Side A: Hiram Ulysses Grant was born in this one-story, timber-frame home on April 27, 1822 to Jesse and Hannah Simpson Grant. The Grants settled in Point Pleasant the previous year, and Jesse took charge of the tannery located near the cottage. Now restored, the building remained in relatively good condition through the 1880s. In 1823, the family moved to Georgetown, Ohio, where Hiram lived until his appointment to West Point at age 17. Although reluctant to attend the Academy, Grant, now known as Ulysses Simpson Grant due to an error on the application, graduated in 1843 and was stationed at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, where he courted his future wife Julia Dent, with whom he had four children, Frederick, Ellen, Ulysses Jr., and Jesse. (continued on other side)
Side B: (continued from other side) Grant served as quartermaster in the Mexican War (1846-1848), but resigned from the Army in 1854. He was living in Galena, Illinois, and working in the family’s leather store at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. He volunteered for military service. Known as “Unconditional Surrender,” Grant was appointed general-in-chief of Union forces by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864. His name recognition and lack of political ties made him the ideal candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. presidency. Grant was elected to two terms in 1868 and 1872. Despite Grant’s character, his choice of cabinet appointments led to corruption in his administration. On July 23, 1885 at Mount McGregor, New York, Grant died just days after completing his acclaimed memoirs.
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