Popular Post Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted August 15, 2016 Popular Post Share #1 Posted August 15, 2016 This weekend Mrs. TK and I traveled to Grant's Cottage, an historic site about 10 miles north of Saratoga. Ulysses S. Grant spent his final weeks here finishing his memoirs. He'd been diagnosed with incurable throat cancer, and his doctor recommended he stay at a place with fresh air and cooler temperatures. A friend offered the use of an Adirondack property, so Grant accepted. Grant was confined to the first floor because his illness had weakened him so. The tour only covered the first floor even though his family had occupied the whole house. After Grant died the owner of the property closed up the house and never used it again. The house remained closed, unused, until it re-opened as an historic site. Because of that, many of the items that were in the house, used by Grant, were still there then and are still there today. In other words, most of what you see in the pictures is how the house appeared during Grant's stay (even the carpets were the originals). This cabinet contained many of his personal effects: The jar on top was particularly interesting. It contained a medicine the doctors would use to paint Grant's throat to reduce the pain. You can see whitish crystals and clumps on the bottom of the jar. The tour guide said the 'medicine' in the bottom of the jar was cocaine. I asked if visitors on the tour were allowed to get samples. Grant would write notes because, at this point, he could not speak without considerable pain. On display were two notes in Grant's own handwriting, and the paper pad he used: The living room contained all the furniture he and is family used. It may seem unusual to have a bed in the living room, but that is the bed where Grant breathed his last, still in its original location. The clock on the mantle was stopped at Grant's death by his son, and has not been restarted since. A chair in which Grant frequently sat while writing his memoirs: The family held a funeral at the cottage. There were later funerals at Albany, NY and at NYC (where Grant's home was). To preserve the floral arrangements sent for the funeral at the cottage so they could in turn be displayed in Albany, the florists dipped the flowers in wax. They did their work well because these are several of the arrangements from 1885. After touring the cottage we walked to the overlook, a place Grant would occasionally go. The day we visited was very humid, making the view hazy. The pictures don't show it well, but we could see Mt. Equinox in Vermont. Looking north towards the Champlain Valley: West, towards Vermont: And south, towards Albany: The block on the circular pad marks the spot where Grant took in his last view of the valley. The iron gate around it was installed because, in the days before photography became common, people would chip off a piece of the marker as a memento of the visit. As a result, the original marker was essentially destroyed and it had to be re-inscribed. Grant's memoirs were published by the same company that published Huckleberry Finn; the company owned by Samuel Clemens. The sale of the memoirs was so successful that Grant's widow, Julie, received about $400,000 (about $8,000,000 today). In a way it was a somber place, so tied in to the death of a Civil War general and a President. In another way, I found it quite interesting to be so close to the objects used by a person of such historical importance, walking the same rooms, seeing notes in Grant's handwriting, and seeing the same views the he himself took in. 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitepedal ★ Posted August 15, 2016 Share #2 Posted August 15, 2016 I read Grant & Twain by Mark Perry...much of it was about Grant's last days and the writing of his memoirs...thanks for the photos...much was mentioned about it in the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsnip Totin Jack ★ Posted August 15, 2016 Share #3 Posted August 15, 2016 Very nice, thanks for sharing the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted August 15, 2016 Share #4 Posted August 15, 2016 Thanks for the travelogue . I am always fascinated by the every day props in a person's life--- much more so than the big things that gave them claim to fame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentonMakes Posted August 15, 2016 Share #5 Posted August 15, 2016 Once again you have shown me photos of a place I should have visited when I still lived up that way. I didn't know of the existence of this cottage until a Civil War textbook I read in college (which I have since reread twice). I'd love to see that place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted August 15, 2016 Share #6 Posted August 15, 2016 My sister was visiting Saratoga this weekend, did you see her? Thanks for posting the pics and the story. Very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlecan ★ Posted August 15, 2016 Share #7 Posted August 15, 2016 Very cool. Years ago, I toured Grant's home in Galena Ill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted February 1, 2020 Share #8 Posted February 1, 2020 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirwickWithCheese Posted February 1, 2020 Share #9 Posted February 1, 2020 TK never calls me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted February 1, 2020 Share #10 Posted February 1, 2020 Tk? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kzoo Posted February 1, 2020 Share #11 Posted February 1, 2020 1 hour ago, Airehead said: @Thaddeus Kosciuszko ? FIFY 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted February 1, 2020 Share #12 Posted February 1, 2020 Welcome back Thaddeus! Too bad it's old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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