RBMS 2017 blog

13
Apr

Telling Stories of Eastern Iowa

Three cultural history sites only a short drive from Iowa City

If you have a car and a little extra time, there are many great things to see nearby Iowa City.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa (less than 15 miles east of Iowa City, about 20 minutes by car)

The Birthplace of President Herbert Hoover, West Branch, Iowa (photo by Willjay, CC-BY-3.0, from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herbert_Hoover_Birthplace.jpg)

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch includes the both the birthplace and burial spot of the 31st President of the United States, a working blacksmith shop, a tallgrass prairie, and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.  The museum features a permanent exhibit on Hoover’s life, family, and presidency, as well as a temporary gallery which will be hosting C-SPAN’S “American Presidents: Life Portraits” exhibit in June. The Library holds collections of Hoover papers, as well as the papers of Rose Wilder Lane, author and daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Amish and Mennonite culture and businesses in and near Kalona, Iowa (about 20 miles south of Iowa City, about 30 minutes by car)

Horse ‘n’ buggy, Kalona, IA. (photo by Drew Lietzow, public domain, from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amish_horse_%27n%27_buggy.JPG)

Amana Colonies (about 25 miles northwest of Iowa City, about 35 minutes by car)

Street in the Amana Colonies, Iowa (by Kepper66 at en.wikipedia, public domain, from Wikipedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amana_Colonies.JPG)

Please click the links for more information, including addresses and maps.

–Jennifer Bradshaw
Metadata Production Coordinator & Rare Materials Cataloger
University of Iowa Libraries