A one story wood frame house has board-and-batten exterior siding and a picket fence painted white.
Herbert Hoover called his humble birthplace "physical proof of the unbounded opportunity of American life." NPS Photo/John Eicher

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

National Historic Site · Iowa · National Park Service

Orphaned at age nine, Herbert Hoover left West Branch never to live here again. In later years, he returned to his humble birthplace to celebrate his long career of public service. A memorial landscape remains to tell his story: how community, hard work, honesty, and usefulness to others opened a world of opportunity— and the presidency of the United States— to a child of simple beginnings.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Phone
3196432541
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: Architecture and Building · Arts · Sculpture · Birthplace · Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite · Commerce · Landscape Design · Presidents · Religion and Spirituality · Churches · Schools and Education · Grasslands · Prairies · River and Riparian · Trails

Activities & features: Arts and Culture · Craft Demonstrations · Food · Picnicking · Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Walking · Hiking · Front-Country Hiking · Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Park Film · Museum Exhibits

Photos

  • Two marble ledger stones each mark a grave in a semicircular landscaped plot with a flagpole.
    NPS Photo/Steven Lonergan
  • A sprawling one story public building of rough-faced yellowish stone has a white portico entrance.
    NARA/Lynn Smith
  • A low brown barn-like building with three large doorways has a large horseshoe on its facade.
    NPS Photo/John Tobiason
  • A one-story wooden building painted off-white has two windows and a central doorway.
    NPS Photo/John Tobiason
  • Two doorways, one on either side, of a broad white wood frame building divides the sexes.
    NPS Photo/John Tobiason
  • A cast bronze figure of a veiled goddess sits on a throne mounted on a concrete pedestal.
    NPS Photo/John Tobiason

Nearby parks

Parks of Iowa

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93 parks mapped in Iowa

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12