Record Visitation Numbers at William Howard Taft NHS and the Entire National Park Service

Date: March 21, 2017
Contact: Hugh Hawthorne, 513-684-3262

The 2016 Centennial Year of the National Park Service was a banner year for the service as a whole and for William Howard Taft National Historic Site in particular. Here at the Taft House, we welcomed 30,723 visitors, an increase of almost 26% over 2015 and the largest visitation in the history of the site. The entire National Park system saw visitation of over 331 million, breaking all time attendance records for the third straight year. Operations and Visitors to the Taft site were estimated to contribute $1.92 million to the local economy in 2015, a number which rose considerably in 2016 due to increased visitation.

The Taft site preserves the boyhood home of William Howard Taft, a Cincinnati native and the only person to reach the pinnacle of two branches of government; President of the United States and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The house is open daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day) from 8 AM until 4:15 PM. The visitor center offers a movie about President Taft, a Junior Ranger Program, and exhibits about the Taft family. Ranger guided tours of the house are generally offered on the hour and the half hour with the last tour at 3:30. Special programs are offered on an irregular basis throughout the year. Visit the Directions page for info on how to get to the site.