especially on the water. In fact, if you’re not already a lover of the sea, you no doubt will be after spending vacation time in this aquatic town where babies pop out already swimming like fish. Besides the sailing, and other water activities, the abundance of good places to eat and shop are almost enough to make you forget the highlight of a trip to Hyannis Port, like visiting the JFK Hyannis Museum that is located in the old Town Hall on Main Street. The museum, of course, focuses on the time that John F Kennedy, in particular, spent in the town (I don’t doubt that you’ll probably find some great tidbits about Robert and Ted Kennedy there as well).

While it was documented that once upon a time, Rose Kennedy used to give public tours, today, none of the three buildings that make up the Kennedy compound are accessible to the public. The Joseph P Kennedy home is said to be the largest and most impressive of the three white frame clapboarded structures that are typical of the many vacation residences on Cape Cod. It is this home that is the center of the compound. The lawns and gardens, of course are very well tended, and a relaxing time, no doubt, can be spent out on the long porches, enjoying a spectacular view of the ocean. Besides the living room, dining room, television room, and sun room, that is located on the main floor, there is the former bedroom that President Kennedy occupied before purchasing his own home on the compound. There is also a sizable kitchen, along with a number of pantries and utility rooms.

Like the majority of the Hyannis Port homes, the Joseph P. Kennedy home includes a boathouse and two guest houses. The long stretches of lawn area were reportedly where the Kennedy family would get together for touch football games. And of course, what home would be complete without the two circular driveways where the flagpoles stand? What Kennedy home, anyway?

It is this home, this Joseph P Kennedy home, this Camelot that the Kennedy’s knew and loved so well. During victorious times, as well as times of pain and distress for the family, it has been a retreat. The familiar walls that must hold so many treasured memories are surely part of what has held the family together during the good and bad times. John F. Kennedy bought a smaller home on Irving Avenue in 1956. It wasn’t far from his father’s home, and it was adjacent to the residence that his brother Robert F. Kennedy later purchased. Ted Kennedy, the youngest of the three well-known Kennedy brothers lived on the compound until his death on August 25, 2009.

Senator Ted Kennedy was the last Kennedy brother to leave Camelot. He never reached his goal to rein as king of these United States. The work that he carried on, however, following in the footsteps of both John F. Kennedy, and later Robert F. Kennedy was still of a royal magnitude. Surely between his battle to the end with the political evils of this world, as well as his own physical health, he qualifies as having held the title of at the very least a nobleman.

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