Hoover spent the first eleven years of his life in West Branch. The son of a blacksmith who practiced nearby, Hoover was born in a small cottage in 1874. The family later moved nearby to the "House of the Maples", a two-story house. However, within years, Hoover was orphaned and had to leave West Branch to live with relatives in Oregon.

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, 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 tallgrass prairie was developed. Standing at the foot of the monument, one can see the birthplace cottage.

LARRY PERSONAL NOTE: I WAS QUITE IMPRESSED WITH THIS PLACE