After General Grant died, Grant Cottage was kept open to the public by a series of caretakers, the last of whom was Suye Narita, a woman who had been born in Japan.  Suye was caretaker from 1941 through 1984.  At the start of WWII, the government designated her an enemy alien and placed her under house arrest – at Grant Cottage!  Although virtually a prisoner on Mount McGregor, she continued to protect the Cottage, conduct tours, educate people about the Civil War’s great hero Ulysses S. Grant, and raise and lower the American flag every day.  In a thousand small ways, she proved her loyalty, patriotism and love for America.  Tour guide Steve Trimm will tell the remarkable story of Suye, her family, and Suye’s nephew Kenjiro Yoshida, a soldier in the acclaimed 442nd Regimental Combat Team who was killed in action in Europe in 1944 fighting the Nazis.

The suggested donation for Grant Cottage Porch Programs is $5 per person. Our events are supported with funding from the New York State Park and Trail Partnership Program (NYSPTPP) and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSPTPP is administered by Parks & Trails New York, in partnership with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.