Herbert Hoover National Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Herbert Hoover National Historic Site |
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Herbert Hoover Birthplace Cottage
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 Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Location in Iowa
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Location in the United States
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| Location | West Branch, Iowa, US |
| Nearest city | Iowa City, Iowa |
| Area | 186.8 acres (75.6 ha) |
| Established | August 12, 1965 |
| Visitors | 152,214 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Herbert Hoover National Historic Site |
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Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
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| NRHP reference No. | 66000110 (original) 13000594 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Boundary increase | August 14, 2013 |
| Designated NHLD | June 23, 1965 |
The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is a special park in West Branch, Iowa, United States. It is part of the National Park System. The National Park Service takes care of the buildings and land here. This site helps us remember the life of Herbert Hoover, who was the 31st President of the United States.
The park opened in 1965. It was named a National Historic Landmark just before that. Today, the park covers about 187 acres.
Hoover lived in West Branch for the first eleven years of his life. He was born in a small house in 1874. His father was a blacksmith in the town. Later, his family moved to a bigger house nearby. Sadly, Hoover became an orphan within a few years. He then left West Branch to live with relatives in Oregon. Hoover grew up to be a very successful mining engineer and a great helper to people around the world. He then became President.
His birthplace house was later bought by private owners. It became a popular place for tourists after Hoover was nominated for president in 1928. In the 1930s, the Hoover family bought the house back. They worked to create a park that showed what Hoover's childhood was like.
Today, you can see several important buildings in the park. There is a blacksmith shop, like the one his father owned. You can also see the first schoolhouse in West Branch. The Quaker meetinghouse where the Hoover family went to church is also there. In the 1960s, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum opened. It holds Hoover's presidential papers and other important items. Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, are buried at the site. Their gravesite has a special monument. After Herbert Hoover passed away, a large tallgrass prairie was created there.
Contents
Hoover's Early Life in West Branch
Birthplace and Childhood Home
Herbert Clark Hoover spent his first eleven years in West Branch, Iowa. This was a small farming town with about 500 people. His birthplace cottage was built in the spring of 1871. It was at the corner of Penn and Downey Streets. The small house was only 14 by 20 feet and had two rooms. It was built for Jesse Clark Hoover and his wife Hulda. Jesse and Hulda were both Quakers. Jesse was a blacksmith. He opened his shop soon after moving there.
Herbert was born on August 10, 1874. He was the second child of Jesse and Hulda. People called him "Bert" or "Bertie" when he was a child. Jesse's blacksmith business did very well. In 1878, Jesse Hoover sold his shop. He then opened a farm equipment store. In March 1879, the family moved to a two-story house called the "House of the Maples." Hoover might have gone to classes at an 1853 schoolhouse. He also went to Quaker services at the nearby Friends Meetinghouse.
The Hoover family's good times ended suddenly. On December 13, 1880, Jesse died from rheumatic fever. Hulda supported the family by sewing and taking in boarders. But Hulda died from typhoid fever on February 24, 1884. Herbert Hoover was now an orphan at nine years old. He went to live with his uncle Allan Hoover on a nearby farm. Two years later, Hoover moved to Newberg, Oregon. He lived there with another uncle.
Hoover's Career and Presidency
Herbert Hoover became a very successful mining engineer. He earned a lot of money working in Australia and China. He married Lou Henry in 1899. During World War I, Hoover was very concerned about people in Europe who didn't have enough food. He helped lead the Commission for Relief in Belgium. This group fed the country of Belgium during the war.
After the United States joined the war, Hoover became the head of the U.S. Food Administration. He was praised for his efforts. In 1920, he helped Warren G. Harding become president. Harding then made Hoover the Secretary of Commerce.
In 1928, Hoover was the top choice for President for the Republican Party. He won the election by a lot against Al Smith. But his time as president was difficult because of the Great Depression. This was a time when the economy was very bad. Even though he tried to fix the economy, Hoover lost the next election in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt. During World War II, Hoover again helped provide food to countries hurt by the war.
Hoover's Gravesite
Herbert Hoover died in 1964 from internal bleeding. He had the longest retirement of any president up to that time. Hoover felt that his years in West Branch were very important to him. He asked to be buried there with his wife. She had passed away twenty years earlier. Allan Hoover, his son, chose the burial spot. It was prepared before Herbert Hoover's death. About 100,000 people watched his funeral procession. William Wagner designed the memorial. From the monument, you can see the small birthplace cottage.
Developing the Historic Site
How the Park Grew
After Hoover was nominated for president in 1928, many tourists came to West Branch. They wanted to see his birthplace. Jennie Scellers, who owned the cottage, opened it to the public. She charged ten cents for a tour. Over 17,000 visitors came in the first year! She made a lot of money from the tours. Scellers did not want to sell the house to the Hoover family. But after she died in 1934, Hoover's son Allan bought it. He tore down a two-story house that had been added. He also turned the cottage back to face its original direction.
Hoover and his family believed that showing visitors his childhood home would inspire them. After Allan bought the cottage in 1935, the Hoovers started to develop the area. By 1938, the cottage was restored by the Hoover Birthplace Committee. This group was formed to support Hoover's 1928 campaign visit to West Branch. Lou Henry Hoover was the main leader of the group until she died in 1944. She oversaw many early changes. This included moving the Isis statue and buying land around the birthplace. She also had a wall built for Hoover Creek and a path over it. This path connected the cottage with the Isis statue. She planted trees, shrubs, and flowers from a garden in Marion. Allan Hoover took over the project after his mother passed away.
The birthplace park hosted the first Hoover Day celebration in 1948. This was for Hoover's 74th birthday. Many people came to celebrate. This inspired Allan Hoover to develop the site even more. He wanted it ready for his father's 80th birthday in 1954. The Herbert Hoover Birthplace Park was officially opened on June 30, 1952. The next year, a picnic shelter was built. In 1954, the Boy Scouts of America built another picnic shelter. They also placed a bronze plaque for the former President. In 1957, the Hoover family decided to rebuild Jesse Hoover's blacksmith shop. It was built using wood from an old barn. This blacksmith shop is still working today. It makes iron items for sale and parts for the park.
In the late 1950s, the park grew much larger. This was because Interstate 80 was planned to pass just south of the park. Buying more land helped protect the site. In 1964, the Birthplace Society moved a 1905 house to the park. This house became the office for the Presidential Library Director. Later, it became offices for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association. Around the same time, the Quaker Meetinghouse was moved to the site. The Hoovers did not want it moved at first. This was because the church was originally far from the house. But they agreed when they learned it might be torn down. It was the last building moved to the site before Hoover died.
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
The Herbert Hoover Birthplace was named a National Historic Landmark on June 23, 1965. It covered about 28 acres. The National Historic Site was officially created on August 12, 1965. When the National Register of Historic Places was started a year later, the site was automatically added. The site originally had many buildings and features. In 2013, the site was updated to include 13 buildings, one site, two structures, and one object. It now covers about 119 acres.
The National Historic Site shows several buildings that were in West Branch when Hoover was a child. The 1853 schoolhouse was moved close to its original spot. The Friends Meetinghouse where Hoover went to church was also moved here. Jesse Hoover's blacksmith shop has been rebuilt. You can visit these four buildings for free. You can also visit the gravesite, which looks over the cottage. Near the gravesite is a tallgrass prairie. It looks like the land early West Branch settlers would have seen. This prairie was named a National Recreation Trail in 1981.
A large statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis is also on the property. A Belgian artist named Auguste Puttemans made the statue. It was a gift to Hoover for his help to Belgium during the war. The statue was first at Hoover's home in Palo Alto, California. The Hoovers brought it to West Branch in 1939. They wanted it to "contemplate the house" where Hoover was born.
The site also includes historic houses on Downey and Poplar Streets. These houses belonged to important West Branch residents. These houses are not open to the public. They are now used as offices.
Presidential Library and Museum
In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt started the first Presidential library. It held his presidential papers. He gave land and items to the government. He also built the building with private money. The National Archives and Records Administration was put in charge of it. President Truman decided to do the same in 1945. The United States Congress then passed the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955. This law created a system of Presidential libraries.
Hoover first planned to give his papers to his college, Stanford University. He also wanted a small museum in West Branch. But his relationship with Stanford changed in the 1950s. So, Hoover decided to build a presidential library and museum in West Branch. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum was the fourth such library. It opened on Hoover's 88th birthday, August 10, 1962. It is one of three libraries that include the president's birthplace or childhood home and gravesite.
Harry Truman spoke at the opening ceremony, and Hoover also gave a speech. President Ronald Reagan rededicated the library and museum in 1992. This was after a big expansion. The museum is the only part of the National Historic Site that charges an entrance fee.
Images for kids
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Laban Miles House
