Grant's Tomb Photo Tour

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Thanks for this, Pat. I've seen photos of the outside of the tomb many times, and I always thought it was a very unattractive building. Big and imposing, yes--beautiful, no. However, I want to now add that I really like the way it looks in the post card view with the steamer on the river. This makes me think that the building was really designed to be seen from the river--or at least to present its best impression in the river view. I also think the interior is quite beautiful, if a bit austere. It's almost as if those are pictures of a different building. I remember when the building was in its lowest decline. The movement to clean it up, restore it, and reclaim the park from druggies was all over the news. I am glad to see so much of the work successfully done. I suppose it'll be ongoing, and it should be.
 
When those heavy entry doors are finally opened, a simple display of flags sit above the area where Grant's sarcophagus lies, and steps to the left and right of these lead you down to the viewing area.

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Another view from above, where Ulysses and Julia can be seen resting peacefully alongside one another.

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Wreaths laid at Grant's tomb. To the left you can see the bust of one of Grant's generals which are located in several alcoves surrounding the his sarcophagus. Although the light looks good, it was harder to photograph these on a phone! The two generals I remember seeing clearly are Sherman, and McPherson, but there were probably eight or nine altogether.

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I have one more image of a flag I'd like to add, but can't seem to get it to load vertically! I'll keep working on it.
 
When those heavy entry doors are finally opened, a simple display of flags sit above the area where Grant's sarcophagus lies, and steps to the left and right of these lead you down to the viewing area.

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Another view from above, where Ulysses and Julia can be seen resting peacefully alongside one another.

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Wreaths laid at Grant's tomb. To the left you can see the bust of one of Grant's generals which are located in several alcoves surrounding the his sarcophagus. Although the light looks good, it was harder to photograph these on a phone! The two generals I remember seeing clearly are Sherman, and McPherson, but there were probably eight or nine altogether.

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I have one more image of a flag I'd like to add, but can't seem to get it to load vertically! I'll keep working on it.
Great shots and much better than mine of the sarcophagus.
 
Around the sarcophagii are busts of Grant's subordinates. These were commissioned by the Federal government as part of its WPA work on the site in the 1930s. I think that the NPS should break with the original design of the tomb and place signage explaining why these are here and who these men are. This can be done discretely and would not take away from the purpose of the site.

When I visited, about half of the thirty or so people visiting at the same time appeared to be immigrant families and while they appreciated the impressive building and knew who Grant was, they likely did not know Thomas. I understand that this is not a museum, but it does have some interpretive opportunities that could lead to a more meaningful visitor experience.

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If the low point for Grant's Tomb in visitation was 1979 with 35,000 visitors and the high point was the early 1900s with 500,000, modern visitattion is up nearly three times from the low, but unlikely ever to reach the peak again. Over the last few years about 100,000 people per year visit.
 
I think that the NPS should break with the original design of the tomb and place signage explaining why these are here and who these men are. This can be done discretely and would not take away from the purpose of the site.

I could not agree more; It would enrich the experience.
 
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