Bush also came bearing good news. She designated the site was an official project of the Save America's Treasures, which makes it eligible for a preservation grant.

A quiet walk through the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum is something that the first lady says she has looked forward to doing for years.

“I loved her books. My mother read them to me when I was little, before I could read,” she said.

Bush says she felt a close relationship with the young girl in those stories, when she was a child.

“She is the character, Laura, in the Little House on the Prairie books, that I most associated with myself, because my name was Laura, and I had brown hair like she did,” said Bush.

The first lady read Wilder's books to her own daughters and to her students during her time as a teacher. And she believes they have important lessons to share with children, even today.

“How rich they were in character and strength, and what really mattered to them was just their family,” she said.

Making the site a Save America's Treasures project may help make sure it's preserved for generations to come. The staff believes that's exactly what Wilder would want.

“Every time I see a family come, and sometimes it'll be two and three generations, I think how pleased she would be if she knew,” said Jean Coday, director of the Wilder Home and Museum.

Staff members say they have a long-term goal of tearing down non-historic buildings and rebuilding the barn. They say they really need a modern museum to help preserve the artifacts, so they hope they hope they'll be lucky enough to receive a Save America's Treasures grant to help with some funding.