49-668: The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park System in West Branch, Iowa , United States. The buildings and grounds are managed by the National Park Service to commemorate the life of Herbert Hoover , the 31st president of the United States . The park was established in 1965, shortly after it was named a National Historic Landmark . It now encompasses 186.8 acres (75.6 ha). Hoover spent
98-409: A house there in 1873. Like Jesse Hoover, Billy Wright was a blacksmith. E. S. Hayhurst built a house in 1872, but foreclosed on it in 1878. Real estate developer John Wetherell and his wife built a house in 1872 and sold it four years later to the retired Dr. John Staples. David Mackey purchased a house in 1869. Mackey was a carpenter and built the house himself. Shortly after completion, he died, leaving
147-537: A variety of significant ecological and geological resources. There are 134 national monuments , 87 of which are administered by the NPS and are listed below. Of these, 85 (all except Grand Canyon-Parashant and Avi Kwa Ame) are NPS official units . The remaining 47 monuments are administered by five other federal agencies. Three, Grand Canyon–Parashant, Craters of the Moon, and Avi Kwa Ame National Monuments, are jointly administered by
196-521: A year before moving to Iowa City and remarried. Her daughters Cora and Clara lived in the house until 1915. The house was moved to its present site in 1967. The P. T. Smith House was the only West Branch house that Hoover distinctly remembered when visiting the town years later. The Hoover children and the Smith children often played together, particularly enjoying sledding on nearby Cook's Hill. Four houses are maintained on Poplar Street. The Wright family built
245-761: Is managed by the U.S. Forest Service (not listed here). There are 31 national memorials that are NPS units and five affiliated national memorials. There are 18 national recreation areas administered by the National Park Service. Another 22 national recreation areas are administered by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. There are 10 national seashores. There are three national lakeshores, located in Michigan and Wisconsin. There are four national rivers (marked with an asterisk) and ten national wild and scenic rivers administered as distinct units of
294-423: Is no functional difference). Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is not officially a national preserve but has similar management policies, while Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve is unrelated. There are 63 national historical parks. There are 86 national historic sites, of which 76 are NPS units, 9 are affiliated areas, and one, Grey Towers National Historic Site ,
343-446: Is typically based on the language of a park's authorizing legislation. Although the designations generally reflect sites' features, all units of the system are considered administratively equal and with few exceptions the designations themselves do not define their level of protection. Each site has a management plan consistent with its ecological, historic, and recreational resources and its enabling legislation. In addition to areas of
392-567: The Northern Mariana Islands has an affiliated area but not an official NPS unit. Nearly all units managed by the National Park Service participate in the National Park Passport Stamps program. There are 63 officially designated national parks in the United States and its dependent areas, as of 2021. The national parks are considered the "crown jewels" of the system and are typically larger than other areas, including
441-565: The Hoover celebration in 1954, the Boy Scouts of America built another picnic shelter and dedicated a bronze plaque to the former president. In 1957, the Hoover family decided to recreate the Jesse Hoover blacksmith shop, which was rebuilt using wood reclaimed from an 1870 barn. The blacksmith shop is a working shop producing various iron items for sale and replacement period hardware for the NPS. In
490-616: The Miles children. Laban Miles later served Rutherford B. Hayes as an Indian agent . Hoover briefly lived with the Miles family in 1882 on the Osage Nation reservation while permanent plans were being made for his rearing. A farmstead owned by the Miles family south of the residential district is also part of the park. Also on Downey Street is the Amanda Garvin House, a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture . The Charles E. Smith House
539-604: The NPS and the Bureau of Land Management , and Tule Lake National Monument is joint with the Fish and Wildlife Service . National monuments are typically smaller and protect just one or few major resources. They include both natural and historical sites and can be established by the president under the Antiquities Act . 34 former national monuments have been redesignated or incorporated into national parks. There are 21 national preserves in
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#1732852353016588-465: The NPS as parkways, four of which as official units and five as part of other units. These National Park Service trails are part of the larger National Trails System. Only six of the trails are considered official units of the park system. Most national cemeteries are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs , although a few are managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Army. None of
637-671: The NPS is authorized to provide financial and technical assistance to local authorities for interpretive or educational purposes, but do not have the right to acquire land or have a say in land use or zoning. These include the 55 National Heritage Areas , as well as National Commemorative Sites such as Quindaro Townsite or the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site . There are also various administrative groups of listed parks, such as Manhattan Sites, National Parks of New York Harbor, and Western Arctic National Parklands. The NPS also owns conservation easements (but not
686-567: The National Park System, the National Park Service also provides technical and financial assistance to several affiliated areas authorized by Congress. Affiliated areas are marked on the lists below. National Park System units are found in all 50 states, the District of Columbia , and the U.S. territories of Guam , American Samoa , the U.S. Virgin Islands , and Puerto Rico . The territory of
735-514: The National Park System. There are many more national wild and scenic rivers that run through other units. National reserves are partnerships between federal, state, and local authorities. Within the boundaries of the three national reserves are combinations of federal land (Park Service or National Wildlife Refuges), state parks and forests, local public lands, and private properties. Two national reserves are currently managed as official units. Ten roadways and surrounding scenic areas are managed by
784-427: The United States . As of August 2024, there are 431 units of the National Park System. However, this number is somewhat misleading. For example, Denali National Park and Preserve is counted as two units, since the same name applies to a national park and an adjacent national preserve. Yet Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is counted as one unit, despite its double designation. Counting methodology
833-462: The United States, 19 of which are counted by the National Park System as official units . Ten are stand-alone official units, while eleven others are designated areas where hunting or grazing is permitted as part of a larger "national park and preserve" or "national monument and preserve". Nine of those are counted as separate units, while Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve and New River Gorge National Park and Preserve are single units (there
882-416: The United States. The birthplace cottage fell into private hands and became a tourist destination following Hoover's nomination to the presidency in 1928. After the Hoover family acquired the cottage in the 1930s, they worked to develop a park aimed at recreating Hoover's formative childhood experience. Among the buildings that now stand in the park are a blacksmith shop similar to the one owned by his father,
931-404: The birthplace of the candidate. The widowed Jennie Scellers opened the cottage to the public. Charging ten cents a tour, she entertained over 17,000 visitors in the first year alone. Enjoying the profitability of the building, Scellers refused to sell the property to the Hoover family, but upon her death in 1934, the house was sold to Hoover's son Allan . He demolished the two-story house and turned
980-449: The cemeteries are considered official units of the system; they are all affiliated with other parks. The National Park Service provides limited assistance to national heritage areas, but does not administer them. There are 11 NPS units of other designations, as well as other affiliated areas. The National Mall and National Capital Parks have many sites, some of which are also units of other designations. In addition, there are sites where
1029-621: The cottage back to its original orientation (facing east). Hoover and his family believed that, by recreating the surroundings of his early life, visitors could be inspired by the experience. After Allan purchased the cottage in 1935, the Hoovers began work on developing the environment. By 1938, the cottage had been restored by the Hoover Birthplace Committee, a group founded to support Hoover's 1928 campaign stop in West Branch. Lou Henry
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#17328523530161078-611: The department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce". Until 1913, there was one secretary of commerce and labor , uniting this department with the United States Department of Labor , which is now headed by a separate United States secretary of labor . Secretary of Commerce is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule with an annual salary of US$ 221,400, as of January 2021. The current secretary of commerce
1127-525: The family by sewing and taking in boarders . However, Hulda died of typhoid fever on February 24, 1884. Now an orphan , nine-year-old Herbert Hoover was sent to live with his uncle Allan Hoover on a nearby farm. Two years later, Hoover was sent to Newberg, Oregon to live with another uncle. Herbert Hoover became a prosperous mining engineer, becoming very wealthy after working in Australia and China. He married Lou Henry in 1899. During World War I , Hoover
1176-553: The first West Branch schoolhouse, and the Quaker meetinghouse where the Hoover family worshiped. In the 1960s, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum first opened to maintain Hoover's presidential papers and memorabilia. Herbert and his wife, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover , are buried under a monument designed by William Wagner. After the death of Herbert Hoover, an 81-acre (33 ha) tallgrass prairie
1225-520: The first eleven years of his life in West Branch. The son of a blacksmith who practiced close to the town, Hoover was born in a small cottage in 1874. The family later moved nearby to the "House of the Maples", a two-story house. Within the next few years, Hoover was orphaned and left West Branch to live with relatives in Oregon. Hoover would go on to become a successful mining engineer, humanitarian, and President of
1274-544: The house to his wife, son, and sister. The widower was elected mayor of West Branch in 1879. Of all the houses on the two streets, the Mackey and Wright Houses have been the least altered since their construction. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt established the first Presidential library, a collection of his presidential papers. He donated land and memorabilia to the government and built the structure with private funds. The recently developed National Archives and Records Administration
1323-483: The house" where Hoover was born. The site also includes historic houses on Downey and Poplar Streets that belonged to significant West Branch residents. These houses are not open to the public. Some of the historic house are used for park operations and storage, while others have been available as housing for park staff. In 2021 the NPS posted an RFEI for adaptive use of the Staples, Wright, and Hayhurst houses. In 2020,
1372-526: The land itself) for part of the area called the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District . In the 1930s and 1940s, the NPS developed dozens of recreational demonstration areas , most of which eventually became national or state parks. United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce ( SecCom ) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce . The secretary serves as
1421-649: The late 1950s, the park was greatly expanded in response to the proposed Interstate 80 , which would pass just south of the park. These land acquisitions maintained the integrity of the site. The Birthplace Society moved a 1905 house to the park in 1964 to serve as the house of the Director of the Presidential Library. The house has since been transferred to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, who use it as offices. Around
1470-409: The longest retirement of any President to that point. Hoover considered his years in West Branch to be his most formative, and requested that he and his wife (who had died twenty years earlier) be buried there. Allan Hoover selected the site, which was landscaped before Herbert Hoover's death. 100,000 people lined the funeral procession route between Cedar Rapids and West Branch. William Wagner designed
1519-447: The memorial in collaboration with surviving Hoover family members. Standing at the foot of the monument, one can see the birthplace cottage. R. Portland and Jennie Scellers purchased the cottage in 1889. They moved it to the rear of the property and turned it so that it faced south. They then built a two-story house and connected it to the cottage. In 1928, when Hoover was nominated as president, tourists began to come to West Branch to see
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site - Misplaced Pages Continue
1568-525: The park service embarked on a multi-year flood mitigation project for Hoover creek, a tributary of the West Branch Wapsinonoc creek which runs through the site. The project involved widening the existing creek channel, replacement of bridges, and the construction of a 10-acre retention basin in the park's tallgrass prairie. Laban Miles was the brother-in-law of Hulda Hoover. The Miles and Hoover families became close friends, and Herbert would play with
1617-509: The practice to open a farm implement store on the corner of Main and Downey Streets. In March 1879, the family moved to the House of the Maples, a two-story frame house. Hoover may have attended classes at an 1853 schoolhouse at the corner of Main and Downey Streets. He attended Quaker services at the nearby Friends Meetinghouse. The prosperity of the Hoover family suddenly ended on December 13, 1880, when Jesse died of rheumatic fever . Hulda supported
1666-463: The principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary reports directly to the president and is a statutory member of Cabinet of the United States . The secretary is appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate . The secretary of commerce is concerned with promoting American businesses and industries;
1715-548: The project following his mother's death. The birthplace park hosted the first Hoover Day celebration of Hoover's 74th birthday in 1948. The large crowds that came to celebrate the Iowan inspired Allan Hoover to further develop the site in time for his father's 80th birthday in 1954. The Herbert Hoover Birthplace Park was officially dedicated on June 30, 1952. The following year, a comfort station and picnic shelter were constructed; these have both since been demolished. In collaboration with
1764-453: The relationship between him and Stanford soured in the 1950s, Hoover decided to erect a presidential library and museum. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum was the fourth such institution, opening on Hoover's 88th birthday, August 10, 1962. It is one of three libraries in the system that include the birthplace or boyhood home and gravesite of the President. The opening ceremony
1813-656: The same time, the Birthplace Society moved the Quaker Meetinghouse to the site. Although the Hoovers were originally opposed to the idea, since the church was originally far from the house, they relented when learning of a demolition threat. It was the last building moved to the site before Hoover's death. As the Herbert Hoover Birthplace , the site was declared a 28-acre (11 ha) National Historic Landmark on June 23, 1965. The National Historic Site
1862-455: Was a blacksmith , and opened a shop shortly after settling. The cottage was built on a stone foundation and built with board and batten timber. The timber was cut in a sawmill in Muscatine . On August 10, 1874, Herbert (known in his childhood as "Bert" or "Bertie") was born as the second child to Jesse and Hulda. Jesse's blacksmith had grown to be very successful, and in 1878, Jesse Hoover sold
1911-589: Was considered the leading candidate for president by the Republican Party . He defeated Al Smith in a landslide . However, his term was marred by the economic downturn of the Great Depression . Despite efforts to right the economy, Hoover was himself defeated in a landslide in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt . During World War II , Hoover was again tasked with providing food to war-torn countries. Herbert Hoover died from internal bleeding in 1964, enjoying
1960-544: Was dedicated by Harry Truman and Hoover gave a speech. The library and museum was rededicated by President Ronald Reagan following a massive expansion in 1992. The museum is the only part of the National Historic Site that requires an entrance fee ($ 10 for adults). Grant Wood depicted the Herbert Hoover Birthplace in his 1931 piece, The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, West Branch, Iowa . The painting
2009-513: Was developed. Herbert Clark Hoover spent the first eleven years of his life in West Branch, Iowa , a small farming community with a population around 500. His birthplace cottage was built in the spring of 1871 at the corner of Penn and Downey Streets. The two-room cottage, built for recent settlers Jesse Clark Hoover and his wife Hulda, was only 14 by 20 feet (4.3 m × 6.1 m) and had two rooms. Jesse and Hulda were both Quakers . Jesse
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2058-636: Was established on August 12, 1965. When the National Register of Historic Places was created a year later, the site was automatically listed. The complex originally included twenty-eight buildings, fourteen sites, eight structures, and eight objects over 67.49 acres (27.31 ha). In 2013, the site was redefined to include thirteen buildings, one site, two structures, and one object over 119.31 acres (48.28 ha). The National Historic Site features West Branch several buildings that would have been standing during Hoover's childhood there. The 1853 schoolhouse
2107-618: Was moved by a food crisis in Europe. Hoover oversaw operations for the Commission for Relief in Belgium to feed the nation of Belgium throughout the war. After the United States entered the war, Hoover was appointed the head of the U.S. Food Administration . Hoover was lauded for his efforts in his homeland. He campaigned on behalf of Warren G. Harding in 1920, who rewarded Hoover by appointing him Secretary of Commerce in his cabinet. In 1928, Hoover
2156-584: Was moved to the site in 1969. Smith built his house in 1903, after Hoover had already left West Branch. However, the National Park Service decided to move the house to the site because of its Queen Anne architecture . His sister was the wife of Dr. L. J. Leech, who also lived on the street. Leech lived in Miles' house after moving to West Branch in 1884. While the Miles family foreclosed on their house, Leech purchased it and lived there. He built his own house next door in 1920. Hannah Varney built her house in 1899 after her divorce from her husband. She lived there for
2205-508: Was moved to the site near its original location. Likewise, the Friends Meetinghouse where Hoover worshiped has been moved to the site. Jesse Hoover's blacksmith shop has been rebuilt. These four buildings are open for free touring. The gravesite overlooking the cottage can also be visited. Near the gravesite is a tallgrass prairie , designed to resemble the type of landscape that early West Branch settlers would have witnessed. The prairie
2254-562: Was named a National Recreation Trail in 1981. The large statue of the Egyptian deity Isis was presented to Hoover as a gift from the people of Belgium, in gratitude for his famine relief efforts on behalf of their country during the war . Sculpted by Belgian native Auguste Puttemans [ fr ] , the statue originally decorated Hoover's home in Palo Alto, California . The Hoovers brought it to West Branch in 1939, located "contemplating
2303-761: Was produced before the demolition of the Portland Scellers extension and relocation of the original cottage, so the face of the birthplace itself is obscured at the rear of the building in the center. List of areas in the United States National Park System The National Park System of the United States is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by the National Park Service . The collection includes all national parks and most national monuments , as well as several other types of protected areas of
2352-570: Was tasked with its oversight. President Truman followed suit in 1945, announcing that he intended to build a similar library. In response, the United States Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955 , establishing a system of Presidential libraries. Hoover originally intended to simply donate his papers to his alma mater , Stanford University , and set up a small museum of memorabilia in West Branch. However, as
2401-459: Was the de facto leader of the group until her death in 1944. She oversaw all of the early developments, including the relocation of the Isis statue and the acquisition of land around the birthplace. She also developed a retaining wall for Hoover Creek and had a footpath built over it to connect the cottage with Isis . She installed trees, shrubs, and flowers from a Marion garden. Allan Hoover took over
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