Visitor Center at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

OPERATING HOURS

The Visitor Center at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site opens daily at 9 AM and remain open until 5 PM from March through October and until 4:30 PM the during the winter. It is only closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

Lobby of the Visitor Center at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

AMENITIES

• Information desk where you can pick up a park brochure and trail map
• Meeting place for Ranger-guided grounds tours
• Park film
• Hoover Boyhood Museum
• Gift and souvenir store
• Restrooms

Information desk at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Visitor Center

PARK FILM

The 12-minute film Adventure and Great Undertakings: Herbert Hoover’s Childhood in West Branch shows on demand in the Visitor Center auditorium. Just ask a Ranger to start it for you. The film is a combination of historical photographs and live action (no speaking parts) with narration. The live-action scenes were filmed at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and the surrounding area. The birthplace cottage, schoolhouse, Friends Meeting House, and blacksmith shop are all worked into the film at some point.

The film covers Hoover’s family and his life as a boy in West Branch. Any brief mentions of his political career are simply to show how his actions as a man were influenced by the lessons he learned as a boy. The reason the film sticks only to his childhood is because the park itself preserves his birth home in West Branch where he lived until he was four years old, and he only lived in West Branch until he was eleven. West Branch is not where he took up politics. In fact, he never returned for a visit until he was running for president in 1928.

There is no objectionable material. The film is suitable for all ages.

HOOVER BOYHOOD MUSEUM

Hoover Boyhood Museum at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Visitor Center

As with the film, the museum at the Visitor Center mainly covers Hoover’s family and boyhood life in West Branch. A museum about his life beyond West Branch is just a quarter mile away at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, a place where you can spend a half day learning about Hoover’s political career. If you are not aware of this, the museum and film at the Visitor Center are somewhat mystifying because you most likely came to the park to learn about President Hoover, not some kid. I didn’t know this, so all I could figure was that Hoover was such a bad president that the National Park Service just wanted to pretend his presidency never happened. So just remember that the Visitor Center only presents Part 1 of the Hoover story. The rest of the story is at the Presidential Library.

There are three different exhibit areas. One focuses on his family and life in West Branch and a second, a much smaller exhibit, on his life after West Branch until just before he was elected president.

Exhibit in the Visitor Center museum covering Hoover’s life after leaving West Branch up until he became president, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

The third section of the museum covers the creation of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. The original park was created by a private organization in the 1930s spearheaded by Lou Hoover’s desire to preserve her husband’s birth home. By the early 1960s, it had grown to include numerous historical buildings and a presidential library. The park was taken over by the National Park Service in 1965.

Exhibit in the Visitor Center museum about the creation of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

The museum features a few artifacts such as Hoover’s cradle and high chair. Also, each section has an interactive video exhibit with multiple short films (30 seconds to a couple minutes long). Select the video you want to watch on the touch-screen display.

Herbert Hoover’s cradle and high chair on display in the Hoover Boyhood Museum at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Visitor Center

Watch short videos about Herbert Hoover’s life in West Branch in the Hoover Boyhood Museum, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Plan to spend up to an hour at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Visitor Center. This will give you time to watch the park film and read all of the information in the museum, which alone takes about 45 minutes. Granted, most people are not that interested in learning about Hoover, and if that is where you stand, a half hour should be enough time for your visit.

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