Presidential libraries are usually located close to the birthplace of a president or some place important to the leader. The eastern prairies of Iowa were both to Herbert Hoover. Today, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch continues to honor the legacy of the man and his office--the only president from Iowa. The museum is celebrating 50 years right now.
Who knew there was a president from Iowa? Although, I don't know very much about Hoover. In case you're wondering, West Branch is easy to reach from Interstate 80, the major east-west route across Iowa. Iowa City is just 15 minutes away.
best presidential library for what i read, Herbert Hoover certainly had an interesting past. did you know that he was a mining engineer before he became president? the museum there is fairly small but agreed that Hoover's library is one of the nicest ones. btw, anyone been to the Nixon library? I think his life is even more interesting because of his debates with Kennedy and the Watergate tapes.
Thank you for that tidbit of information. I had no idea Hoover was from Iowa or the only president from the state. A library is a such a special way to honor those who've made a difference. Several I'd like to visit are the Nixon and Reagan libraries in California, Carter Library in Atlanta, and the Clinton Presidential Library in Arkansas.
I live about 10 miles from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, and I have to tell you it was a total delight. I knew nothing about the man and didn't remember his presidency, but it was such a neat thing to learn about the man behind the office and see what the world was like in the past. It was neat to see a replica of the Oval Office from the late 70s. Whoa, so much mustard yellow! P.S. That's in Grand Rapids.