Birthplace Park Original Entrance

The driveway to the Presidential Library was the original entrance to the historic site.

NPS Photo

The Hoover Birthplace Society dedicated "Herbert Hoover Birthplace Park" at its new entrance gate in 1952. At the time the park consisted chiefly of the Birthplace Cottage and the Statue of Isis.

Developing the Birthplace Park

During the 1940s and 1950s, the Birthplace Society acquired nearby land and began expanding and developing the park around the birthplace. Much was accomplished leading up to the celebration of President Hoover's 80th birthday in 1954. As part of its grand plan for the new park, the Birthplace Society considered building a museum and began construction of the loop drive through the park. A newly built brick and wood gateway in the fencing around the cottage displayed Herbert Hoover's Iowa Award, which he received in 1951. Local Boy Scouts built a picnic shelter on the north side of the creek in 1953.