Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)

QUICKLINKS:

Herbert Hoover

Born in a two-room cottage, Herbert Hoover could have been any small town boy. Orphaned at age nine, he left West Branch, never to live here again. The landscape and buildings of the early years remain, however, to tell how family, faith, education, and hard work opened a world of opportunity—even the presidency of the United States—to a child of simple beginnings.

White cottage with flowering bush in the foreground.

Birthplace of Herbert Hoover

The future president was born in a small, two-room cottage in 1874. Today the Birthplace Cottage, along with other historic buildings associated with his early childhood in West Branch, is the centerpiece of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. The site is adjacent the historic district of downtown West Branch.
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Presidential Library and Museum

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is a must see while visiting the site. It is one of twelve Presidential Libraries operated by the National Archives. The papers of President Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover are among those housed in the library archives.
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Two plain marble slabs and a U.S. flag on a green lawn.

Gravesite of President and Mrs. Hoover

Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover are buried on a hillside overlooking the president's birthplace. The landscape of the National Historic Site celebrates and commemorates Herbert Hoover's accomplishments and ideals.
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Yellow coneflowers amid bright green grasses.

Tallgrass Prairie

Three trails loop the visitor through this 81-acre sea of tall grasses and spectacular flowering forbs. One can imagine the pioneers crossing over land where mothers feared they could lose their small children in the 6 to 12 foot tall maze of grasses.
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Write to

Herbert Hoover NHS
P. O. Box 607
West Branch, IA 52358-0607

E-mail Us

Phone

Visitor Information
(319) 643-2541

Teletypewriter for the Deaf (TTY)
(319) 643-2594

Fax

(319) 643-7864

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, spring and fall are mild with moderate temperatures, winters can be cold and snowy. Wear comfortable sportswear in season. Boardwalks may be slippery when wet.