Harry S. Truman National Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harry Truman National Historic Site |
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 Harry Truman National Historic Site
Location in Missouri
Harry Truman National Historic Site
Location in the United States
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| Location | Jackson County, Missouri, USA |
| Nearest city | Independence, Missouri and Grandview, Missouri |
| Area | 10.49 acres (4.25 ha) |
| Established | May 23, 1983 |
| Visitors | 31,316 (in 2012) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Harry S Truman National Historic Site |
The Harry S Truman National Historic Site protects the homes and places where Harry S. Truman, the thirty-third president of the United States, lived for many years. This special site is located near Kansas City, Missouri.
The most important parts of the site are the Truman Home in Independence and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview. The site also includes homes of Truman's family members. The National Park Service takes care of these historic places. This site became a National Historic Site on May 23, 1983.
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Truman Home in Independence
The Truman Home is located at 219 North Delaware Street in Independence, Missouri. Harry S. Truman lived here from the time he married Bess Wallace on June 28, 1919. He lived in this house until he passed away on December 26, 1972.
Bess Truman's grandfather, George Porterfield Gates, built the house between 1867 and 1885. After Bess's father died in 1903, she moved into the house with her mother and brothers. They lived with Bess's grandparents.
When Harry and Bess got married in 1919, Harry was investing his money in a men's clothing store. So, living at the Wallace home made good financial sense for them.
After Harry's clothing store business did not succeed in 1922, he and Bess continued to live in the house. This helped them save money while he paid off his debts.
When he was elected to the Senate in 1935, he moved to Washington, D.C. with his wife and daughter. However, whenever they returned to Missouri, the house at 219 N. Delaware was always their home.
After Truman retired from being president in 1953, the Truman Home served as his personal office. This was before the Truman Library opened on July 6, 1957.
Bess Truman lived in the home until she died in 1982. She left the property to the National Park Service. The house was closed for eight months in 2009-2010 for important updates. These updates made the home safer and better for visitors.
What You Can See at the Truman Home
The Truman Home helps us understand the personal life of the 33rd President. It shows the simple life the family had in Independence before and after Harry was president. The Trumans' only child, Mary Margaret, was born in this home on February 17, 1924.
The site also includes two homes next door that belonged to Mrs. Truman's brothers. Across Delaware Street is the Noland Home, where the President's favorite aunt and cousins lived.
There is a visitor center in downtown Independence, located inside an old firehouse. NPS park rangers give guided tours of the home. They show it much like the Truman family left it.
The second floor of the home has never been open to the public. Bess Truman wanted to protect her family's privacy. She wrote in her will that the second floor should stay closed until her daughter, Margaret, passed away. Margaret died in 2008, but the National Park Service keeps the second floor closed to help preserve the home. You can see photos of these closed rooms, including Harry and Bess's bedroom.
On the ground floor of the home, you can see many interesting things:
- A Steinway piano that Truman bought for Margaret as a Christmas gift. Truman also played this piano in the White House.
- Part of the Trumans' large personal library. This includes mystery books that Bess enjoyed.
- The family's record collection.
- The official White House portrait of the First Lady (the one in Washington D.C. is a copy).
- Paintings, including a large picture of Athens, Greece, and a unique painting of Key West.
- The fireplace is decorated with tiles showing a Middle Eastern desert scene. This was likely inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.
Truman is one of the few presidents who did not own his own home before becoming president. He lived with his parents until he married. Then he lived in the Wallace House, in rented places in Washington, and in the White House. It was not until July 1953, after his time as president, that Harry and Bess Truman bought the home at 219 North Delaware Street.
The house is now part of the Harry S. Truman Historic District. This district is a National Historic Landmark District.
Truman Farm Home in Grandview
The Harry S. Truman Farm Home is about 15 miles (24 km) from Independence. It is located in Grandview, Missouri. This farmhouse is also a National Historic Landmark.
The farmhouse at 12301 Blue Ridge Blvd. was built in 1894 by Harry Truman's grandmother. It is the main part of a 5.25-acre piece of land. This land is what remains of the family's original 600-acre farm.
Truman worked on this farm as a young man, from 1906 to 1917. His mother said that Harry learned his "common sense" here.
There is no visitor center at the farm. However, the grounds are open all year for you to explore on your own. An audio tour is also available to guide you.
What You Can See at the Farm Home
The site includes:
- A two-story farmhouse.
- A rebuilt smokehouse.
- The old Grandview post office, which Truman moved to the farm to use as a garage for his 1911 Stafford car.
- A restored box wagon that was used on the farm.
- Several stone fence posts that show the original farm boundaries.
- Other original and rebuilt buildings.
After Truman finished his time as president, he sold parts of the farm. This land was used for the Truman Corners Shopping Center and other developments in the Kansas City area.
