Harry S Truman lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue from 1945-1953, but 219 North Delaware Street was always his home.

The Queen Anne-style house built by his wife Bess’s maternal grandfather is the centerpiece of the Harry S Truman National Historic Site. The site also includes the two homes his brothers occupied, the Noland home where his aunt and cousins lived, and the Harry S Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri.

A visit to the Truman home and a stroll through Independence, Missouri, provides important context to understanding this “uncommon common man.”

A former farmer and tailor, Truman was a product of his small town upbringing. He brought the sensibility of his Midwestern roots to Washington, where he wanted to be remembered as the “People’s President.”

Truman believed every man deserved a “Fair Deal,” a philosophy that guided his domestic policies and his decision to desegregate the nation’s military despite strong opposition.

As you stand before 219 Delaware Street, you can easily picture Truman waving from the front porch and coming to the fence to shake your hand or sign an autograph. As you tour his home and listen to the stories told by his family and friends, you’ll come to know what made Truman tick.

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