Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site encompasses a total area of 187 acres of land in West Branch, Iowa. Access to the visitor center is on Parkside Drive and Main Street approximately half a mile north from Exit 254 off Interstate 80. This park was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark District on June 23, 1965, and later the same year became a National Historic site on August 12, 1965, before being added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. 

The park commemorates the life of the businessman, engineer, politician and 31st President of the United States (1929-1933), Herbert Hoover. President Hoover was the son of a blacksmith born in a small cottage in 1874 before spending his first eleven years of his life in West Branch, Iowa. Hoover was orphaned at the age of nine and later had to move in with relatives in Oregon. 

He overcame adversity to become a successful mining engineer, humanitarian and President of the United States of America. Today this national historic site commemorates the life of this successful man by appreciating his birthplace, Friends Meetinghouse, boyhood neighborhood and gravesite of the President and his wife. The historic site is also the home to the Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. 

The museum and library are managed by the National Archives and Records Administration. Besides the historical attraction of the place, the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is an excellent place for people to relax and participate in recreational activities like hiking, guided tours and cross-country skiing. Amenities available in the park include restrooms, a picnic area, museum, trail, and visitor center. 

Visitors to the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site are certainly allowed to bring their dogs, but they must follow basic national park rules. For example, dogs must always be on a leash and must be cleaned after right away. Dog owners must also keep their tail-waggers out of any park buildings.