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"Grant was himself the supreme example of American opportunity. Standing before his humble birthplace, amid the surroundings of his obscure boyhood life, one doubts if three-quarters of a century ago anyone should have sought here for the military chieftain of a century. […] And yet this little Clermont County furnished in Ulysses S. Grant and Henry C. Corbin two of the thirteen lieutenant generals who have been commissioned in all our history.”
~President Warren G. Harding speaking in Point Pleasant on the 100th Anniversary of Grant’s birth
Jesse and Hannah Grant moved into a humble one-story cottage in Point Pleasant, Ohio, after their wedding in 1821. The house had been built in 1817 as a tannery worker’s dwelling. Ulysses S. Grant, named by his parents Hiram Ulysses Grant, was born April 27, 1822, in the clapboard home. The following year, the family moved nearby to Georgetown, Ohio where Jesse opened a tannery and built a more spacious house of brick.
The house where Grant was born was not recognized as a noteworthy building until after Grant’s death in 1885. Soon after that, the little home was lifted from its foundation and moved by boat to Cincinnati for public exhibition. From 1885 to 1896 the home was on the move across the state and the nation for expositions, state fairs, and other events. Between 1896 and 1936 it sat on the Ohio State Fairgrounds, sheltered in a limestone and glass pavilion. After 50 years on the road, in 1935, the Clermont County legislators and the Ohio Historical Society secured the passage of an act authorizing the Society to move the building back to its Point Pleasant original location. It was moved and dedicated in 1936.
In 1922, the nation celebrated the Centennial Anniversary of Grant’s Birth in Point Pleasant, Ohio even though the house was still located at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.  President Warren G. Harding delivered a speech honoring Grant, and newspapers across the state and nation covered the event. The Ohio Historical Society recognized this event with articles and poems about Grant in its scholarly journal, Ohio History. (You can find articles about Grant’s Birthplace in Ohio History’s online archive.) In the poem below, one Ohioan honors Grant’s Ohio roots:
“U.S. Grant” (A Poem)
On the banks of the Ohio,
In a humble little cot,
He was born -our nation's hero;
But the busy world recked not.
None came by to do him honor,
Only April breezes sweet
From the peach and apple orchards
Scattered petals at his feet.
There the little new-born baby
Grew and stretched each sturdy limb;
And the beautiful Ohio
Sang a cradle-song for him.
~Bertye Y. Williams, Georgetown’s News Democrat (1922)
Hours: April 1 - October 30
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Monday, Tuesday, Holidays |
CLOSED |
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Wednesday - Saturday |
9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. |
Closed from Noon-1 |
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Sunday |
1 p.m.-5:00 p.m. |
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Admission
| OHS Members |
FREE |
| Senior Citizens |
$2.00 |
| Adults |
$3.00 |
| Children 6-12 |
$1.50 |
| Children 5 & under |
FREE |
| School Groups |
$35 per bus |
Location
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Grant Birthplace is located at 1551 State Rt 232, in Point Pleasant, in Clermont County, just off of U.S. Route 52 about five miles east of New Richmond.
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General Information
Grant Birthplace
P.O. Box 2
New Richmond, OH 45157
Phone:
800-283-8932
Handicapped Accessibility
Ohio Historical Society strives to meet ADA requirements. However, historic structures and outdoor areas provide challenges that make it difficult to provide complete access to all visitors. Please call the site with specific questions and concerns.
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