Presidential Places: The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is, as you might expect, dedicated to the Presidency of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States. It is located in West Branch, Iowa, next to the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. It is one of thirteen presidential libraries run by the National Archives and Records Administration.
The Hoover Library contains 32,000 square feet. It was officially opened to the public on August 10, 1962, which was Hoover's 88th birthday. Former President Hoover and Former President Harry Truman were present at the dedication. At the opening, Hoover spoke. he told the audience:
"When the members of the Congress created these presidential libraries they did a great public service. They made available for research the records of vital periods in American history, and they planted these records in the countryside instead of allowing their concentration on the seaboard. Already the three libraries of President Roosevelt, President Truman, and President Eisenhower, by their unique documentation, serve this purpose, and today we dedicate a fourth, my own. Within them are thrilling records of supreme action by the American people, their devotion and sacrifice to their ideals. Santayana rightly said: 'Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it.' These institutions are the repositories of such experience, hot off the griddle. In these records there are no doubt, unfavorable remarks made by our political opponents, as well as expressions of appreciation and affection by our friends. We may hope that future students will rely upon our friends. In any event, when they become sleepy they may be awakened by the lightning flashes of American political humor."
On August 8, 1992, former President Ronald Reagan rededicated the Hoover Library. The rededication came on the heels of a massive renovation project which expanded the library to 44,500 square feet . Among the additions to the library were a 180-seat auditorium, a multi-purpose room accommodating 60, a conference room that seats 30, and a private meeting room designed for 15 people. The $8-million facelift was a public-private partnership, with Washington supplying $5 million, and the remaining $3 million being raised by the Hoover Presidential Library Association for new exhibits and educational programming.
In addition to the papers of Herbert Hoover, the manuscript holdings include those of Lewis Strauss, Gerald P. Nye, Felix Morley, Clark Mollenhoff, Robert E. Wood, Westbrook Pegler, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, among others. The Library is considered to be a center for the study of conservative journalistic thought, agricultural economics, famine relief, atomic energy, and governmental reorganization.
Located several hundred feet behind the Library are the flat white marble gravestones of President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. The Hoovers rest in a large green area, with the backing semicircle constructed of a high hedgerow. Lou Henry Hoover was originally buried in Palo Alto, California, after her death from a heart attack at only 69, but following her husband's death in 1964, she was re-interred at the Library
The Hoover Library is located within the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, which contains Hoover's birth house and Hoover's father's blacksmith shop, and the West Branch Commercial Historic District which preserves aspects of West Branch's Main Street.
Following is more information about this venue:
Website: http://www.hoover.archives.gov/
Location: 210 Parkside Drive, West Branch, Iowa
Hours of Operation: The Museum is open 7 days a week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the exception of New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Hoover Museum Gift Shop is open from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily. The Research Room is open from 8:45 a.m. to noon and 12:30 - 4:45 p.m. and is closed on weekends and federal holidays.
The Hoover Library contains 32,000 square feet. It was officially opened to the public on August 10, 1962, which was Hoover's 88th birthday. Former President Hoover and Former President Harry Truman were present at the dedication. At the opening, Hoover spoke. he told the audience:
"When the members of the Congress created these presidential libraries they did a great public service. They made available for research the records of vital periods in American history, and they planted these records in the countryside instead of allowing their concentration on the seaboard. Already the three libraries of President Roosevelt, President Truman, and President Eisenhower, by their unique documentation, serve this purpose, and today we dedicate a fourth, my own. Within them are thrilling records of supreme action by the American people, their devotion and sacrifice to their ideals. Santayana rightly said: 'Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it.' These institutions are the repositories of such experience, hot off the griddle. In these records there are no doubt, unfavorable remarks made by our political opponents, as well as expressions of appreciation and affection by our friends. We may hope that future students will rely upon our friends. In any event, when they become sleepy they may be awakened by the lightning flashes of American political humor."
On August 8, 1992, former President Ronald Reagan rededicated the Hoover Library. The rededication came on the heels of a massive renovation project which expanded the library to 44,500 square feet . Among the additions to the library were a 180-seat auditorium, a multi-purpose room accommodating 60, a conference room that seats 30, and a private meeting room designed for 15 people. The $8-million facelift was a public-private partnership, with Washington supplying $5 million, and the remaining $3 million being raised by the Hoover Presidential Library Association for new exhibits and educational programming.
In addition to the papers of Herbert Hoover, the manuscript holdings include those of Lewis Strauss, Gerald P. Nye, Felix Morley, Clark Mollenhoff, Robert E. Wood, Westbrook Pegler, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, among others. The Library is considered to be a center for the study of conservative journalistic thought, agricultural economics, famine relief, atomic energy, and governmental reorganization.
Located several hundred feet behind the Library are the flat white marble gravestones of President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. The Hoovers rest in a large green area, with the backing semicircle constructed of a high hedgerow. Lou Henry Hoover was originally buried in Palo Alto, California, after her death from a heart attack at only 69, but following her husband's death in 1964, she was re-interred at the Library
The Hoover Library is located within the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, which contains Hoover's birth house and Hoover's father's blacksmith shop, and the West Branch Commercial Historic District which preserves aspects of West Branch's Main Street.
Following is more information about this venue:
Website: http://www.hoover.archives.gov/
Location: 210 Parkside Drive, West Branch, Iowa
Hours of Operation: The Museum is open 7 days a week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the exception of New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Hoover Museum Gift Shop is open from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily. The Research Room is open from 8:45 a.m. to noon and 12:30 - 4:45 p.m. and is closed on weekends and federal holidays.