Last Sunday I visited the Herbert Hoover birthplace in West Branch, Iowa. The teensy-tiny home had one bedroom and a main living room. A small pantry and kitchen had to be accessed by going out the back door and onto the porch. And the outhouse sat about 20 feet away on the edge of the property.

Hoover only lived here until his was 10 when both of his parents had passed and he was sent to live with family and attend school in Oregon. The site has been well-maintained and the prairie area around it was beautiful (despite hearing the highway and seeing the golden McDonald’s arches peeping out from the peaceful prairie).