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Harry S Truman National Historic Site

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Harry S Truman National Historic Site

Welcome to the official page for Harry S Truman National Historic Site. Please be considerate of other fans' opinions. National Park Service or the U.S.
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The Truman Home offers a glimpse at the personal life of the 33rd President of the United States. Beautiful in its uncluttered commonness, the Truman Home showcases the simple life Truman and his wife Bess enjoyed in Independence before and after his presidency. Page Expectations and Guidelines

Welcome to the Harry S Truman National Historic Site page. We hope this will become a place wh

ere fans feel comfortable sharing information and experiences about Harry S Truman National Historic Site with one another. While this is an open forum, it is also a family friendly one, so please keep your comments and wall posts clean. In addition to keeping it family friendly, we ask that you follow our posting guidelines here. If you do not comply, your message will be removed. We do not allow graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments or submissions, nor do we allow comments that are abusive, hateful or intended to defame anyone or any organization. We do not allow solicitations or advertisements. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial or nongovernmental agency. Such posts and/or links are subject to deletion. People who continue to post such content and/or links may be subject to page participation restrictions and/or removal from the page. We do not allow attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial or nongovernmental agency. We do not allow comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity. You participate at your own risk, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided. Posting of external links on this site that are intended as advertising (or to drive traffic to websites unrelated to Harry S Truman National Historic Site), or postings that do not contribute to dialog and discussions about Harry Truman and/or the original posting may be deleted. People who continue to post such links may be subject to page participation restrictions and/or removal from the page. External links do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the U.S. Department of Interior.

06/04/2026

Plan like a park ranger for your next trip to Harry S Truman National Historic Site!

Summer break is here and it’s time to hit the road and visit your National Parks! What better way to plan your visit than like a park ranger! Follow Ranger Dave’s guide to have a smooth and fulfilled visit to the park.

1️⃣ Check out the park website or NPS app when planning your trip! The best place to get the most up-to-date accurate information can be found here. Go to NPS.gov/HSTR for information on hours, tour information, visitor center location, and other events. The NPS app is also a great way to learn about the park with self-guided tours about the history of the park.

2️⃣ Make your first stop at the visitor center! It’s located at 223 North Main Street in Independence, Missouri and is open Wednesday - Sunday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. This is the only place where you can get a ticket to tour the Truman Home! While there you can watch the park film, look at exhibits, and buy a souvenir at the park store. Tours are free and are first come, first served. It is best to go early to get your tickets as we can run out during peak season.

3️⃣ Tour the Truman Home. After getting your tickets at the VC, head on over to the Truman Home, just 5 blocks away. Meet your ranger at the gate for your 30 minute tour. The Truman Home is a museum so no water, food, or big backpacks are allowed inside.

4️⃣ Check out the Noland Home. The Noland Home is across the street from the Truman Home and belonged to Harry Truman’s aunt, uncle, and cousins. The Noland Home has exhibits about Harry Truman and is self-guided. You don’t need a ticket to see the Noland home and it is open Wednesday - Sunday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

5️⃣ Visit the Truman Farm grounds in Grandview, Missouri. The farm is located at 12301 Blue Ridge Boulevard, Grandview, Missouri, 64030. The farm is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Tours of the home will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 4 pm. The home will be closed from 12 pm to 1 pm for lunch. Tours are free and first come, first served. The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Check out the National Park Service App and take our self-guided audio tour of the grounds.

05/28/2026

Did you know? We keep the Truman yard just like the Trumans did.

The National Park Service is tasked with preserving the home and yard with the historic character the home had while the Truman's lived there. The home can more easily be frozen in time," but it's much harder to do with the landscaping since plants are growing, changing, and dying.

We get a lot of visitor comments on the landscaping. They think the overgrown yard is unpresidential and that a former president's home should be well manicured with pruned shrubs and no weeds. The Truman's yard couldn't be further from this ideal, as their yard reflects their desire for privacy as well as their Midwestern thrift.

When Harry Truman became president, the Truman's started letting the bushes grow to provide more privacy. The secret service and the Trumans were at odds, as the secret service wanted the shrubs neatly trimmed around the house. Bess informed the Secret Service that she was the "boss" in Independence and the bushes wouldn't be trimmed. Since then, the bushes have been overgrown.

Park management and master gardeners follow the cultural landscape report, a landscape management plan on how to maintain the yard so it is as historically accurate as possible. The plan specifies how tall shrubs should be and the percentage of weeds in the yard, among other things.

Next time you look at the Truman home, you will see the yard and home as if the Trumans were still living there.

05/21/2026

Join us today (May 21st) from 11 am to 3 pm for a postcard workshop at the visitor center!

Learn the importance of postcards in the history of communication and how they are preserved in the archives and museum world.

View postcards from the Truman family NPS museum collection. Using the knowledge you’ve learned be inspired to create your own postcard to take home or mail to friends!

05/14/2026

Join us on May 21st from 11 am to 3 pm for a postcard workshop at the visitor center!

Learn the importance of postcards in the history of communication and how they are preserved in the archives and museum world.

View postcards from the Truman family NPS museum collection. Using the knowledge you’ve learned be inspired to create your own postcard to take home or mail to friends!

05/08/2026

Today marks the 142nd birthday of Harry S Truman.

On May 8, 1884, Harry S Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, was born in Lamar, Missouri to John Anderson and Martha Ellen Truman. He was born in a bedroom off the parlor. The room was so small there was barely space for the bed. Dr. W. L. Griffen delivered the future president for a fee of $15.00. That would be around $500.00 today.

He was named Harry after his Uncle Harrison Young and given the middle name of the letter S. The S was a compromise because his parent’s couldn’t decide which grandfather to honor. So they picked S to honor both his grandfathers, Solomon Young and Anderson Shipp Truman.

Happy Birthday, Harry!

05/07/2026

On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allied forces at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) at Reims in France.

To commemorate this historic event, Harry Truman had the numbers 5745 put on his license plate. The plate number has been permanently retired in Missouri.

Visitors can see the car during the summer seasons.

Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/hstr/learn/historyculture/the-truman-car.htm

05/06/2026

"Farmers get all kinds of experiences in lots of things." -Harry S Truman

A day on the farm was never the same and sometimes some unexpected adventures happened like on July 30, 1912 when he had to rescue a dog from a well!

He wrote about the experience in a letter to Bess. He wrote, “I had an adventure yesterday. I was putting on a load of wheat down at Mr. Babcock's. It was at the back of his farm close to Lee's Summit rock road. Had about half a load on when a most awful good-looking girl came driving down the road like mad and said her dog had jumped in an open well up the road and would we come and get him out. The pitcher and I got in the buggy and went with her, got a ladder, and I went down and got the dog - a fox terrier. There were about a half-dozen women tearing around the top of the well all the time trying to get the dog to climb ropes and jump in the bucket. They were a most awfully pleased bunch when "Dudley" arrived at the top in as good condition as ever except for a good swim. The ornery cuss shook himself while I helped him and I looked as if I'd been rained on. They were very profuse in their thanks and I believe the old lady and the girl would have kissed us if we hadn't made a hurried getaway.”

Image 1: Distance view of the Grandview farmhouse, showing the grove of Maple trees and the barn in 1906. Credit: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum.
Image 2 & 3: Part of the letter Harry Truman wrote to Bess. Read more: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/157638975?objectPage=2&objectPanel=transcription

05/01/2026

During his presidency, Harry Truman had a pet squirrel named Pete.

Pete followed Truman on his morning walks and made such an impact on Truman that he appointed the first official White House squirrel feeder. 🐿️

On October 22nd 1949, The Deseret News reported that “the squirrels on the White House lawn should be fatter now, at no cost to the taxpayers.” Five-year-old Richard Feeney, son of Truman’s legislative assistant, expressed concern regarding the diets of White House squirrels. With gestures, Richard explained that the squirrels in Lafayette Park have “stomachs tha-a-t big” but White House squirrels are “only this big.” Recognizing his grievances, Truman made a monumental decision. Richard now had the task of feeding all White House squirrels.

Image: A newspaper article from October 22, 1949 edition of The Deseret News.

04/22/2026

The Noland Home’s audio description tour is now on the National Park Service App!

The audio description (AD) tour is an accessibility tool that can be used by blind and low vision visitors to describe the layout and content of the exhibits.

To access the AD follow these steps:
1. Download the app.
2. From the Home Screen click on MORE at the bottom right corner.
3. Go to Audio Description Tours and select Harry S Truman National Historic Site and then The Noland Home tour.

The park has two devices visitors can use to access the AD tour. To request a device call the visitor center at 816-254-9929.

Download the app here: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm

04/18/2026

The Truman Farm Home opens on Friday, May 22!

Learn about Harry Truman's life before politics. At 22, he left the comforts of the city and a good paying job to help his family on the farm in Grandview, Missouri. Having never farmed a day in his life, he had a lot to learn but he had a good teacher. His dad taught him everything he needed to know from planting, plowing, and caring for livestock. On the farm, he learned common sense, how to work hard, and make decisions; all traits that would be valuable in his future life.

The farm will be open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Tours of the home will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 4 pm. The home will be closed from 12 pm to 1 pm for lunch.

The farm is located at 12301 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Grandview, Missouri. Tours are free and first come, first served. The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Check out the National Park Service App and take our self-guided audio tour of the grounds.

The schedule may be adjusted for weather or staffing changes.

Image: Photo of the family in front of the Grandview farmhouse. From left to right: Martha Ellen Truman, Harry Truman's mother; Harriet Louisa Gregg Young, Truman's grandmother; and a young Harry S. Truman in farm clothes. Circa 1907. Credit: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum.

Address

223 N Main Street
Independence, MO
64050

Opening Hours

Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.nps.gov/hstr

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