Places

Herbert Hoover grew up in a religious community that valued peace, simplicity, integrity, and service to others. The plainly furnished Friends Meetinghouse, built by the Society of Friends, or Quakers, in 1857, is the physical expression of those values. Now two blocks from its original location, the Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation relocated and restored this meetinghouse in 1964.

Herbert Hoover recalled, "Iowa in those years was filled with days of school, and who does not remember with a glow, some gentle woman, who with infinite patience and kindness, drilled into us those foundations of all we know today."

Decorative patchwork quilts, along with wool bedspreads woven on family looms, kept everyone warm when the woodstove’s fire died out in the middle of the night.

In 1870, Laban Miles had married Hulda Hoover’s younger sister, Agnes Minthorn, just five days after Hulda and Jesse Hoover were wed. By 1875 they were settling down in this house, built sometime between 1869 and 1872, with a family of their own.

The South Downey Street Bridge extends across a tributary of the West Branch of the Wapsinonoc Creek. When Herbert Hoover was a boy, the creek was just a small stream of water trickling through marshy wetlands. Young Herbert and the neighborhood kids took their willow fishing poles about a quarter mile east to catch sunfish and catfish in the main creek.

Mothers brought restless or hungry infants to the cry room, or nursery, to avoid disturbing the silent Quaker meetings. This cry room is not original to the meetinghouse. It came from another meetinghouse, added as part of the restoration.

West Branch was barely a settlement in 1852 when Baltimore native Aaron Baker came here to claim the free land he'd received from the United States government for his service in the Mexican War. He promptly sold all 160 acres of it for about a dollar apiece.

In the years following his presidency, Herbert and Lou Hoover restored the president's humble birthplace, which he called, "physical proof of the unbounded opportunity of American life." The small space and few material possessions reflect an ethic of thrift. The cottage was a typical starter home for a young late 19th century family. Antique furnishings represent common household items of a simply furnished two room rural home.

With no electricity or indoor plumbing, rooms in the compact cottage needed to be multi-purpose. The main room served as a combined living room, dining room, and kitchen, while the bedroom had sufficient furnishings for the parents and their three small children. Furniture like a trundle bed in the bedroom and a drop-leaf table in the main room helped save space.

Jesse Hoover owned and operated a blacksmith shop from 1871 to 1878. Although there were other smithies in town, Jesse earned a reputation as a good-natured, fair, and industrious businessman. Skilled and ambitious, he advertised to farmers, “Horse shoeing and plow work a specialty. Also dealer in all kinds of pumps. Prices to suit the times.”

Part of the National Archives, the presidential library allows people to explore the legacy of Herbert Hoover's presidency. Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum opened to the public on August 10, 1962— Herbert Hoover's 88th birthday. The library's original entrance, which is the small portico at the east end of the building supported by four white pillars and topped with an earlier version of the presidential seal, is where the dedication took place.

Herbert Hoover grew up in a religious community that valued peace, simplicity, integrity, and service to others. The plainly furnished Friends Meetinghouse, built by the Society of Friends, or Quakers, in 1857, is the physical expression of those values. Now two blocks from its original location, the Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation relocated and restored this meetinghouse in 1964.

Herbert Hoover recalled, "Iowa in those years was filled with days of school, and who does not remember with a glow, some gentle woman, who with infinite patience and kindness, drilled into us those foundations of all we know today."

The tallgrass prairie reconstructed here offer a glimpse of an Iowa landscape that had almost vanished by the time Herbert Hoover's grandparents moved here in 1854. Tall native grasses, sprinkled with brilliantly colored wildflowers once covered these rolling hills for as far as the eye could see.

Boy Scouts built a picnic shelter in 1953 as a tribute to Herbert Hoover's long legacy of service to youth around the world. The next year, the former president accepted an invitation from the Iowa legislature to celebrate his 80th birthday in West Branch. After a speech at the new Herbert Hoover Elementary School, where an audience of 20,000 greeted him, Hoover arrived at the picnic shelter for a birthday lunch of fried chicken, corn, potato salad, and cake.

The bronze, seven and a half foot tall statue "Isis, Goddess of Life" is the work of Belgian sculptor Auguste Puttemans. It was a gift from the people of Belgium in gratitude for Hoover's famine relief efforts on their behalf during the First World War.

The South Downey Street Bridge extends across a tributary of the West Branch of the Wapsinonoc Creek. When Herbert Hoover was a boy, the creek was just a small stream of water trickling through marshy wetlands. Young Herbert and the neighborhood kids took their willow fishing poles about a quarter mile east to catch sunfish and catfish in the main creek.

The Hoover Birthplace Society dedicated "Herbert Hoover Birthplace Park" at its new entrance gate in 1952. At the time the park consisted chiefly of the Birthplace Cottage and the Statue of Isis.

In 1951 Herbert Hoover became the first recipient of the prestigious Iowa Award, which is bestowed to "recognize the outstanding service of Iowans in the fields of science, medicine, law, religion, social welfare education, agriculture, industry, government and other public service." Only 12 other Iowans have received this award.

In the years following his presidency, Herbert and Lou Hoover restored the president's humble birthplace, which he called, "physical proof of the unbounded opportunity of American life." The small space and few material possessions reflect an ethic of thrift. The cottage was a typical starter home for a young late 19th century family. Antique furnishings represent common household items of a simply furnished two room rural home.

When Herbert Hoover was born in 1874, West Branch was beginning a long period of growth and general prosperity that lasted through the early part of the 20th century. Fifteen of the sixteen buildings from that time remain and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That designation was the result of a proud community’s recognition of West Branch’s place in history and a tireless effort to preserve their past.

Herbert Hoover's parents, Jesse and Hulda Hoover, are buried among relatives at the West Branch Municipal Cemetery on North Maple Street.

Herbert Hoover Highway is a 46-mile-long Iowa Registered Route. It follows local, state, and county roads, stretching from Iowa City to the Cedar County community of Lowden. It is marked, in places, by signs bearing a distinctive triple-H logo. A marker on Main Street in West Branch commemorates the Herbert Hoover Highway.

The Hoover Nature Trail follows the railroad that passed through the president's hometown. As a child, Herbert Hoover developed an early interest in geology while collecting interesting rocks along the railroad grade.

West Branch's first schoolhouse occupied a one-acre lot here from 1853 until 1870. Nate Crook owned and operated a barber shop and restaurant in this building in 1871. By 1877 he had expanded his operation to include a hotel and livery. Over the years the building has housed several hotels and restaurants.

This large brick structure, built in 1916, housed the West Branch State Bank, replacing a bank building that stood on the same site. The bank occupied this building until 1974. Fred Albin rented the back for his meat market until 1924. The West Branch Telephone Company shared the second floor with a chiropractor's office.

This building's exterior has had only minor alterations since its construction in 1895. Originally Rich's Golden Rule General Store occupied one side of the building and Dr. J. I. Bailey's medical offices occupied the other. Over the years a bakery, dry cleaning and men's clothing store, furnace and tin shop, antique shop, and grocery store were located here.

In 1909 Citizens' Savings Bank relocated here on the northeast corner of North Downey and Main streets. Surviving the collapse of farm prices in 1921 but not the Great Depression, it was absorbed in 1934 by the West Branch State Bank, creating the First State Bank.

Charles F. Schroeder had this building constructed in 1912 for his men's clothing store. The modern store boasted large display windows and electric lights. Since that time, several shops have used the building and made alterations to its interior.

Bert Leech and Harry Gruwell entered a partnership to build a garage and plumbing shop here in 1911. The members of the local Masonic Lodge helped construct this two-story brick building that would house the garage and plumbing shop on the street level and the lodge rooms on the second floor.

Charles A. Macomber constructed the most ambitious project of the era in 1895. The two-story Opera Block is still the largest commercial building downtown. Three stores shared the first floor. The top floor included the Masonic Lodge and a 500 seat theater with a 20 by 40 foot stage. "The Pastime" motion picture house took the upper space in 1912. A woodworking and antique store occupied the first floor prior to its restoration in 1986.

The Veterans Memorial Building is a reminder of the significant building it replaced, an 1887 building which once housed the Indian Industrial School, a Quaker school for Indian Children. Built in 1948, it honors veterans of World War II.

In March 1890 Lavina Patterson opened a millinery shop here and lived with her family upstairs. Dr. L.J. Leech moved his medical offices here after fire damaged the buildings across the street in 1895. It remained Dr. Leech's office until his death in 1937.

Built by Mayor S.C. Gruwell and businessman J.C. Crew shortly after the land was deeded in 1894, this is one of the older storefronts remaining along West Main Street, having been built shortly after the land was deeded in 1894. C.M. Paulsen had a music store here until 1910 when a harness shop occupied the building. It became a variety store in 1960. In recent years it has been the home of the West Branch Heritage Museum.