Schoolhouse

The early settlers of West Branch had a strong regard for education, and in 1853 they built this school. It was used not only as a school but as a place of worship for the members of the Society of Friends. Originally the building housed all of the West Branch students, but by the time Herbert Hoover's older brother Theodore was registered here, enrollment had increased and it was used only as a classroom for the primary students. Increasing membership in the Society of Friends also necessitated the building of a larger meetinghouse in 1857.