Only one tree standing on the park grounds of Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site today has been confirmed to have stood when Ulysses S. Grant lived on this property. It is a Black Oak tree that was planted around the year 1829.
Dawn Redwood trees are a nearly extinct deciduous tree indigenous to China. They are not as large as their famous relatives in the California forests, but contain many similar traits, including their bark and colorful fall leaves.
Father Dickson Cemetery is a historic African American cemetery that serves as the final resting place for numerous Black St. Louisians who were contemporaries of Ulysses S. Grant.
Gingko trees are some of the oldest known trees on earth. Several gingko trees are on the park grounds at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, including one that is estimated to have been planted at some point in the late 19th or early 20th centuries.
Grant's Farm is a 280-acre wildlife park owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch InBev and adjacent to Ulysses S. Grant NHS. This property was part of the White Haven estate in the 19th century when Ulysses S. Grant lived in St. Louis.
Grant's Trail was once the Kirkwood-Carondelet Branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, constructed in 1872 during Ulysses S. Grant’s ownership of the property. Today it's a ten-mile bike trail that runs adjacent to Ulysses S. Grant NHS.
While living at the White Haven property in St. Louis, Missouri, Ulysses S. Grant constructed a log cabin named "Hardscrabble." Despite taking more than a year to build the house, the Grant family only lived in it for three months in late 1856. Hardscrabble nevertheless remains a living legacy to Grant's life as a St. Louis farmer.
The ice house and chicken house are two of the remaining outbuildings from White Haven. The ice house was built around 1840 and the chicken house dates from 1850 to 1870.
Originally an active military base from 1826 through the end of World War II, Jefferson Barracks was Ulysses S. Grant's first deployment with the U.S. Army after graduating from West Point in 1843. Today the site features a recreational park, a National Cemetery, and the Missouri Civil War Museum.
Historic stable designed by Grant while President of the United States. He had plans for establishing a horse-breeding farm at White Haven. Today, the structure houses the park's museum exhibits.
This stone building, located behind White Haven, consists of two rooms. Before the Civil War, the enslaved used this building for laundry and summer cooking.
Sweetgum trees are common throughout Missouri. Many visitors to Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site are fascinated by the spiky "Sweetgum Balls" that these trees produce.
The Sappingtons were a prominent family that lived in St. Louis for most of the 19th century. The Sappingtons were well-acquainted with the Grant and Dent families. Today the site offers guided tours of the history home and a farm-to-table restaurant serves breakfast and lunch at the site.
When you visit Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, stop by the park store. There you’ll find a curated selection of quality educational products and books that will extend and enhance your park experience.
Ulysses S. Grant, the victorious Civil War general who saved the Union and the 18th President of the United States, first met Julia Dent, his future wife, at her family home, named White Haven. Today, that home commemorates their lives and loving partnership against the turbulent backdrop of the nineteenth century.
