Grant Cottage Student Resource Booklet

8/3/2019 Grant Cottage Student Resource Booklet

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Grant CottageState HistoricSite

STUDENTRESOURCEBOOKLET


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Introduction

The State f New York owns he si te known as Grant Cottage nMt. McGregor n Wilton, NY,and t is run by The Friends f Ulysses .

Grant Cottage. he Cottage s ocated n the grounds of The MountMcGregor orrectional acil i ty. This esidence ecame he f inal hometo Ulysses . Grant,Civ i lWar General nd Bt l 'Pres ident fThe UnitedStates. When Grant was dying of throat cancer, is doctors hoped omake his inal months as cotnfortable s possible, nd suggested moveaway rom the heat of New York City. oseph Drexel, ho owned hecottage ffered t to the Grants; he family accepted nd arr ived on June16, 1885. Here grant struggledwith the effects f the advancing ancerin a race with death. He ought o complete is memoirs n order oprovide or his family's inancial ecurity. Although he won the battle ocomplete is memoirs , e ost he ight against ancer short ime ater.

0pening ive years after his death, Grant Cottage s a very specialsi te rom an histor ical erspective. t is rare o have an histor ic housepreserved essentially nchanged rom the time its re sidents eft, with itscontents till intact, and to have extensive ocumentation f the houseand ts contents as hey were then. Grant's ame esulted n a wealth ofphotographs f the cottage and ts contents during and after his stay,and since Grant 's eath n the summer of 1885, aside rom some basicconservation easures ecessary o preserve he cottage nd tscontents, he exterior and he rooms on view are virtually as hey werewhen Grant died. When you visit,you may feel hat you have entered atime machine hat permits you o visi t a s i te n 1885, and view t just asit was hen.


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GRANT COTTAGERESOURCE UNIT ONB

MOUNTMCGREGOR

From "MtMcGregor, he Popular summer anitarium,Forty Minutesfrom saratogaSprings" B ffalo, I 884)


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MT MCGREGORThe original resort building complex n Mt. McGregor was knovrnas Mountain House, or the Mt

McGregor Hotel, and opened n 1878, fferingvisitors panoramic iewsof the Hudson River valleyalong with good ood and modest ccommodations. y 1885,when he Grant Famity arrived at MtMcGregor, he newer,larger esort hotelknown as he Hotel Balmoral had been n business lmosta year.

The promoters of the hotel hoped o capitalizeon the mo untain' sproximity to Sarato a Springs,which already had a long tradition as a summerresort. Toward this ourcome. W.J. Arkell andhis associates ormed the Saratoga and Mt.McGregor mprovement Company which pur-chased Duncan McGregor's hotel and he prop-erty for $50,000. (The Mountain House had

been built on the top of the mountain by theproperty's owner, Duncan McGregor, but thebuilding that was part of that resort and s nowcommonly called Grant Cottage was moved ashort distance own the mountain o its presentsite when the property was sold.)

Construction of the Hotel Balmoral began n1882. This project was completed and he hotelopened n the summer of 1884, ffering a niurowgauge ailroad to nansport visitors directly fromSaratoga Springs up the steep slope of themountain, as well as accomodations or 300, arestaurant, numerous porches and balconies,and state.of-the-art plumbing with water suppliedby an artesian well.

HotelBalmoral; akenfrom an old postcard

Narrow gauge railroad to Ml.McGregor; takenfrom an oldpostcard.

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In addition,both the ooms and he piazzas were ighted, he ooms with gas ight, and he piazzas with "theEdison System," or electric ights. Visitors o this esort could enjoy ts views from rustic benches rovidedby the management, r enjoy boating on one of thethree small lakes nearbv with the hotel's fleet ofcedar boats.

There was also a gallery housing paintings bypopular American artists, including AlbertBierstadt and Thomas Moran. This gallery waslocated n a Queen Anne style buildingwhich wasthe headquarters or the Ml McGregor Art Asso-ciation.

TheArt Galleryat Mt McGregor;taken rom an old postcard.

In April of 1885, Joseph Drexel, a partner n the New York banking irm of Drexel, Morgan, and Company,purchased he building which had been part

of the original Mountain House, and offered this residence othe Grant Family. His invitation to the Grants may have been at the suggestion of one of the partners n theHotel Balmoral resort, W. J. Arkell, who was a business ssociate f Drexel's. Arkell believed hat thesulruner of 1885 would probably be Grant's ast and "..if he should die there, on Mt. McGregor] it mightmake the place a national shrine-and incidentally, a success." As one of Grant's biographers wrote,"Shoddy exploitation followed Grant right to the grave." The ll-room Drexel Cottage was hastilyredecorated n preparation or the Grants' arrival, and in early June, he family began heir ourney in thecomfort of William H. Vanderbilt's private railroad car. Accompanying General Grant were his wife Julia,their daughter Nellie, their oldest son Fred with his wife, daughter nd son; heir second on Ulysses, r. , andtheir youngest on,Jesse with his wife and daughter. Also accompanying rant and his amily were Grant'sdoctor, nurse, valet, a stenographer, nd Julia's maid.

In Saratoga Springs he party transferred o the narow gauge ailroad and faveled up the mountain, escortedby members of the press. The family arrived at the cottage, where he first floor provided a large receptionroom, complete with writing table or the General, and bedrooms or Julia, General Grant, and his valet. Thisarrangement was not acceptable o the Grants, and while they were there, Julia, along with the other familymembers, lept n rooms on the second loor. Meals were eaten up the hill at he Hotel Balmoral, or broughtfrom the hotel down to the cottage, since Drexel Cottage had no kitchen of its own.

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Grant Cottage; hoto courtesy f NYSOfficeof Parks, Recreation, nd Historic Preservafion

If the Grants hadbeen an ordinary vacationing amily,they probably would have partaken of a variety ofwalks to enjoy the views and take advantage of themountain air, enjoyed ong luncheons nd dinners nthe hotel's elegant estaurant, nd socialized with theother tourists on the lighted piazza in the evening.Instead, because of their fame and General Grant'sillness, Grant became the tourist atraction of thesummer. "Every afternoon ong lines [of tourists]would walk past the cottage. Now and then Grant,sitting on heporch writing orreadingthe newspapers,would look up and nod or wave his hand."

General Grant on the porch of GrantCottage; romThe American Civil WarBook and Grant Album, 1894.

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Almost from the moment the General arrived, he cottage had become a shrine, so t was no surprise whentheNewYorkTimes reported, on the very day of his death, It has been proposed hat he cottage should bedeeded o the Government,...that fence should be put around t, and hat t be preserved bout as he Grantfamily leave t." Although the house never became a national monument, Drexel, the owner, offered it tothe Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in trust for the American people. Oliver P. Clarke, a member of theGARmovedinascaretaker. hentheHotelBalmoralburneddowninlsgT,W.R.Arketlfeltthatitprobably

didn't matter, since he General's death had not brought ncreased opularity to the resort as he had originallyhoped, but rather had "..killed it absolutely. After his death, as people came o the mountain, he momentthey stepped off the train they took off their hats and walked around on tiptoes I never could find."The cottage s now owned by the State of New York, and operated or the State by the Friends of UlyssesS. Grant Cottage. Unlike the majority of historic houses, he furnishings had been well documented duringand after the Grants' stay, and were never removed rom the building, so he house has been maintained aboutas t was n 1885 through a succession f caretakers, hile the surrounding property underwent severalchanges. n 1912, he Hotel Balmoral site was purchased y the Meropolitan Life Insurance Company,which built a sanitarium or its employees uffering rom tuberculosis. n 1945 his structure was sold o NewYork State which renamed t the Mount McGregor State Veterans'Rest Camp to be used by veteransreturning from World War tr as a place to recuperate. After that t went on to become a state mental hospitaland he Wilton Developmental Center, and since 1976has been used as he medium-security Mt. McGregorcorrectional nstitution.

View rom the Eastern Outlookof Mt. McGregor. Takenfrom n old postcard.

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Mt. McGregor Unit Questionsl. What were three other names used or the structure now known as Grant Cottage?

2. Why did tourists vacation at a place ike Mt. McGregor? If you had to write a newspaper d for MMcGregor when the Hotel Balmoral opened n 1884, how would you write it to make people want o comthere? If the Hotel Balmoral were still located on top of Mt. McGregor now, how would you write the ato make people want to vacation here now?

3. With all the facilities offered by the Hotel Balmoral, why did General Grant and his family stay ar DrexCottage nstead?

4. What changes appened hen Grant and his amily moved o Mt. McGregor? What happens ow whea famous person goes o live in a small town? (Your teacher or librarian may be able to help you find thnarnes f some small towns where his has happened-you might want to start with Kennebunkport, ME

5. Pretend you live in 1885; your piuents have announced hat you are going to vacation at the HoteBalmoral. Keeping n mind the ocation, he activities offered, and so on, what kind of clothes would yopack? How would you get from your house o the resort?

6. You are vacationing at the Hotel Balmoral and want to send your best riend a postcard with just 2 orsentences escribing he most mportant eatures f the hotel, he area around t, or what you are doing. Whawould you write?

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GRANTCOTTAGERESOURCE NITTWO

ULYSSES .GRANT


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ULYSSES .GRANTHiram Ulysses Grant was born April 27th, IS2}inPoint Pleasant, Ohio, five miles east of Cincinnati. Hwas the frst child of Jesse and Hannah Grant and remained nameless or nearly six weeks until his famiconvened and put their choices on slips of paper o be drawn rom a hat. Known as Lyss to his family, hquiet nature and dislike of hunting and sports made him the target of many jokes from schoolmates anneighbors. In fact, his only childhood skill seems o have been as a horseman.

After Grant spent wunsuccessful ears n boarding school, esseGrant wrote o his Congressman equesting n appoinimenthis son to the United States Military Academy at West Point. A vacancy existed and the uppoint rrrnt wprovided,soinl839HiramUlyssesGrantenteredWestPointattheageofseventeen. Uponhiiarrival,wheGrant found his name isted as Ulysses Simpson Grant, he accepted he mistake without protest, and romthat time on he was known as U. S. Grant. Four years ater he graduated lst in a class of 39. His firassignment ook him to St. Louis, home of his West Point roommate, Frederick Dent. In St. Louis he meJulia Dent, Frederick's sister and daughter of a gentleman armer. After a four-year, partly long-distanccourtship, he wo were married. His marriage o Julia was ong and happy, but the same s not ffue of Grantprofessional ife. He served n the Mexican War at he sthmus of Panama nd at several ther posts. Granfar away from his family, and stationed at posts with little real work to do, developed a drinkingproblem an

ultimately resigned rom the army. A series f unsuccessful ttempts t farming and business ollowedGrant struggled to support a family of five.

ulysses . Grant withJulia Dent Grant and heir children; eft to right Jesse,Nellie,u y sses ., and F ederic . F om u ryss ss. Grant, by F. NorionBoothe,

Gallery ooks,tlY,1990

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In the spring of 1861 Grant was working n his brother's eather goods store as a salesman nd bookkeeper.By June of 1861, ollowing the bombardment f Fort Sumter and he beginning of the Civil War, ColonelUlysses S. Grant was eading he twenty-first llinois Regiment nto Missouri, and by a year ater he wascommanding foops at Shiloh and Vicksburg. By the spring of 1863he had been promoted o Major General,a rank hat eventually was aised o General-in-Chief. n his command f the United States Army, he stayedon at he close of the war to administer he Reconstruction cts. He was elected President n 1868 and servedtwo terms, the second spoiled by resignation and scandal.

General Grant at his ColdHarbor camp, during he Civil War.From Ulysses .Grant by F. NortonBoothe,GalleryBooks,I,ty, 990.

On leaving the presidency, he Grants eft for an extended our of the world where they were entertainedroyally and presented with numerous gifts and souvenirs. Returning o the United States n 1879, Granthoped he might run for the presidency again, but was disappointed almost mmediately when he lost theRepublican Party's nomination o James Garfield.Thelastphase f his ife,like his young adulthoodwas marked by astring of financial problems andpersonal

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misfortunes' A $250,000 und collected by his admirers allowed he Grants o puchase a town house n NeYork City and a country home n New Jersey. Unfortunately, when the nvesiment firm of Grant and War(in which Ulysses Grant was a partner) ailed, he ost all the money he had nvested n the irm. Grant himsewas completely blameless n the ailure which resulted rom the raud and mismanagement f other partnerbut because f their dishonesty, Ulysses Grant ound himself enteringhis sixties nearlypoveny-stricken.order to provide for his family he reluctantly agreed o write his memoirs, a task which

was hampered bthe continuing decline of his health.In 1884, he was diagnosed s having ancer f the hroat. The cancer was well advanced nd medictechnology ad not developed nough o offer any eal reatment r hope or a cure. His doctors id thebest o see hat Grant emained scomfortable spossible or the emaining months f his ife. In spitehis ack of success n business fter he presidenry, e emained nabsolute ero or many people n thUnitedStates ndaround he world. As a result, nce is llness ecame nown,Grantana is family weharassed y both the press and the public. Stationing ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,reporters utside is own ouse, .*rpup.r;il;;;;; ,","'i..''ff"',ffiiir,,,,,,

*,:?l:IlT:1t::'_:::I i' "sinking.Intohe'f,g.'r'

Grave," and General Grant's Friends Give Up Hope."Despite

his declining health, and because e was moreconcerned han ever for providing his family with themeans to survive financially, Grant worked on hismemoirs almost daily, while his friend and publisherMark Twain readied his presses o publish the enor-mous work:

Grant at work on his Memoirs on the porch ofDrexel (Grant) Cottage,July 1885. FromThe Captain Departs by Thomas M. pitkin, S.IL university Press, 1973.

By late spring of 1885, he draft of Grant's personalMemoirs was nearly complete and the family wasinvited to spend the summer at the Drexel Cottage onMount McGregor, near Saratoga Springs. Grant'sdoctor, John Douglas, wrote, ,.That is just the placehavebeen ooking or. There s ittle heat here, t is on he heights, t is free rom vapors, nd above ll is among hepines, nd hepure air s especially rateful opatients uffering sGeneral rant s sufferingThe amily arrived n Saratoga prings n William H. Vanderbilt's rivatJrailway car, hen ransferred othe narrowgage ailroadwhichcarried hem up hemountain.Almost rom the momentGrant arrivedatMtMcGregor, he was besieged y visitors. Some were amous, ike writer Mark Twain, and some werunknown, ike Civil War veterans who came o see him one ast ime. Grant inished he preface o hismemoirs, hich had been he ast part emaining o complete, n July , 1885, nd ust threl weeks ateron July 23 he died, plunging he country nto mourning.

General Grant 3


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Ulysses .Grant Unit Questions1. Once Grant's ilness became ublic, eporters ere constantly riting about Grant and his llness. Doesthis same hing happen oday ro famous people? Give an example.Pretend you are a reporter on the evening news and write a headline and a brief report that would give thepublic the facts about General Grant's condition during the news. If you were a reporter or the NationalEnquirer, would the headline and report be the same? Write another headline and brief story that might

appear n this publication.

2. How many ormer U.S. Presidents re alive oday? What benefits o they eceive when hey retire? Whatdid U. S. Grant eceive?

3 Grant's memoirs concentrated n his Civil War years, and not his years as President. Why do you thinkthat this was so?

4. Imagine hat you are one of General Grant's grandchildren. Write a paragraph bout what t is like ro bewith him at Dreiel Cottage on Mt. McGregor. What activities do you do? What arc your feelings?

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*"'%lffir'.ffi;i'?'"."'GRANTand LATE

NINETEENTHCENTURYMEDICINE

Patent medicine adfrom Sears Catalogue, 1900

gryFlbxro


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GRANT AND LATB NINETEENTH CENTURY MEDICINBIf UlyssesGrant developed hroat cancer oday, here s a good chance he might have been cured

Medical science as made enormous rogress n the ast fi) years, ncluding he prevention, reatmenand cure of many ypes of cancer. Grant's disease as not noticed untit t was n an advanced tagesince egular check-ups ere not routine as hey are now or many people. n addition, Grant smokecigars or most of his adult ife, which may well have caused r contributed o the development f histhroat cancer. f he ived n this day and age, he dangers fsmoking would be apparent n a wealtof anti-smoking advertising nd nformation, and because e was a person of power and reasonabwealth, he probably would have had regular check ups nstead f waiting until he elt really ll to gto the doctor.

In someways, he way ulysses . o;,;;;;;;. *r,u"r* wasdiscovered as ypical or anyonliving n the nineteenth entury, ut n otherways t wasquitedifferent ecause f his status san AmericaCivil War hero and ormer president. ike most nineteenth enturyAmericans,Grant was primarilycarefor at home. Even hough he diagnosis f throat ancer ame rom wo of the country's hroat specialiand n a large city with excellentmedical acilities, e did not check nto an appropriate ospital r carfacility as might happen oday. Hospitalswereconsidered angerous

ndused rimarily or the poor. Thewereplaces here a sickpatient went o die, ather han a place o be curedas hey are now. In the nineteencenturywomen enerally rovided are t home or minor health roblems ithout he services f a doctoSerious llness suallymeant doctor's isit,butoften he ollow-up arewas arried utat home n thewaprescribed y the doctor. n Grant's ase, n addition o the nitialdiagnosis nddecision n care, doctovisitedhimat home lmost aily,andhe hada ull-timenurse swellas amily members nda personal alto provide his care.Knowledge of the causes of illness was limited, and theprimary role of doctors and other care-givers as o ease hesuffering of their patients by reating the symptoms of anillness rather than the cause. Poor nutrition and sanitation

also contributed o disease. Little was understood bout heneed for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, nor wastoday's great variety of fresh fruits and vegetables availablein the nineteenth century. Contaminated water supplies andlack of sanitary plumbing facilities added o health dangersand sometimes ed to epidemics.For the average person who was treated at home by familymembers, herbs provided the basis or many home emedies,treating the symptoms rather than offering a cure. This issimilar to the way we might go to the pharmacy nowadaysand buy an over-the counter medication or a minor illness,such as a cold or a headache. Another whole category ofmedications were the patent medicines widely availableduring the nineteenth century. These were non-prescriptionmedicinqs which often contained little more than water,coloring, flavoring, or alcohol. They promised elief from a General rant ndhis octors. romThewidevarietyofsymptoms,andsometimespromisedcuresfora' '%byThomasM,Pitkin,S.Leverything rom skin diseases o cancer, and so they found Universityress,1973

many gullible individuals among he public. The passage f

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the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 provided or the esting of these medicines o assure hat neffective ordangerous ver-the-counter medications ould not be marketed.

Patent medicine ad,, 1853

In General Grant's case, because f the advanced tage of the cancer when Grant was diagnosed., is doctorsknew there would be no cure, but they did have access o more effective medications to ease Grant'ssuffering, including cocaine, a stimulant derived rom the coca plant, morphine, a depressant manufacturedfrom poppy plants, and brandy, another depressant" nd did not need to rely on herbs and other..folk,,medications. In general, nineteenth century physicians were ess concerned or less aware

of) the ong-termeffects of drugs like cocaine and morphine than they were with relieving a patient's pain.

THEWORLDIUT.O{!NE!IIBAITI$'

/LRnlnUDT'0nEffi Iffi,I,ION,Oootl for Toothnclre . r \que rr the Free, {euralgia. lendaehe, pinnl offeetion, lreumetism, r innry

nnd Kit l r rer r l iseases . ' ro lnpsus Uter i . Croup,Soril 'bront, Colds, eorrghs ,Fresh orr r rds ,Burns . ses l ( le ,Clrilbloins,Sprnit ," , nflnrned l wesk eyes , or-oelre , ) inr rhea, I )ysentery, our S tornaeh, os t i renes*,lndigestion, til ious Cholie, Flatuleney, See-s iekness t the etomneh r sny other k ind, Sores , Corns ,&c . - Good olso fo r cleaning elothee exeept Silkr,] from paint. piteh, tar, greose, il, &c.

Thrs arricle rr lrcen bor orrghly raminod nd tened by eminent.Chemirt! nd . lpotheetries, nd inrariablyprolrourrced rafe, pleeaant nd uptrior combinatloh or erienral rn d internrlappliceiionr, u clerrners, rer,iprr6rcT. anrl lelieitrrs lnlnr. renrler t r plee4nt 13 well arnrr elToctiveemedy.' 1'ltir erricldhas been befor the prrblic uflicieotly ong. o prorc that crorynhero t ir ured, t rrill tctl r bctrartory for itrelf then rr'6ean communieate. For thg firn yerr

gSrooo ElolEr1FI-F ' . t twcro mlrl for earh. rvithortt rr lverlioin8t aomething hrt oever hnr beet dore helore with rn y utiele of prtenti\lodicirre. ltr actorrishirrF fl 'ectr ro coming n fm m cY6f7 qusrter; far urpr.ruirrg hn l'y6p1i6ior 'r mo.rt anouiraorpccrarion. Virlr^thoso bcst.nequsinted ith iu effecu' hcrc ir no lorrger oubt bu t t i r aliolurely th c bert *?U.1"

-of ilro kin,l over beforo ho prrblic.The rich enrl the pdof, the lertncd Ind th6 unlctrncd, rlllc lcnd In thcir high tearimoniak n i6 faror.

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Nineteenth Century MedicineQuestionsl. Ulysses S. Grant smoked cigars most of his ife. He finallyquit smoking n November of 1884. Usehealth book from the school library to find out answers o the following questions:What health problems are caused by smoking cigars?Could General Grant have prevented himself from developing cancer?

2. Have your teacher, a parent, or a ibrarian help you find a book of old-time herbal emedies. Many of thescures did not work at all, but some of them may have helped. Choose one of the emedies you find and igurout why people might have come up with that particular featment, nd whether or not t would have workeWhy did doctors not use hese emedies or Grant?

3. Whataresomeofthedrugsthatdoctor susedtorelieveGrant'ssuffering? rethesedrugsusedbydoctortoday? Why or why not?

4. Are patent medicines still sold today? If yes, give an example.

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.,35$ilIf3$fffJ".GRANTand LATE

NINETEENTH CENTURYMOURNINGCUSTOMS

Grant lying in state at Drexel Cottage. Courtesy of the New york StareDepartment of Parks, Recreation, and Historic preservation.


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NINETEENTH CENTURY MOURNING CUSTOMS"There was no expiring sigh. Life passed way so quietly, so peacefulty, hat to be sure t hadterminated, we waited a minute. Then ooking at my watchr found t was precisely ight." With theswords, Dr. John Douglas described he death of Ulysses . Grant on July 23, 1885. The nation waplunged nto mourning; memorial services were held across he country, the Hotel Balmoral wabesieged ith telegraph messages, nd carloads f flowersarrived at Drexel Cottage. Although hcountry reacts n a similar fashion when a national igure dies now,

therituals

of mourning anbereavement urrounding he death of General Grant were simply he customary nineteenth enturexpressions fgrief which had been arried o the extreme ecause fhis status as a war hero. n facone historian has written, "In a century hat relished he spectacle f dying here was, n America aleast, no deathwatch he equal of Grant's."

The eath f General rant.FromHarper's eekll, ugust , l8BS.

In many ways the attitudes of that time about dying and death were quite different from those of today. Inthe nineteenth century, since the average sick person was taken care of at home by family members, deatoften occurred at home n the midst of the family. Because medical care was not at today's levels, and hecauses and cures of diseases were poorly understood, death occurred with some regularity in ordinarfamilies, to people of many ages. In ttre United States hese days, death often takes place in a hospital onursing home away rom friends or family, and because f greatly mproved health care, t is often associatedwith extreme old age, not an event which occurs with any frequency or most of us.For typical late nineteenth century Americans, mourning continued or an extended period of time, an

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followed certain fairly rigid patterns. These days public expressions of grief are limited to the dayssurrounding he funeral, and once he person s buried, he iving are urged o put their grief behind them andget on with their lives.As was ypical, or his ime, he General died "at home" (although he Drexel Cottage was neverreally homefor the Grant Family) in the midst of family members. The clock was stopped at the time of his death, (whichthe clock itself indicates was at 8:08, n contrast o Dr. John Douglas who indicated n the quotation abovethat t was precisely 8:00) and his body remained n the parlor of the cottage covered with an American flagand a wreath of oak leaves which had been gathered by Grant's granddaughter ulia and Dr. Douglas' twodaughters. The General's body was placed n an ce coffin until it could be embalmed ater hat day by two

Children Colonel red Grant'sdaughter nd Dr. Douglas wo

daughters) lacing wreath of oak eaveson Grant's body. From Harper's

Weekly, ugust , /885.

New York City undertakers. After the embalming, he body was apparently eturned o the ce coffin untilthe permanent coffin arrived.Like many other widows of her time, Julia Dent Grant followed the Victorian practice of remaining at thecottage n seclusion uring the days mmediately ollowing her husband's eath. For her, and or the otherfamily members, ustom demanded hat hey dress in mourning," which meant wearing all black clothing,combined with black hats and veils. The mourning period could last up to two years, with gray or lavenderclothing replacing the black toward the end of that time, Other domestic indicators of mouming for

prominent amilies such as he Grants ncluded elaborate loral displays ike the ones still on display at GrantCottage, stationery and calling cards with black borders, and black ribbons and drapery on the front door,windows, and areas nside the house.Because Ulysses S. Grant was a national figure, his body was displayed or an extended period of time toallow mourners o view the body, until his uneral servicewas held on August 4th,. Following this, he bodywas fansported o Albany, where the General ay in state n the Capitol building. From Albany, the funeraltrain proceeded o New York City where he coffin was displayed n City Hall. More than 250,000 peoplefiled past o pay their respects.

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i*,

':ji:

Julia Dent Grant duing the White House years. FromUllsses S. Grant by Steven O'Brien

After much discussion t was decided o bury General Grant n Riverside Park n New York City. The bodwas tempo_rarily ntombed n a brick crypt until the General Grant National Memorial, commonlyknown as Grant's Tomb, was completed. The completion of the memorial ook nearly welve years, duesome early difficulty raising money and a number of construction elays. When completed at a cost o$500,000), the structure contained wo trophy rooms as well as murals illustrating Grant's military ancivilian life.

Tomb of Ulysses . Grant n RiversidePark, New York Ciry. From the February

. 1990 Civil War Times.

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Nineteenth Century Mourning Customs Questions

1. Look up the word symbol n a dictionary. What is the definition? In General Grant's time, what weresome of the symbols showing that a family was in mourning?

2. See f you can ind out which other United States Presidents ave ombs ike the Grant Memorial. Yourschool ibrarian may be able to help you with this. Find out what other kinds of buildings or placesconunemorate our Presidents.

3. President Grant s also memorialized on some of our currency. Which bitl has Grant's picture? Whatother Presidents are pictured on our money?

4. If President Grant died oday, what would he ceremonies e ike? What mpact would television overagehave on these observances?

5. Find out how much tcosts o have a uneral or an average erson hese ays. What happens hen a amilycannot afford the cost?

6. Visit a ocal cemetery be sure o get permission f it is not open o he public) and see what kinds of symbolswere used on tombstones n times past, and which are used now. Make a drawing of one or more of thesymbols you find, and write down any nteresting epitaphs ou find.

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GLOSSARY

Artesian Well - A well in which water ises under pressure rom deepunderground.

Hotel Balmoral A resort hotel builtby the Saratoga nd Mt. McGregorlmprovement ompany etween 882 and 1884.

Bereavement - The oss elt at the death of a loved one.

Brandy - An alcoholic everage made rom wine or fermented ruit;adepressant sed as a pain-killeror GeneralGrant.

Civi l War - A war between egions r fact ions i thina s ingle ountry i heUnitedStates CivilWar took place between 861 and 1865.

Cocaine - A narcotic rug extracted rom he South American oca plant; as t imulant sed as a pain-k i l leror Genera lGrant .

Crypt - A chamber r vault belowground, specially ne used or burial.

Epidemic - A disease ffect ing large number f people n a s ingle eographarea .

Funera l - Ceremonies eld n conjunct ion i th he bur ia l f the dead.

Grand Army of the Republic An organizat ion f UnionArmyCivi lWarveterans .

Mark Twain - Pseudonym r "pen name" f author nd humorist amuelClemens , r iend f U.S. Grant , nd publ isher f his memoirs .

Memoirs - An account f the personal xperiences f the author.

Memorial - Some object uch as a monument, r event uch as a holiday,designed r established o serve as a remembrance f a person r an event.

Morphine - A depressant edication, roduced rom opium; sed as a pain-k i l ler or Genera l Grant .

Narrow Gauge Railroad A railroad rack where he distance etween hera i ls s . less han 56-112" ihe s tandard age dis tance .

Patent Medic ine A trademarked edic ine old over- the-counter ; i thoutaprescr ip t ion .


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Promoter - Someone ho attempts o se l l , adver t i se , r secure inancia lsupport or a venture.

Resort - A place requented y people or relaxation r recreation.

Ritual - An es tabl ished orm or conduct ing ehavior.

Sanitar ium - A hospi ta l or long- term reatment f chronic l lness iketubercu os is .

Shrine - A place sanctified y its association ith a revered erson or object

Tomb - A roomor chamber or bur ia l f the dead; monument ommemoratinthe dead.

Tuberculos is - A contagious isease , f ten chronic , ffect ingungs and o therbody issues; nce common n the United States, ow rare. Also calledconsurnption n older eferences.

Under taker - A funeral i rec tor.

Valet - A male servant who takes care of his employer 's lothes nd helps himdress .


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CHRONOLOGY: LYSSES RANT'S |FET|MEBelow s a chronology f events of importance ationally nd locallywhichhappened uringUlysses . Grant 's ifetime 1822-1885). or the use of theclass, t may be helpful o place hese events n a time ine, and add significaevents of importance o the students ' wn community.Students may also wish o make a time ine of their own lives, ncluding ventof local and nat ional meaning.1822--General rant s born, April27, Point Pleasant, hio;named HiramUlysses Grant1822--English igh School, he UnitedStates ' irst publichigh school opens nBoston .1823--Dr. ohn Clark arrives n Saratoga prings nd begins o sell bottledspr ing water.1824--RPlounded n Troy,NY.1832--Schenectady-Saratoga ailroad, econdopera t ion .1839--Hiram lyssesGrant enters he Uni tedPoint, and through lerical rroracquires hewhich he retains .1841--Sara toga ounty Agr icul tura l ocie ty ormed.1843--u .S . rantgraduates rom west Point ,2ls t n a class of 39.1843--Grant eets Ju l ia Dent1845-48--Grant erves n Mexican War1848--Grant ar r ies ulia Dent1850--Freder ick ent Grant born1852--Ulysses . Grant , r. born1854--Grant s forced o resign rom army.1855--Nel l ie rant born1858--Jesse rant born1860--Abraham incolnelec ted Pres ident1861--Civi lWar begins1861--Sold iersecru i ted nd tra ined t Camp Schuyler, ara toga pr ings1862--Grant a ins national t tention y captur ing or t Donnelson nd leadsUnionArmy at battle of Shiloh1863--Lincolnssues Emancipation roclamat ion1863--Grant aptures Vicksburg, nd is promoted1863--Saratoga ace Track ounded

1864--Grant eets Lincoln or the f i r s t ime;defeat General Lee begins Wilderness ampaign o1864--Sara toga ace Track bui l t1865--Lee urrenders o Grant at Appomattox; incoln s assassinated1865--Adirondack ailroad egins operations rom Saratoga Springs o NorthCreek1866--Hudson iverPulp and Paper ounded t Corinth1867--Saratoga lub House gambling asino ounded t Saratoga prings1868--Ulysses . Grant e lec ted 8 th Pres ident f the UnitedStates

oldes t a i l road n the U.S. begin

States MilitaryAcademy t Westname Ulysses impsonGrant,

f ree ing he s lavesto major genera l


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1869--Standard ime nvented y Charles . Dowd of Saratoga prings1872--Grant e-e lec ted o second erm1873--Nat ionwide epress ion egins1874-78--Grant dministration racked with charges of corruption;Grantloses he republican ominationo Rutherford . Hayes1877--Centennial elebration f the Battle of Saratoga1878--Duncan cGregor's ountain ouse pens o tourists n Mt. McGregor1877-79--Grant ravels with Julia around he world1880--Grant ecides o run for President; epublicans ominate ames A.Garf e ld ins tead1881--Grant ccepts os i t ion s pres ident f Mexican outhern ai l road;company oes bankrupt wo years ater1884--Grant oses ife savings n son's ailed Wall Street brokerage irm1884--Firs t ospi ta l peci fca l ly or the treatment f cancer s founded1884--U. . Grant diagnosed ith throat cancer1884--Hote l Salmoral pens o tour is ts1885--Grant ies of throat ancer uly23, at DrexelHouse n Mt. McGregor


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WORD SEARCH PIJZZLELocate he followingwords elated o General Grant:

(Words may be ound up and down,left to right, or diagonally)

ShrinePresidentResortCivil War

HotelTwainMourningMount McGregor

SaratogaTombFuneralGeneral Grant

GRHPRESIDENTUSWAKSAT

DEXCJMCWOERVBMLBWARO

CXNITBVAGSRJKLEUTRYM

LKGEUTMJNYILLWVTMAEB

LHTBRMOUNTMCGREGORWU

YOWQWAUTGBCWTOLNUTFJ

cRAVDWLTMSCYTRaEROPLIUIMBBPGBJULIAYUNGJK

H I NC T Y G R E S O R T G V I A K F

OUYFDUTRJAPPYTSFNALO

TFWHMLQAZCNPKMFAGLPV

EOFUNERALLVTCIVILWAR

LSHRINEMPYREWAASDDFG


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books about GrantBoothe, . Norton. Great American enerals: Jlysses . Granf. GalleryBooks,

NY,1990. Deals primari ly i th Grant 's Civi lWar years , with excel lentphotographs .

McFeely,William. Grant: A Biography.W.W. Norton Co. NY, 1981. Excellentbiography hich deals with Grant 's ersonality s well as the events nhis life. Last wo chapters rovide contrast o the Pitkin book istedbelow.

O'Brien, teven. Ulysses . Granf. Chelsea ouse Publishers, Y,1991. One ofthe World Leaders ast & Present eries or Young Adults, his book sespecia l ly otable or numerous xcel lent hotographs .

Pitkin, homas. The Captain Departs, outhern llinoisUniversity ress ,Carbondale, ll . ,1973. Particularly ood background n Mt. McGregorbefore and after Grant 's tay, and a variety f interesting hotographs fGrant, he Cottage, nd he events fterhis death.

Ross, shbel. The General'sWife: The Lifeof Mrs.u. S. Grant. NY 1959. Grant'sl i fe from a woman 's iewpoint , lus more nformation bout Jul ia Grant .

Simon, ohn, ed. Memoirs f Julia Grant. Ny, 197s. Mrs.Grant's wnmemoirs. Less detailed han he other books about GeneralGrant,especially oncerning he time at Drexel Cottage.

Smith,Gene. Lee & Grant: A DualBiography.McGraw ill,Ny, 1994. Goodbackground n Grant n a quick eading ook.

Books about teaching local h is tory : Allof the following onta in wealthof ideas or active ways o teach and learn ocal history.

Caney, Steven. Kids ' America. Workman ublishing, Y, 1978. Bitsand piecesof his tor ica l act , but valuable r imari lyor projec t deas galore , ui tabfor a variety of ages and ability evels.

Sorin, Gretchen. Present Meets Past: A Guide o ExploringCommunityHistory,Volumes & ll. New York State Historical ssociation, ooperstown, Y,1988. Excellent eference or classroom se, with local history projectideas .


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Weitzman, David. My Backyard History Book. Little,Brown, nc. Boston, 1975.Another book with creative and interesting roject deas for etementaryclassrooms.

Cobblestone, he HistoryMagazine or Young People s also a valuable esource.The January 1990 ssue ocuses n the question, What s History?" hichmay help set the stage or field rips o historic ites or buildings, ndeach ssue contains section alled Digging eeper," here he editorsrecommend ooks and films or further eading.

Grant Cottage Student Resource Booklet

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Transcript of Grant Cottage Student Resource Booklet