Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site
The furnished brick house given to Grant after the Civil War connects national fame with family life, Galena neighbors, and a steep Mississippi River town.
Artwork inspired by Richard Nickel
Galena residents presented this Italianate house to Grant in 1865, and the family retained it through his presidency and world travels. Rooms contain many Grant-family furnishings, but the meaningful story is the transformation of a leather-store clerk into general and public figure—and the network of family, business, and political relationships that tied him to Galena.
The site is compact, so spend time distinguishing documented family objects from period furnishing and later memorial choices. Bouthillier Street’s steep approach and views toward the old commercial district explain the house’s social geography. Pairing the interior with a walk downtown reveals the prosperous lead-era city Grant entered in 1860.
- Gifted to Grant
- 1865
- Style
- Italianate brick house
- Allow
- About 1 hour
Quick guide
- Verify the object
- Ask which furnishings belonged to the Grant family and what later caretakers added.
- Read the promotion
- Trace how neighbors helped turn military success into civic celebration and political capital.
How to make Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site count
- Verify the object
- Ask which furnishings belonged to the Grant family and what later caretakers added.
- Read the promotion
- Trace how neighbors helped turn military success into civic celebration and political capital.
- Look from the porch
- Use the slope and town view to place the household within Galena’s commercial hierarchy.
- Continue downtown
- Find the leather store and streets that explain why the Grants came to Galena before the war.
Good to know
Open Wednesday–Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March through October and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. from November through February. House entry is on an interpreter-led tour. Free parking is provided near the site, with an uphill approach from Galena’s commercial district. Winter conditions can affect the steep streets.
Notice these
- Grant family furnishings
- Italianate exterior
- Galena hillside