Springdale Township, Cedar County, Iowa

Centerdale is an unincorporated community in Cedar County, Iowa, United States.

The Gruwell and Crew General Store is one of the oldest buildings in West Branch, Iowa. Mayor S.C. Gruwell and J.C. Crew built the structure in 1894, it operated as a music store, harness shop, shoe repair shop, and as a variety store. In 1964 the West Branch Heritage Foundation converted it to a museum. The building has its original false-front facade and wooden ceiling, floor and walls. It is part of the West Branch Commercial Historic District. Preservation Iowa has listed the Gruwell and Crew General Store on its most endangered list, citing its deteriorating condition and lack of support.

Downey is an unincorporated community in Cedar County, Iowa.

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park System in West Branch, Iowa, United States. The buildings and grounds are managed by the National Park Service to commemorate the life of Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States. The park was established in 1965, shortly after it was named a National Historic Landmark. It now encompasses 186.8 acres (75.6 ha). Hoover spent the first eleven years of his life in West Branch. The son of a blacksmith who practiced close to the town, Hoover was born in a small cottage in 1874. The family later moved nearby to the "House of the Maples", a two-story house. Within the next few years, Hoover was orphaned and left West Branch to live with relatives in Oregon. Hoover would go on to become a successful mining engineer, humanitarian, and President of the United States. The birthplace cottage fell into private hands and became a tourist destination following Hoover's nomination to the presidency in 1928. After the Hoover family acquired the cottage in the 1930s, they worked to develop a park aimed at recreating Hoover's formative childhood experience. Among the buildings that now stand in the park are a blacksmith shop similar to the one owned by his father, the first West Branch schoolhouse, and the Quaker meetinghouse where the Hoover family worshiped. In the 1960s, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum first opened to maintain Hoover's presidential papers and memorabilia. Herbert and his wife, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, are buried under a monument designed by William Wagner. After the death of Herbert Hoover, an 81-acre (33 ha) tallgrass prairie was developed.

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial place of Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st president of the United States (1929–1933), located on the grounds of the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa. The library is one of thirteen presidential libraries run by the National Archives and Records Administration. In 1954, a group of Hoover's friends incorporated the Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation to raise money for the preservation of his birthplace and the area around it, and to plan for improvements to the site. One of their ideas was to build a small museum, and with Hoover's approval work began in the late 1950s. The architectural firm of Eggers and Higgins of New York drew the plans for the original building, a modest limestone structure of just over 4,000 square feet. While the museum at West Branch was still under construction, Hoover decided to expand it and to make it his Presidential Library. The Library and Museum was officially dedicated and opened to the public on August 10, 1962, Hoover's 88th birthday. Hoover and former President Harry S. Truman were present at the dedication. Hoover began his speech by saying, When the members of the Congress created these presidential libraries they did a great public service. They made available for research the records of vital periods in American history – and they planted these records in the countryside instead of allowing their concentration on the seaboard. Already the three libraries of President Roosevelt, President Truman, and President Eisenhower, by their unique documentation, serve this purpose, and today we dedicate a fourth – my own. Within them are thrilling records of supreme action by the American people, their devotion and sacrifice to their ideals. Santayana rightly said: "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it." These institutions are the repositories of such experience – hot off the griddle. In these records there are, no doubt, unfavorable remarks made by our political opponents, as well as expressions of appreciation and affection by our friends. We may hope that future students will rely upon our friends. In any event, when they become sleepy they may be awakened by the lightning flashes of American political humor. The original Library and Museum building was expanded several times, with major additions being completed in 1964, 1971, 1974 and 1992. The architects for the 1964, 1971, and 1974 expansion projects were Wetherell, Harrison & Wagner Associates. On August 8, 1992, former President Ronald Reagan rededicated the Library and Museum. The rededication was the result of a renovation project that expanded the library to 47,169 square feet (4,382.1 m2). The $6.5-million expansion was a public–private partnership, with Washington supplying $5 million for bricks and mortar, supplementing $1.5 million raised by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association for new exhibits. The architects for the 1992 expansion were HNTB Corp. Holding almost 300 collections, the Library is an important center for the study of conservative thought, agricultural economics, famine relief, commercial aviation, political journalism, government efficiency and reorganization, isolationism, and U.S. foreign policy. In addition to the papers of Herbert Hoover, the manuscript holdings include those of Lewis Strauss, Gerald P. Nye, Felix Morley, Clark Mollenhoff, Robert E. Wood, Westbrook Pegler, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, among others. The Library and Museum is located within the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, which contains Hoover's birthplace, a reconstruction of Hoover's father's blacksmith shop, a one-room schoolhouse, a Quaker meeting house, and – on a hill overlooking the Library and Museum and Historic Site – the graves of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover.

The downtown district of West Branch, Iowa is part of the West Branch Commercial Historic District. Multiple architectural styles are represented. The historic and endangered Gruwell and Crew General Store is also part of the district.

Downey Savings Bank is a historic building located in the unincorporated community of Downey, Iowa, United States. The bank was charted and this building was constructed in 1903. The two-story, brick building is an example of an early twentieth century commercial bank building. At the time it was built the town had several other businesses. The bank continued in operation until 1932 when it was closed during the National Banking Holiday. Because its capital was not large enough to meet the new federal banking regulations it was consolidated with the West Liberty Bank. John Bashor opened a grocery-hardware store in the building in 1935, and operated it here until 1961. The building housed a grocery store from 1961 to 1972. After an attempt to convert it into a pool hall and cabinet shop, it became a pottery in the mid 1970s. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

West Branch is a city in Cedar and Johnson counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,509 as of the 2020 census. It is the birthplace of the only American president born in Iowa, Herbert Hoover. The Johnson County portion of West Branch is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Downey School is a historic building located in the unincorporated community of Downey, Iowa, United States. Built in four months in 1905, it was designed by Waterloo, Iowa architect J.G. Ralston and built by Frank Chapman, also of Waterloo. The two-story brick structure features quoins on the corners and Roman arches as its main decorative elements. The building had a cupola, but that was taken down at some point. It is believed that the building originally housed 1st through 12th grades. After 20 years the high school grades were moved to West Branch, Iowa. The school itself closed in 1955. The Wapsie Valley Grange Society acquired the building and they used it for their meetings into the 1970s. Tim and Madonna Rex bought the building from the Iowa Grange Society in 2017 and since then have been in the process of converting it into a bed and breakfast inn. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

The West Branch Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in West Branch, Iowa.It spans across western Cedar County and eastern Johnson County, and serves the city of West Branch, and the surrounding rural areas.Marty Jimmerson has been the superintendent since 2018, after leaving AGWSR Schools.

Springdale is a small unincorporated community in Cedar County, Iowa, United States. Historically, the town was predominantly settled by Quakers, and was one of Iowa's most important stations on the Underground Railroad.Starting in 1857, Springdale was the western base of operations for the militant abolitionist John Brown, who lived in John Hunt Painter's house while training the 10 men who came with him in preparation for his raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The 10 were his son Owen Brown, John Kagi, Aaron D. Stevens, John E. Cook, Richard Realf, Charles W. Moffitt, Luke J. Parsons, Charles H. Tidd, William Leeman, and Richard Richardson. In 1858 they departed east. In February 1859 Brown appeared with 12 enslaved men and women from Missouri.: 192–193 In July, 1859, two local boys, Edwin and Barclay Coppoc, joined Brown in his raid.: 194  The first was captured, tried, and executed; Barclay escaped and died later serving in the Union army.Springdale was also the home of Lawrie Tatum, a farmer who served as a frontier Indian agent and the legal guardian of future President Herbert Hoover. The main street through the town is the Herbert Hoover Highway.No downtown business district remains in Springdale; it is a cluster of houses with a United Methodist church. William Maxson's home, where Brown's men were quartered, was razed in 1938, but its location is marked by a plaque provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Although often described as Quaker, Maxson was raised in the faith but at the time of Brown's visit considered himself a follower of spiritualism.