Herbert Hoover National Historic Site | PARK AT A GLANCE

Herbert Hoover's Birthplace Cottage, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

Herbert Hoover’s Birthplace Cottage, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

PARK OVERVIEW

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa, preserves the birthplace home of Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States (1929-1933). Hoover was born on August 10, 1874, and lived in West Branch until he was eleven years old. Both of his parents died from disease, father Jesse in 1880 and mother Hulda in 1884, so the Hoover children (Herbert, Tad, and Mary) were sent to live with different relatives. Hoover left for Oregon in 1855.

During his term as president, Hoover’s wife, Lou Henry, became interested in restoring his birthplace cottage. That led to the formation of the Hoover Birthplace Society to maintain the house and expand the park to include other buildings that were around when Hoover lived in West Branch. Eventually the original West Branch Schoolhouse and the Friends Meeting House were moved to the property, and a blacksmith shop similar to the one Hoover’s father owned was built to add to the ambiance of the park. By the time Herbert Hoover National Historic Site was created in 1965, the holdings of the Hoover Birthplace Society, by then called the Hoover Birthplace Foundation, totaled 28 acres.

The park has since expanded to roughly 186 acres, including 85 acres of restored tallgrass prairie that can be explored on a little over two miles of trails. The National Park Service has also purchased eleven other houses that were either in existence when Hoover was born or have some connection to him. The goal was not to recreate West Branch as it was when Hoover was born but to recreate a typical Iowa farm town from the 1870s and 80s. All of these buildings are closed to the public.

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is also on park property, though it is operated by the National Archives, not the National Park Service. It opened in 1962 as a 7,000-square-foot museum. It has since expanded into a 46,000-square-foot facility with a museum and a Hoover research library.

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa

OPERATING HOURS

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Visitor Center, the Presidential Library, and the historical buildings are open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, except when the park is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  The grounds are open at all times.

The road to the Hoover Gravesite and picnic tables closes at 6 PM. Visitors can always walk from the Presidential Library or the Visitor Center.

Times can always change. To get the current schedule for the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site facilities, be sure to check the National Park Service’s official Basic Information web page. For the current presidential library schedule, check the official Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum Plan Your Visit web page.

FEES

There is no fee to visit Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.

There is a few to visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. Because it is not operated by the National Park Service, National Park passes are not valid for entry or a discount on ticket fees. Fees are listed on the Plan Your Visit web page (link above).

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Visitor Center
allow 30 to 45 minutes

Historical Buildings
allow 30 to 60 minutes

Presidential Library and Museum
allow at least one to two hours and up to five hours, depending on your interest in Herbert Hoover

Hiking Trails
allow 60 to 90 minutes


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Last updated on December 10, 2024
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