August 4, 2004

• Way Back in Galena

  Galena, Illinois, is the city that never was. In the 1800′s, it was an important port along the waterways feeding into the Mississippi. Then the river there shifted, filled with debris, and lost its navigability. What had seemed to be growing into a prosperous port city became instead a sleepy little village lost in time. Wise people, though, take what they have and use it to their advantage. The people of Galena have done just that.

  Galena is the home of Ulysses S. Grant. You know, he’s the guy who is buried in that big tomb in New York. Of course, to get that lovely big resting place, he had to be a significant Civil War General and the eighteenth President of the United States. The people of Galena were, and still are, very proud of him. In 1865, they gave his family this house.

  

  By today’s standards, it’s a fairly modest home. Even in the 1800′s, there were bigger, fancier houses in Galena, but this one was surely above the average. It’s located up on a bluff, a short, though strenuous, walk from the river and commands this wonderful view.

  

  The house is unusual because it was in the Grant family until it was bequeathed to the City of Galena in 1904, so nearly everything in the house belonged to the Grants and was in the house when Ulysses lived there. This is the library of the home and that large book on the table is Mrs. Grant’s bible.

  

  The dining room table is set with dishes that were purchased for Grant’s daughter’s wedding, which took place in the White House, so they were used in the White House as well as in this home. That’s a portrait of Grant on the wall. There are several in the house, as well as portraits of other famous generals and some valuable artwork given to the Grants by representatives of many countries. This portrait is a particular favorite of the staff at the house because it shows Grant smiling.

  

  During the tour of the house, I learned that Ulysses S. Grant’s name was really Hyram Ulysses Grant, but when he enrolled at West Point, his name was mistakenly entered using his mother’s maiden name, Simpson, as his middle name and his own middle name as his first name. He liked that name better, so he kept it.

  Obviously, if you have a President from your community, you celebrate that in many ways. This is a park honoring Grant. You can see a statue of him in the picture with a lovely gazebo. There are also several large guns from his military career.

  

  Galena is very small, only about 3000 people, so you can easily tour it in a day on foot. 85% of the buildings there are on the National Registry of Historic Sites. You can purchase an historic home quite reasonably and several of them were for sale while we were there. They are quick to tell you what you can and can’t do to the house, though, so don’t get any big ideas about extensive remodeling or modernization.

  We enjoyed our day in Galena. I will have a few more pictures in my next blog.

  • 9:16 am
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