Ulysses S. Grant Home
On August 18, 1865, Galena celebrated the return of its Civil War hero General Ulysses S. Grant. Following a jubilant procession with much flag waving and speeches, a group of Galena citizens presented the General with a handsome furnished house on Bouthillier Street. The house is managed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as the U.S. Grant Home State Historic Site. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Grant in Galena
Grant and his family arrived in Galena in the spring of 1860 and rented a small Federal style brick house (seen at the right). He had ended a fifteen year military career six years earlier, but had enjoyed little business success as a civilian. He hoped to reverse his economic misfortune by moving to northwestern Illinois, where he would work in the Galena store owned by his father and managed by his younger brothers, Simpson and Orvil. Grant was a clerk in name only; he spent considerable time away from the store, "travelling through the Northwest considerably during the winter of 1860-61. They had customers in all the little towns in south-west Wisconsin, south-east Minnesota, and northeast. Iowa." Until he left Galena in the spring of 1861 to serve in the Civil War, Grant and his wife, Julia, rented a modest brick home on the west side of the river for approximately $100.00 a year.
The Hero's Homecoming
In 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War, Grant left Galena to join the U.S. Army, ending a seven-year hiatus from the military. He was commissioned colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was promoted to progressively significant commands of Union forces. A strong and capable leader, Grant engineered the Union victory at Vicksburg in 1863, which helped turn the tide of the war. In March 1864 Grant was appointed lieutenant general and commanded the Union army to war's end. On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to Grant at Appomattox Court House, and Grant's image as a war hero was complete.
On August 18, 1865, the citizens of Galena greeted the return of its victorious General with a grand celebration. A "grand triumphal arch" spanned Main Street, and a holiday atmosphere prevailed with a jubilant procession, speeches, and evening fireworks. Julia Grant recalled that "there was a tremendous and enthusiastic outpouring of people to welcome him . . . After a glorious triumphal ride around the hills and valleys, so brilliant with smiles and flowers, we were conducted to a lovely villa exquisitely furnished with everything good taste could desire."
The Grant Home
The brick house, which was designed by William Dennison, had been constructed in 1860 for former City Clerk Alexander J. Jackson. Thomas B. Hughlett, on behalf of only a small group of local Republicans, purchased the house for $2,500 in June 1865 and presented it to Grant two months later. The house is typical of the Italianate style, which is characterized by well defined rectilinear shapes, projecting eaves supported by brackets, low pitched roof, and balustraded balconies over covered porches.
Following his election as president in 1868 he visited only occasionally. In 1873 Grant commented that "although it is probable I will never live much time among you, but in the future be only a visitor as I am at present, . . . I hope to retain my residence here . . . I expect to cast my vote here always." The house was maintained by caretakers in anticipation of the President's visits, the local newspaper reporting that it was "in excellent order and ready for occupation at any time," adding that "visitors are always admitted."
Grant made his final visits to his Galena home in 1880. At that time he found that several changes had been made - "a new sidewalk laid in front of the premises, the outbuildings repaired, the trees handsomely trimmed, a new and commodious wash house built and other improvements made."
State Acquisition and Restoration
In 1904 Grant's children gave the house to the City of Galena "with the understanding that this property is to be kept as a memorial to the late General Ulysses S. Grant, and for no other purpose." However, maintaining the Grant's home proved too costly for the city and the Grant Home Association, so in 1931 the city deeded the house to the State of Illinois.
A thorough restoration project was undertaken in 1955. Considerable research was undertaken as the house was returned to its 1868 appearance. Fortunately, much of the furniture used by Grant and his family remained in the house. Restoration of the home was returned to its appearance as pictured in the November 14, 1868, issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.