Known as the great humanitarian president, Herbert Hoover gave all he could to US aid projects in Europe after the two world wars and encouraged his fellow Americans to do so as well. It could be said that he is the man who sings-handedly created the mid-century image of American generosity in Europe that provided the US with positive sentiments for the decades to come.
West Branch is not only home to Hoover’s birthplace cottage, it is also home to the presidential library built in his honour. You can even visit the schoolhouse where he got an early education, his father’s blacksmith shop and neighbouring houses all preserved in period-accurate landscaping.
Blacksmith shop 
Schoolhouse
The town itself is pretty small and mainly relies on tourism as a main source of revenue. Fortunately, it won’t be boring for too long as Iowa City is just next to West Branch on the I-80.
Birthplace cottage 
Inside the cottage
