Truman Home
Harry S. Truman National Historic Site
Independence, Missouri
Harry S. Truman National Historic Site anchors one end of
a local historic residential district in the city of Independence, located
just east of
Kansas City, Missouri. The Truman Home was constructed in three major
phases. The initial pre-Civil War construction is believed to have consisted
of a simple two-story rectangular structure. Major additions in 1867
and 1884 enlarged the building to 15 rooms, totaling approximately 4000
square feet. Characteristic of the early Queen Anne style, the wood-sided
exterior of the 2 ½ story frame home was embellished with over
200 wooden brackets, decorative jig-sawn porch frieze boards, and layered
cornice mouldings.
The Truman property was willed to the United States upon the death of
Mrs. Truman in 1982 and placed under the administration of the National
Park Service. Immediate preservation problems such as metal roof replacement,
rewiring, and grounds maintenance were accomplished prior to the official
opening in May 1984, the centennial of Mr. Truman’s birth. Given
the nature of the problem, the Service delayed the necessary removal
of the deteriorated exterior paint and repainting until after the park’s
opening.
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