Iowa Adventure Part 2 -- Hoover Library and Museum

After we finished the Volksmarch we went to the Hoover Museum and Library. We paid our admission and then I found this sign -- left from the opening 50 years ago with a quite different admission price.

Only right then my Romanian purchased camera said, "Batteries failed," and I remembered the spare batteries were at the hotel, not in my backpack. So we walked back to the Jack and Jill, hoping to find batteries there and we were successful.

On the way back we admired the old houses from the late 19th century.

This is the Smith house, built as a retirement home by a man who was a carpenter. All the houses along this street are in their original location and were remembered by Hoover as being there as he walked to school.

Within the library museum I was most interested in a display about Presidential dinners.

Along the walls of this gallery room there are exhibits of old pieces of Presidential china.

Here is an example of pieces of china used during the Hayes administration.

Hayes was elected President in 1876.

Here is what I believe is a soup tureen from the time that Lincoln was President.

In the center of this room is a table set for 8, each with a different setting from Presidents in the 20th century.

Here is the china used for state dinners when Wilson was President. By this time the pattern had settled into a representation of the eagle in the center with slightly differing patterns around the edges.

Above in the china used during the Truman administration.

Above in how it was changed and used during the Eisenhower administration.

In this same section there were displays of seating charts for huge dinners as well as scripts for the protocol of welcoming other heads of state to the White House. These are things we know exist, but seldom see.

The remainder of the museum, quite logically, centers on Hoover's career. He had a stellar career in disaster relief in Europe after World War I. What I didn't know is that he and many colleagues were very active in evacuating Americans from Europe at the start of this war. The display said they helped everyone from an Indian chief to a bejeweled dowager. They put up 1.6 million dollars to do this, and the display reports all but $400 was repaid.

We completed our visit by lunch time so decided to drive to the Amana colonies for lunch. Of course, we went to the Ox Yoke, certainly my favorite restaurant. On a Monday it was easy to walk in and get a table, but if you come here after a Hawkeye football game, prepare to wait!

Here is Elena waiting for her lunch to arrive.

Here is my lunch. I can't remember the last time I had mashed potatoes and gravy. We topped this off with pie, my choice being coconut creme.

We headed back to the hotel to relax.