The Grant Cottage on Mount McGregor in Ganesvoort, New York

Mount McGregor, in eastern Saratoga County, was a resort area in the late 1800s.  The clean, clear air and beautiful mountain views drew visitors from the region and luminaries of the era including Susan B. Anthony and Mark Twain.  

This Cottage is the final home

 of President Ulysses S. Grant.

A bit of backstory:  There was no pension for Former Presidents until 1958.  Presidents served their term(s), left Office, and became Private Citizens.  The ability to provide for a President's family was up to the man's ability to provide through wealth, property, speeches, writings, etc.

Former President Grant was diagnosed in late October 1884 in New York City.  His days were numbered and there was so much left to do to provide for his wife, Julia and their children Frederick, Ulysses (Buck), Ellen (Nelly), and Jesse.  U.S. Grant was busy writing his memoirs.  

Since his diagnosis, President Grant's health was reported on daily.  There were news bulletins about his health, public speculation, and reports about his rush to finish the much anticipated memoirs. 

New York Banker, Joseph W. Drexel, offered the Former President his Cottage on Mount McGregor.  

President Grant, his family, friends, and his doctor arrived at this mountaintop Cottage on June 15, 1885.  He needed a quiet environment to finish his memoir and provide a peaceful place for his family  as he neared the end of his life.  

The Living Room

Why are the chairs so 

close together?

U.S. Grant had Throat Cancer and could not lay flat to sleep.

The drop leaf desk in the

corner of the Living Room.

This photo shows the brightly

colored 150 year old 

Living Room Carpet. 

I am amazed by how well the

home & its contents have

been preserved.

Electricity was added later.

This displays show Ulysses S.

Grant's height & the style

of clothes he wore.

There was time for a game

of Chess.

The family played Cribbage.

President Grant finished his manuscript on July 20, 1885.  Mark Twain promised to publish it, and did.

Three days later, at 8:00 am on July 23, 1885, the 18th President of the United States died, surrounded by his family.  

The Mantle Clock was stopped

to memorialize the time of

US Grant's death.

The funeral for the family was held here on August 4, 1885.

The President's Death Mask

A photo of the flowers

sent to the house for 

the funeral.

141 years later, the floral

arrangements survive.

The flowers dried & faded.

I amazed that the heating/cooling conditions from 1885 to now allowed these delicate historic memorials to remain intact.  

Grant's Cottage is just one

piece of our country's

250 year history.

It's just waiting for you to explore...