U.S. Grant and his family on the porch of Grant Cottage in 1885
In this Adirondack Cottage Gen. Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885. He had arrived at the cottage from New York City on June 16, 1885, with his family, servants, and doctors; he was able to complete his memoirs in the short time he had left.
Today, the cottage remains essentially the same as during the Grant family's stay. Visitors tour the downstairs of the cottage, viewing the original furnishings and decorations, personal items belonging to Grant, the bed where he died, and floral arrangements that remain from Grant's August 4th funeral. There is also a short path to the Eastern Outlook, which commands a spectacular view of the Hudson Valley, from the Adirondacks in the north, the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east, and the Catskills to the south.
Grant Cottage is owned by the State of New York and opened to the public by the Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage.
Grant Cottage Visitor
Center Project
Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage
P.O. Box 2294
Wilton, NY 12831
Phone: (518) 587-8277
info
grantcottage.org
Admissions
Adults, $4
Seniors (60 & up) $3
Students $3
Children (5-12) $2
5 & Under: Free
Group rate available for groups of 10 or more: $2.50
Special Event Admission Pricing may vary; Please see event Schedule for Additional Information
Grant cottage is open:
Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Sunday, May 25, at 1 pm, NY Assemblyman Roy J. McDonald will speak about the Vietnam War and the experiences of the returning veterans. The Cottage will be open on Monday, May 26, Memorial Day. Robert W. Arnold III is a career public historian at the New York State Archives. He was Albany County Historian, a historical archaeologist and is a Commissioner of Historic Resources for the City of Albany. Arnold teaches American, New York State and regional history at the College of Saint Rose and other colleges. July 5, Independence Day Picnic July 26, Grant Remembrance Day
Wednesday– Sunday
10am – 4 pm
Also open Tuesday, August 19, 10–4,
as part of Travers Week
Labor Day to Columbus Day
Saturday & Sunday Only
10am – 4pm
Open Monday holidays on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day.
Also Open by Appointment/Groups Encouraged
2008 Grant Cottage Event Schedule
May 24-26, Opening Day, and Memorial Day Weekend activities
To celebrate our season opening, and to commemorate Memorial Day, we will have talks or demonstrations relating to three American wars a century apart: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Vietnam War.
Saturday, May 24, at 1 pm, James Hughto, a volunteer at the Saratoga National Historical Park, will be talking about the origins of the American Revolution and about how the American Revolution is connected to the wars that preceded it and the wars that followed it, such as the Civil War and the Vietnam War. He will be dressed in the uniform of the Battalion of Forces in Service to the United States of America commanded by Colonel James Livingston.
Saturday on the Porch
Meet on the porch from 1 to 3 one Saturday each month to talk to a special visitor, see a demonstration, or try an activity
June 14
“Let Loose the Dogs of War: New York in the American Civil War,” a talk by Mr. Robert Arnold III in the Grant Cottage Visitor Center (A free program sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state-affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.)
New York supplied more men, money and material in the Civil War than any other state North or South, but New Yorkers responded to the Civil War in diverse and often contradictory fashions. Concentrating mainly on the home front, this presentation will examine a sample of those responses and some individuals who exemplify them, put in the political, social and military contexts of the war. It will look at the social costs of the war as they played out in the farms and cities of the Empire State, in families, workplaces and neighborhoods and the transition that went with it from an era of reform to the Gilded Age.
Sue McLane, The Victorian Lady, will present "A Victorian Musical Afternoon" with a variety of songs from the 1800s, accompanied by guitar and zither. Visitors will be able to chat with the speaker and questions are welcomed.
August 9
“American Scrapbook Traditions,” a talk by Dr. Ellen Gruber Garvey (A free program sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state-affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.)
Sept. 13, t.b.a.
Admission, which includes food and activities, a tour of the cottage, and the beautiful view of the Hudson Valley, is $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children (or $20 maximum per family of two adults & kids under 16). Call 587-8277 for additional information.
1 p.m. The Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage and the Sons of Union Veterans, Colonel George L. Willard Camp #154, will present a ceremony to commemorate the death of Ulysses S. Grant, who died here at the cottage on July 23, 1885..
August 3, Reenactment of Grant’s Funeral Service
1:30 p.m. The Friends of Grant Cottage will hold a memorial re-enactment based on the original funeral service held on the cottage porch in 1885, and invite you to experience a glimpse into the past when Gen. Grant was recognized and mourned by the nation and the world as a great American hero.
Following the printed funeral program from August 4, 1885, there will be prayers, readings from the eulogy, and hymns.
Music will be provided by a choir from the Wilton Baptist
Church. The Sons of Union Veterans, Colonel George L. Willard Camp
#154, as well as many others in period costume, will participate in the
ceremony.
There will also be a small exhibit at the Visitor Center of photographs and pictures of the Mt. McGregor funeral, the journey to New York City, the funeral procession in New York City, and the service at the temporary tomb.
Admission for this special event, which includes a tour of the cottage and the beautiful view of the Hudson Valley, is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors/students, $2 for children 6–12, and free for children 5 and under. Call 587-8277 for additional information.
August 9, American Scrapbook Traditions
Lecture by Dr. Ellen Gruber Garvey. Free and open to the public, the event begins at 1:00 p.m. in the Grant Cottage Visitor Center. This event is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities.
Dr. Garvey has written and lectured in Europe and the U.S. on scrapbooks, women's bicycling, magazines, and women editors. She has held the Fulbright Walt Whitman Distinguished Chair in American Literature, is currently an associate professor at New Jersey City University, and lives in Brooklyn.
After the lecture, Dr. Garvey will chat with visitors, and the Friends of Grant Cottage will sponsor a workshop where visitors can viewa both old and new scrapbooks and construct a scrapbook page to take home.
This event is funded by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the New York Council for the Humanities or National Endowment for the Humanities.
The New York Council for the Humanities is a not-for-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through statewide collaborations, and programs and services that encourage imaginative thinking and critical inquiry, the Council works to ensure that the humanities are present in the intellectual and cultural life of every New Yorker.
The Council’s Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with diverse audiences, since its launch in 1983, through the presentation of lectures on a broad range of topics. All Speakers events are free and open to the general public. Each year, hundreds of cultural organizations and community groups take advantage of this program, which offers the very best in humanities scholarship to thousands of citizens in every corner of New York State.
Tuesday, August 19
Open 10–4, as part of the Travers Week events in Saratoga.
October 12, Autumn Festival
Join us for cider & donuts, music, and more.
The Cottage closes for the season on October 13.
The Cottage phone number is 587-8277. Call for more information about any of our programs.
Directions:
From I-87, the Northway
Take exit 16 West on Ballard Rd. (County Rt. 33) to the intersection at Rt. 9. Go through the intersection onto Corinth Mountain Rd. (County Rt. 101). Take the first right and follow the signs up the mountain to Grant Cottage.
From Rt. 9
Proceed to intersection at Ballard Rd. (County Rt. 33). Turn onto Corinth Mountain Rd. (County Rt. 101). Take the first right and follow the signs up the mountain to Grant Cottage.
Please stop briefly at the Mount McGregor Correctional Facility check point before proceeding to Grant Cottage.
Note: The Cottage is on the grounds of the Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility. Visitors must stop at the access post and check in. The driver must have a license. Firearms, alcohol, and dogs are not allowed on the mountain.
The Ulysses S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site is operated by The Friends of The U.S. Grant Cottage, Inc. in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Department of Correctional Services.