Grant Cottage visit
I gotta be honest with you.
Ulysses S. Grant only received one vote for my trading card contest. And the one vote was from my mom. In all fairness to Grant, the field of contenders was expansive. If my math is correct (and it’s probably not!), he was up against more than 100 other candidates. With competition like that, one vote is actually impressive.
He’s going in my trading card collection nevertheless, if for no other reason than I already have a doodle from one of my business cards that will already work.
Field trip!
To commemorate this decision, my family and I visited Grant Cottage to see where Grant spent his final five weeks.
Fortunately, the weather for our visit was gorgeous. Unfortunately (and also fortunately), we sped through our visit so we wouldn’t miss out on what might be the last chance to go swimming this year. I definitely need to go back again when I have more time to explore the museum and grounds.
Keep scrolling for some pictures from our visit and doodles about Grant.
(The story behind the painting above is so cool. And that table full of stuff? That was my kids’ favorite part. They got to guess what each item was used for.)
7 facts about Grant
Grant’s initials were HUG.
His real name was Hiram. And that makes him the president born with the cuddliest initials.Grant was promoted to captain by Jefferson Davis (yeah… that Jefferson Davis) during the Mexican-American War. He accepted the promotion. But then rescinded immediately. Because … reasons.
In the span of half a year, Grant lost both his wealth and his health.
He’s only the second president to publish his autobiography. James Buchanan was the first. (Martin Van Buren tried, but died. He didn’t write fast enough.)
A friend let Grant stay in his Adirondack home after he became ill, because his friend was really generous friend. A really generous friend who hoped that Grant’s presence in the area would generate a big boost of business for his hotel. (And don’t we all just want a generous friend who can profit from our misfortune and demise?)
His hearse was a beer truck. Covered in black crepe.
The invention of postcards helped his tomb gain popularity.
Doodles and facts in this post are largely from Grant's Tomb: The Epic Death of Ulysses S. Grant and the Making of an American Pantheon by Louis L. Picone. It details the drama surrounding the largest tomb in America. That’s right. Of all of the tombs in America. The largest. Nutty. And super-fascinating.
PS Check out pics of Grant’s Tomb on Kurt’s Historic Sites. If not for Kurt’s reminder that Grant Cottage’s season ends soon, I may have missed out for the year. If you plan to visit, make sure to get there before October 15!
Suye Narita
Suye Narita Gambino served as caretaker of Grant Cottage for decades. Before her family assumed the duties, her adopted father was held prisoner during the Civil War. Years later, Suye was also a prisoner — on Mt. McGregor. As a Japanese immigrant, she was held as an “enemy alien” following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
I knew of Suye from reading Louis Picone’s The President is Dead! but I’m curious to learn more about her. Next time I visit Grant Cottage, I’ll need to ask more questions about her.
Have you visited Grant Cottage?
If so, comment below. And if not, it’s worth a trip. Just make sure you plan enough time to enjoy all it has to offer.
PS In the coming weeks, I’ll share new posts about the other people I’m adding to the trading card collection (including Eleanor Roosevelt!). Hopefully, I’ll officially have an online store with trading cards and stickers up soon. Comment below to be kept in the loop.
Confession: I went to Grant's tomb a long time ago. Granted (powerless to stop myself from doing that), it was long before my presidential obsession started and I paid zero attention to it. I have two photos of a couple of us sitting on the steps. And that's it. That’s all of the evidence and my entire memory of the experience. Shameful. Don’t tell anybody about that, ok? It’s kind of embarrassing that I let such a perfect opportunity slip by unappreciated.
