Harry S Truman State Park

About Harry S Truman State Park

Harry Truman was the first President of the United States of America and the only US President ever elected. Harry Truman State Park, a national park in Missouri, attracts more than 1.5 million visitors a year. The house where he was born and where the family lived until Harry was 11 months old was built in 1880 or 1882.

The Trumans bought the 20-28 foot house in 1882 from a newlyweds for $685 and a 20-28 foot house for $1,000 in 1890.

The modest interior of the house and the surrounding countryside were typical of a Lamar-style house during the time the Trumans lived in Lamar. There was no electricity or sanitary facilities, but today visitors can see the back - the attached smokehouse and fountain, as well as the original kitchen and bathroom.

The United Auto Workers donated the house to the state to preserve it as a historic site of the state, and it is registered in the National Register of Historic Places. On April 19, 1959, President Truman himself attended the inauguration and the small house had a large, spacious living room and dining room that seemed to welcome visitors with open arms.