Woodrow Wilson Birthplace

I went by without checking out the website for hours of operation. After I found out they were closed I was disappointed, but I was going to thank them and leave. But, Bob, an employee who doesn’t work as a docent, went out of his way and gave me a personal tour! It was wonderful. I learned so much. They are all so very nice and made me feel welcome even though they were there to do other aspects of their jobs today. They were so kind. I’ll go back when I return to Staunton.

Great hospitality and very knowledgeable staff. Love the set up and exhibits. It’s obvious that they’ve taken great care in presenting and preserving the historic site. I genuinely enjoyed our tour guide. The gift shop was quaint and filled with lovely items. If you have about 2 hours — spend them here! Our history is everything!

Woodrow Wilson’s father was a Presbyterian minister, and the church provided this «manse» for his family in the 1850s, including the infant Woodrow.
The church also provide three servants, who actually were leased slaves. So the future president, who was not known for his racial or social liberalism, grew up tended by slaves.
They play down this aspect of Wilson at this little shrine to our World War I president and former Princeton head honcho.
We stopped off on a trip to DC and think it’s worth the $ 14 (adults) or $ 12 (senior rate) we paid to visit. The admission included a brief guided tour of the 1846 house where Wilson was born and a self-​guided visit to the small Wilson museum. The Wilson library and archives, such as they are, are also housed here, but they are open only to scholars. There also are small gardens, but in November they were mostly dead bushes and plants.
The museum and house tour are interesting, but don’t expect too much. This isn’t the JFK or Nixon or George W. Bush library, funded by lavish tax dollars. It’s run by a private foundation.
For me, the most interesting exhibit was the beautiful 1919 Pierce Arrow limo on display. It was purchased for the president by some of his wealthy pals.

Great little museum, this is the place to go for a Woodrow Wilson museum. While not huge, it packs a lot of information and original artifacts in the house tour where Wilson was born and the library and museum nearby. His actual Presidential limo, which still works and is used to special occasions is the main piece but there are lots of other items to see from his early years.
It must be noted that Wilson spent little time here, as he was young when his father accepted another job at a different church and moved the family. That being said the curator focuses much of the exhibit on the parents and family instead of just the President himself.

I love presidential places. This one has an interesting but very small museum with the home Wilson was born in. $ 14 per person to get in and the parking was terrible for a small town. Clean, friendly and informative.

Great museum in a charming town worth a visit if you are interested in American History or WWI history. Like most presidential libraries, you get a pretty superficial view of Woodrow Wilson as a man and president without any of the down and dirty of some of his more difficult moments, but the birthplace does a great tour, and there are some interesting exhibits and artifacts in the museum proper as well. Great, friendly place to while away an hour or two, brush up on your history, and marvel over the fact that the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same…

An absolutely great museum. Don’t forget to check out the WWI section of this museum, while you’re here.
Don’t forget to check out the campus of Mary Baldwin college (my mother’s alma mater), and take a little bit of time to walk around it’s charming downtown, if you ever visit Staunton. Just a shame I could’ve gotten a FTR, if I’d written this right after I returned from my Williamsburg trip in April. Grrrr!

I am visiting every presidential library in the country, and I recently had the opportunity to visit the Woodrow Wilson library. He was a president of many accomplishments:
— He played more rounds of golf than any other president (1000+).
— After more than one hundred years of struggle, Wilson helped establish a European-​style central bank (the Federal Reserve), and the dollar has lost 98% of its value since then.
— We have Wilson to thank for the establishment of the income tax.
— Alcoholic beverages were banned in 1919 (Prohibition) by the 18^th Amendment.
— Wilson campaign slogan in 1916 was «He kept us out of war». In 1917, he brought the US into WWI calling it «the war to end war».
— Wilson established the first nationalization of industry (War Materials Board) and the first propaganda office (Public Committee for Information).
— The Sedition Act of 1918 made it illegal, punishable by death, to speak ill of the US government or policies in wartime, and is considered the most anti-​speech legislation in US history.
— After a series of strokes Wilson served the last year of his term as a near-​invalid.
I learned a lot about the Wilson presidency from his library, and you can too!

WHY hasn’t anyone reviewed this excellent presidential museum? Anyone interested in presidential and early 20^th century American history should visit if they’re traveling on I-​81 or I-​64. Staunton is nice small city too. Be sure to stay at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel within walking distance of the museum.