Inside Stories: Fort Worth's ties to the JFK assassination

On the day he died, President John F. Kennedy woke up in Fort Worth and gave his final speech here. His motorcade passed by throngs of cheering people lining Fort Worth's streets before he flew to Dallas. These 10 stories from the Star-Telegram take you back to that tragic day and the tumultuous aftermath, including the funeral of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (and his exhumation, years later).

‘HE’S BEEN HIT!’ REPORTERS WHO COVERED JFK ASSASSINATION VIVIDLY REMEMBER, 60 YEARS LATER

In new interviews with the Star-Telegram, three reporters who covered Kennedy in Fort Worth and Dallas say the assassination will forever be “The Story” that changed their lives. | Published November 17, 2023 | Read Full Story by Brayden Garcia

An extra edition of the Star-Telegram on Nov. 22, 1963, after Kennedy’s assassination.

FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM FRONT PAGES ON JFK’S ASSASSINATION

Here’s what the Star-Telegram’s front pages looked like when President Kennedy came to Fort Worth and then was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. | Published November 16, 2023 | Read Full Story by Matt Leclercq

President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade in Fort Worth, Nov. 22, 1963.

NO. 3: THEN VS. NOW: PHOTOS OF JFK IN FORT WORTH, JUST HOURS BEFORE ASSASSINATION IN DALLAS

These historic photos of JFK in Fort Worth were taken Nov. 22, 1963. Use the slider to see how the scenes look today. | Published November 15, 2023 | Read Full Story by Steve Wilson

President John F. Kennedy greets Fort Worth law enforcement on horseback in front of Hotel Texas in downtown Fort Worth on the morning of Nov. 22, 1963.

THE UNTOLD STORY: WHEN TCU CANCELED JFK’S HONORARY DEGREE—’HE’S A CATHOLIC, YOU KNOW’

“It is ironic that if the honorary degree ceremony at TCU had been held ... logistical complications might have delayed the President’s arrival in Dallas.” | Published November 22, 2024 | Read Full Story by Bud Kennedy

In this Nov. 22, 1963, photo, seen through the foreground convertible’s windshield, President John F. Kennedy’s hand reaches toward his head within seconds of being fatally shot as first lady Jacqueline Kennedy holds his forearm as the motorcade proceeds along Elm Street past the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas.

THESE ARE SITES IN FORT WORTH, DALLAS EVERY JFK CONSPIRACY THEORIST SHOULD VISIT

A new book by a former Secret Service agent is not writing out the idea that there could have been more than one shooter on Nov. 22, 1963. | Published September 13, 2023 | Read Full Story by Megan Cardona

Oct. 4, 1981: The casket containing Lee Harvey Oswald’s remains for 18 years was exhumed and moved into the privacy of a tent at Rose Hill Memorial Park in Fort Worth before it was taken to Dallas for an autopsy.

PHOTOS: THE DAY IN 1981 THEY DUG UP LEE HARVEY OSWALD IN FORT WORTH

We searched through negatives in Star-Telegram storage to find these long-forgotten photos of Lee Harvey Oswald’s exhumation in Fort Worth. | Published September 13, 2024 | Read Full Story by Matt Leclercq

The Cellar, a notorious Fort Worth basement nightclub, became swept up in the investigation after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963.

BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION, SECRET SERVICE AGENTS PARTIED UNTIL 6 A.M. IN FORT WORTH

This Fort Worth nightclub has a fateful place in America’s history from its role the night before President John F. Kennedy was killed. | Opinion | Published November 21, 2024 | Read Full Story by Bud Kennedy

Film still of John F. Kennedy on Oct. 25, 1956, on a campaign stop in Dallas.

DALLAS’ SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM ACQUIRES RARE FOOTAGE OF ASSASSINATION AFTERMATH

The Dallas museum now holds over 220 hours of video, film and audio news footage about the event. | Published January 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brayden Garcia

John F. Kennedy speaking to crowd in front of the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth on the morning of Nov. 22, 1963. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is to JFK’s left, and Texas Gov. John Connally is over JFK’s left shoulder. Sen. Ralph Yarborough over the president’s right shoulder, and State Sen. Don Kennard stands to JFK’s right. By Fort Worth Star-Telegram archive

DO UNSEALED KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS SAY ANYTHING ABOUT FORT WORTH?

Thousands of new pages of documents related to the JFK assassination were released to the public in 2025. | Published March 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Adams

This $2.8 million Fort Worth home features a front door from former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ New York City apartment.

OWN A PIECE OF KENNEDY FAMILY HISTORY WITH THIS FORT WORTH HOME

The home is located within walking distance of River Crest Country Club. | Published May 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Brayden Garcia

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.