MAUDE STRATTON SCRAPBOOKS
Scope and Content Note
Maude Stratton, as a native and resident of West Branch, was a regular employee
of the WEST BRANCH TIMES. Her scrapbooks reflect stories of West Branch and the
surrounding communities which she wrote for the WEST BRANCH TIMES and daily
newspapers, There are several stories on the same subject to show how differently she handled
them for different papers. The photographs were taken by her and some are of special value
because of the prominence of the persons who posed, These scrapbooks are valuable as historic
and reference items.
There are clippings reflecting Herbert Hoover's life as it pertained to West Branch such
as his early life, August 21, 1928 visit, later visits, 80th Birthday Celebration, purchase and
restoration of the Birthplace Cottage, building of the Blacksmith Shop and the procurement of
the park area, etc&
In addition, there are clippings of histories of West Branch, local schools, local and
community churches, the Masonic Lodge, the Fire Department, WEST BRANCH TIMES,
and prominent families plus obituaries, town celebration, feature stories of West Branch
citizens, etc.
As there is not a sequence of dates from one scrapbook to another, the scrapbooks are
filed in number order. The "album number" was assigned by the Audio-visual department to
number the photographs copied by it. The Finding Aid depicts the general content of each
scrapbook. The inclusive dates are: 1880; 1927-1958,
RESTRICTIONS: Literary property rights retained by donors during their lifetime.
Folder List
Box Contents
1
SCRAPBOOK No. 1 - 1880; 1927-1941 and 1957 Birthplace
Cottage, Blacksmith Shop, and Park area
SCRAPBOOK No. 2 - 1936 - 1942
West Branch Community Stories with
one Birthplace Cottage item
SCRAPBOOK No. 3 - 1936 - 1949
West Branch Community Stories with items of Herbert Hoover
1937 West Branch visit; Allan Hoover ltr. to Mrs. Stratton
and items on the Birthplace Restoration
SCRAPBOOK No. 4 - 1951 - 1958
West Branch Community Stories with items of Herbert Hoover
at the Iowa State Fair, his receiving the Iowa Plaque; and his
80th Birthday Celebration; and the organization of the Herbert
Hoover Birthplace Foundation.
SCRAPBOOK No. 5- 1940 - 1957
West Branch and surrounding communities stories with an item
on visitors to the Birthplace Cottage
SCRAPBOOK No. 6- 1944 - 1958
West Branch and surrounding
communities stories with an item
of Hulda Hoover teaching school and
history of first school buildings
SCRAPBOOK No. 7 - 1927 - 1931
Herbert Hoover's 1928 campaign visit to West Branch,
presidential clippings and West Branch Community Stories
SCRAPBOOK No. 8 - 1930 - 1934
West Branch Community Stories with items on Herbert Hoover's
1932 nomination, his letter to May Carran, Herbert Hoover and
Lou Henry Hoover 1933 visit to West Branch; Lawrence Richey
visit to the Birthplace; and "Record of Events of Four Years at
West Branch, 1929-1932"
SCRAPBOOK No. 9 - 1931 - 1945
West Branch Community Stories with
items on purchases of Birthplace Cottage by the Hoover's and flooding on the
Birthplace grounds in 1941
SCRAPBOOK No. 10 - 1934 - 1936
West Branch Community Stories with
an item on the purchase of the
Birthplace Cottage by Fred Albin