April 29, 2026. Lived in the city for six and a half years and never visited any of the National Park Sites. Making up for that now as a visitor, though I won’t have time to get to all of them until later this year.
General Grant National Memorial is the largest mausoleum in North America and stands on a small hill by the Hudson River by today’s Columbia University (formerly King’s College) in Morningside Heights. It is open to the public during specific times each day, and the small accompanying Visitor Center (across the street and down some steps) displays a few of Grant’s personal items, plus it provides an informative video of Grant’s life and impact.
Grant wanted to be laid to rest next to his wife, Julia Dent Grant, which meant he could not be interred at Arlington National Cemetery since woman were not allowed to be buried there. Instead, he requested a New York site for his forever after, and wealthy locals in Riverside Park chose a spot and organized a fundraising association. The granite construction took twelve years and was accomplished in fits and starts.
For those who want a quick brush-up on American History:
Ulysses S. Grant was the Union Army’s Commanding General and led the Union to victory. He became the nation’s 18th president in 1869, four years after Lincoln was assassinated, and served two terms. His work included furthering the cause of civil rights, and he supported Reconstruction and prosecuted KKK members. Before his military career, Grant had received an enslaved man, William Jones, from his father-in-law. Though in financial difficulty, Grant could not bring himself to make someone work for him for nothing, and he promptly and legally emancipated Jones.
Grant died at 63 years old of tongue and throat cancer. Though the Grants had fallen into poverty after the presidency due to Grant falling victim to a Ponzi scheme, Grant was able to write his memoirs during the months before his death, with the help and encouragement of Mark Twain, and thereby secure the future financial stability of his family. The memoirs were wildly successful, and widow Julia Dent Grant received $450,000 ($14,000,000 in today’s value) in royalties.
