Harry S Truman National Historic Site - Farm Home

Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (GAOA LRF) Maintenance Action Team Restoration and Repairs

Maintenance Action Teams work in national parks and wildlife refuges across the country to provide skilled and specialized repairs to historically and culturally significant sites. The National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center’s Maintenance Action Teams are especially experienced in historic preservation and dedicated to preserving cultural resources in a sustainable manner.​

In the winter of 2023, a GAOA LRF-funded Maintenance Action Team worked through extremes in Missouri weather to preserve the Farm Home at Harry S Truman National Historic Site.​

Working on this project, they experienced a transition from snow to balmy temperatures over the course of a few hours. For almost a century, the Farm Home has survived weather extremes on the plains and the Team preserved the Farm Home to withstand these weather events.​

Follow along to see a Maintenance Action Team at work—from start to finish. ​

The Maintenance Action Team consisted of three carpenters and a Facility Manager on-site. During the first week, they:

• Demolished the front and dining room porches.
• Reconstructed the front porch and damaged porch posts.
• Primed and painted 50 percent of flooring​.

The Team procured supplies locally, supporting the local economy. When possible, the Team tries to save historic or significant fabric and material for reuse or for preservation. Sometimes this isn’t possible, and such material is replaced in-kind, based on deep research and specialized knowledge.

During Week Two, the Maintenance Action Team covered a lot of ground. They:

• Reconstructed the dining room porch including replacement of porch floor, trim and wainscotting
• Installed preventative measures to drain water and  prevent future water damage​
• Repaired and replaced trim as needed​
• Replaced the screens on the kitchen and dining room porches

Not to mention…

• ​A grumpy ground hog left his home, and the Maintenance Action Team installed a barrier to prevent re-burrowing.

​During weeks three and four, the Maintenance Action Team conducted the following activities:

• Wood rot repair and structural replacements across the entire Farm Home structure.
• Achieved an incredible aesthetic improvement!

The Maintenance Action Team completed the most extensive work on the Farm Home in well over 30 years to preserve the structure and cultural and historical significance of the home. The Truman Farm Home is open to the public, and thanks to the Maintenance Action Team’s skilled and efficient work, visitors will enjoy this historic home for years to come.