WE RECENTLY TOURED THE HOME OF A WAR HERO WHO WAS THE SECOND U.S. PRESIDENT TO
CALL ILLINOIS HOME.
IT IS A YOU LIS SIS S GRANT HOME
STATE HISTORIC SITE IN GALENA.
>> ULYSSES.
>>WHEN NERAL GRANT RETURNED TO
GALENA SHORTLY AFTER THE CIVIL
WARNING HE WAS GREETED NOT ONLY
WITH ARCHED BRIDGE OVER MAIN
STREET, BUT A CROWD ESTIMATED AT
OVER 2,000 PEOPLE.
HE WAS ALSO PRESENTED WITH A NEW
HOME.
>>THE HOUSE WAS BUILT IN 1860
FOR ALEXANDER JOHNSON WHO WAS
THE CITY CLERK AT THAT PARK TICK
TIE.
LIVED HERE FOR FIVE YEARS.
THEN THE CONGRESSMAN WASH BURN
AND 14 OTHER DIGNITARIES,
PURCHASED THE HOUSE IN 1865 TO
GIVE TO GRANT ON HIS RETURN FROM
THE CIVIL WAR.
>> CONGRESSMAN ELI WASHBURN HAD
BEEN A SPONSOR OF GRANT'S SECOND
MILITARY CAREER AND NOW WAS
POSITIONING HIM FOR A
PRESIDENTIAL RUN.
THE HOME WOULD PROVIDE A BETTER
BACKDROP FOR THE CAMPAIGN THAN
GRANT'S PREVIOUSLY RENTED HOME.
>> IT IS A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE.
IT IS A SMALL -- IT IS NOT
SMALL, BUT SMALLER THAN SOME OF
THE MANSIONS ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE RIVER.
THIS WAS JUST A GOOD HOME FOR
HIM AND KIND OF SATURDAY HERE BY
ITSELF.
THERE WERE OTHER OTHER HOMES
HERE.
90% OF THE FURNITURE THAT IS
HERE TODAY WAS IN THE HOME IN
1865 WHEN THEY GAVE THE HOME TO
HIM.
ACTUALLY THEY PURCHASED THE HOME
IN 1865 FOR $2,500 COMPLETELY
FURNISHED.
THAT IS IS UNUSUAL TO HAVE A
HOME 140 YEARS OLD AND TO HAVE
THIS MUCH FURNITURE IN THE HOME
THAT WAS THERE ORIGINALLY.
FIVE BEDROOMS, PRESIDENT AND
MRS. GRANT'S BEDROOM, EACH ONE
OF THE CHILDREN HAD A BEDROOM UP
THERE. ALL OF THE FURNITURE UP
THERE, THE LARGER PIECES OF
FURNITURE ARE ALL ORIGINAL TO
THE HOME EXCEPT THE PRESIDENT'S
BED UP THERE.
THAT IS EVEN OLDER THAN THE REST
OF THE HOME.
THEY BROUGHT THAT, PRESIDENT AND
MRS. GRANT BROUGHT IT IN 1860
WHEN THEY CAME FROM ST. LOUIS.
IT IS A BEAUTIFUL JENNY LIND.
IT IS OLDER THAN ANYTHING ELSE
IN THE HOUSE.
>>DOWNSTAIRS THE PARLOR WAS AT
TIMES USED LIKE A FAMILY ROOM.
GRANT LATER WROTE ABOUT
WRESTLING WITH HIS CHILDREN ON
THE CARPET.
>>IT IS NOT ORIGINAL CARPET:
BUT IT IS EXACT REPLICA.
WE WERE ABLE TO FIND
ILLUSTRATIONS IN 1860'S AND 70'S
AND 80'S, AND IT IS ACTUALLY
EVEN WE HAVE HAD IN THE SAME
LOOM IN ENGLAND THAT THE
ORIGINAL CARPET WAS WHEN THEY
PUT THE CARPETING HERE IN 1860.
>> BESIDES THE ORIGINAL
FURNITURE, THERE ARE PIECES ON
DISPLAY THAT GRANTS RECEIVED
DURING THE WORLD TOUR LIKE THESE
TWO VASES.
THEY WERE A GIFT FROM THE KING
OF BULGARIA.
IN THE DINING ROOM IS A REMINDER
OF A JOYOUS EVENT AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
>>PLACE SETTINGS, HAVILAND
CHINA, OPEN ONE IS MONOGRAMS "G"
THEY HAD THREE BOYS AND ONE
GIRL.
DAUGHTER NELLIE WAS MARRIED IN
1874 IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND THAT
CHINA WAS MADE FOR THAT
PARTICULAR WEDDING.
BEHIND US IS CIGAR HOLDER AND
HAS HIS MONOGRAM ON IT, WHICH
WAS PREN TODAY HIM AFTER THE
CIVIL WAR ALSO.
HE DID PICK UP THE HABIT OF
SMOKING DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
SMOKED UPWARDS TO 20 A DAY.
PART OF THE REASON HE SMOKED THE
CIGARS WAS THE SMELL OF DEG WAS
ALL AROUND.
THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF YOUNG
MEN BEING KILLED EVERY DAY
DURING THE CIVIL WAR YEARS, AND
ONCE THEY FOUND OUT THAT I WILL
US STRAY TORS AND EDITORS AND
NEWSPAPERS FOUND OUT THAT HE
SMOKED, HE WOULD GET SOMETIMES
UPWARDS OF TEN THOUSAND CIGARS
WOULD BE SHIPPED TO HIM HAD.
HE COULDN'T GIVE THEM AWAY FAST
ENOUGH.
BUT HE KEPT UP THE HABIT OF
SMOKING, AND HE SMOKED UP TO 20
A DAY.
UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WEREN'T
QUITE AS EDUCATED AS THEY ARE
TODAY.
HE DID FIND OUT IN 1884, HE DID
HAVE LUNG CANCER AND HE DIED THE
FOLLOWING YEAR.
BUT IT IS PROBABLY THE HOME THE
FAMILY OWNED LONGEST.
HE RECEIVED IT AUGUST 18, 1865,
AND THEY KEPT IT UNTIL 1904 WHEN
THE CHILDREN DEEDED OVER TO THE
CITY OF GALENA IN 1904.
THE CITY FELL IN ROUGH TIMES R,
AS MANY CITIES DID IN THE
1930'S.
IN 1930, THE CITY SEED DEEDED
OVER TO THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
AND IT HAS BEEN WITH THE STATE
EVER SINCE.
I THINK PEOPLE WALK THROUGH HERE
AND ONCE THEY REALIZE THAT THIS
HOUSE IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY HOW
IT WAS WHEN THE GRANTS WERE
LIVING HERE, IT JUST TAKES YOU
BACK IN TIME, 150 YEARS.
IT GIVES THEM A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF GRANT, THE MAN,
THE FAMILY MAN, THE PRESIDENT,
THE GENERAL.
TO REACH THE U.S. GRANT HOME IN GALENA CALL (815)777-0248 OR GO TO WWW.ILLINOISHISTORY.GOV, AND
USE THE HISTORIC SITES LINK.