James A. Garfield

Here’s a picture of James Garfield standing by his front gate in front of his Mentor Farm (“Lawnfield”) in the fall of 1880.  By the time this photo was taken, he had won the presidential election of 1880.  This is what the house looked like the last time Garfield saw it, too.

The National Parks Service now runs Garfield's home, Lawnfield.  Here is the link.   http://www.nps.gov/jaga/

People can take a virtual tour of the Lawnfield property – interior and grounds -- at http://www.wrhs.org/html/lawnfield/tour.htm
 This accesses a site originally created by the Western Reserve Historical Society.  At some point in the future this site link may no longer be active.

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was born here in Point Pleasant near the mouth of Big Indian Creek at the Ohio River on April 27, 1822.  This restored one-story, three-room cottage, which was built in 1817, was next to the tannery where Grant's father, Jesse, worked.  You can tour the small cottage that is furnished with period items and some family pieces, such as Jesse Grant’s trunk.  At one time, the birthplace made an extensive tour of the United States on a railroad flatcar and was also temporarily displayed on the Ohio State fairgrounds.

This was Grant’s childhood home from 1823 until 1839, when he left to attend West Point.  Ulysses Grant lived in this home longer than any other during his lifetime.  His parents, Jesse and Hanna Grant, built the original two-story brick section of the house when they moved 20 miles east to Georgetown from Point Pleasant, OH (where Hiram Ulysses - later changed to Ulysses Simpson) had been born the year before.  Additions were made over the years to enlarge and improve the house for Grant, his parents, and four siblings.  The house now holds Grant and Georgetown memorabilia and has seasonal tours. 

During his youth here in Georgetown, Grant attended school, worked in his father's tannery, and spent hours in his favorite pastime - working with horses.  The little schoolhouse on Water St. can be visited nearby.  From age 6 to 13, Grant attended school there and his teacher, John White, is mentioned in Grant’s “Memoirs.”

Ulysses cultivated the 80 acres near White Haven (St. Louis, MO) given to the Grants as a wedding gift and managed the rest of the land of his father-in-law, Colonel Frederick Dent.  With help from the Dent family slaves, Grant established a farm and constructed his own house – a log cabin, the first home that Julia and he ever owned.  Julia recalled that it was “so crude and homely I did not like it at all, but I did not say so.  I got out all my pretty covers, baskets, books, etc., and tried to make it look home-like and comfortable, but this was hard to do.  The little house looked so unattractive that we facetiously decided to call it Hardscrabble.” 

They only lived there for three months, but due to its association with the famous General and President, it was dismantled and moved three times, until it was finally located on the property of the present day Grant’s Farm (http://www.grantsfarm.com/), which is owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch, and adjacent to Ulysses S. Grant NHS.

The brick house, which was designed by William Dennison, had been constructed in 1860 for a former Galena, IL city clerk.  Thomas B. Hughlett, on behalf of a small group of local Republicans, purchased the house for $2,500 in June 1865 and presented it to U.S. Grant two months later.  On August 18, 1865, the citizens of Galena greeted the return of its victorious Civil War general with a grand celebration.  A "grand triumphal arch" spanned Main Street, and a holiday atmosphere prevailed with a jubilant procession, speeches, and evening fireworks.  Julia Grant recalled that "there was a tremendous and enthusiastic outpouring of people to welcome him . . . After a glorious triumphal ride around the hills and valleys, so brilliant with smiles and flowers, we were conducted to a lovely villa exquisitely furnished with everything good taste could desire."  Quite the contrast to “Hardscrabble”!

Second Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant was assigned to St. Louis' nearby Jefferson Barracks following his graduation from West Point in 1843.  Soon after arriving in the city, he visited the family of his former roommate, Frederick Dent, at their plantation on Gravois Creek.  There he met Fred's sister Julia, and afterward his visits became quite regular.  Upon learning of his regiment's impending transfer, Grant proposed to Julia in 1843, and the couple eventually married in 1848.

The White Haven property was a focal point in Ulysses' and Julia's lives for four decades.  The Grants lived here off and on during the 1850s.  Although the family moved to Galena, Illinois, in 1860, the Grants continued to think of “White Haven” as their family home.  By 1870, President Grant owned nearly 650 acres of the “White Haven” farm and began readying the property for a relaxing retirement.  Although circumstances caused him to abandon those retirement plans, Grant retained ownership of the property until a few months before his death in 1885. 

Today, that home commemorates Julia and Ulysses’ lives and loving partnership against the turbulent backdrop of the 19^th Century.

In this house in June and July of 1885, former General and President Grant fought the pain and weakness of throat cancer as he raced to complete his “Memoirs” and provide financial security for his family.  The furnishings, decoration, and personal effects remain just as they were in 1885.  The cottage is owned by New York State, with tours and programming provided by the Friends of Grant Cottage.