Grant Grant's Tomb

[StephenColbert27]

A couple of weeks ago, I was in New York City for a week, and, among other things, I went to Grant's Tomb on the banks of the Hudson in West Manhattan. I found it a beautiful and touching memorial to a great man; especially considering that the funds for it were all raised from donations led by an African American admirer of Grant, according to the Ranger. Overall, they raised $600,000 for the project, at the time the largest such effort ever mounted. Here are some photos, all poorly taken with my phone. (Sorry about the orientation, they all show up on my phone/computer as being the right way up, but for whatever reason when I upload them they come out like this. If you have a solution to this, please let me know.):

"Let Us Have Peace" is inscribed above the door, which was Grant's slogan when he ran for the Presidency in 1868.

It was pretty cold that day, hence the jacket and hat.

The flag of the 11th Indiana, originally one of many regimental flags donated for display by Civil War veterans when the tomb was completed. Unlike the others, this one was kept protected in a display case from the beginning, while the rest were out in the open, exposed to the elements. They eventually fell apart, and were taken away to be kept from deteriorating any further.

A bust of Sherman

James McPherson

Phillip Sheridan

George Thomas

Grant and his wife, beside each other in death as they were in life.

Grant's sarcophagus, along with his wife's, Julia Dent, who was still alive when the tomb was finished. She was added after she died in 1902, five years after the tomb had been completed.

Thanks for reading, and I apologize for the orientation of the pictures! It's annoying, because when you open the pictures in a new tab, they revert to the correct orientation. Something to do with the Forum, maybe?

 

[brass napoleon]

Nice photos. It's a very impressive monument. Much nicer than I'd heard.

 

[StephenColbert27]

Nice photos. It's a very impressive monument. Much nicer than I'd heard.

From what I've read, it fell into severe disrepair by the 1980's. They made huge renovations and repairs in the 90's, thanks to the efforts of a Mr. Frank Scaturro, who alerted the Federal government to the decay of the Monument. They eventually appropriated $1.8 million for the renovation project.

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

I didn't know about the busts of other generals being there. Interesting the choice of ord, who is very underrated in my opinion and not talked about enough. Sherman had high praise for him

 

[StephenColbert27]

I didn't know about the busts of other generals being there. Interesting the choice of ord, who is very underrated in my opinion and not talked about enough. Sherman had high praise for him

Apparently they weren't originally planned to be there; in fact, they weren't installed until 1938 as part of FDR's Great Depression program to sponsor artists. From what I heard, they had initially planned to put eternal flames in those spots, but ran out of money at that point or something similar.

 

[Mr. King]

U. S. Grant was a Great American!

As nice as this monument is, it is nothing compared to the mark he left on this country.

I think I could say that even if he had never became POTUS. Frankly, he should have never entered politics....

 

[MRB1863]

What an impressive memorial tomb! Thank you for sharing your photos with us!

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

I'm always to hear how people have to struggle to get funding for memorials like this for such important people. Grant not only won the war for the United States but was also a 2 term president. The money should've been there from the start. Grant deserved it

 

[StephenColbert27]

I'm always to hear how people have to struggle to get funding for memorials like this for such important people. Grant not only won the war for the United States but was also a 2 term president. The money should've been there from the start. Grant deserved it

The problem was with the National Park Service and their inability to get the money required. Scaturro wasn't even in government; he was a student at Columbia who was unhappy with the state of the Tomb. After he brought it to the attention of the public, the gears did finally start moving, and the renovation was completed.

 

[jackt62]

Some more photos of the Grant Memorial:

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

U. S. Grant was a Great American!

As nice as this monument is, it is nothing compared to the mark he left on this country.

I think I could say that even if he had never became POTUS. Frankly, he should have never entered politics....

Sure there was corruption during his administration, but grant being president helped bridged the gap between reb and Yankee. I don't know anyone else who could've done a better job between 1869 and 1877

 

[Mr. King]

Sure there was corruption during his administration, but grant being president helped bridged the gap between reb and Yankee. I don't know anyone else who could've done a better job between 1869 and 1877

The problem was that politicians don't follow orders very well. It's like trying to herd cats.

 

[jackt62]

The problem was that politicians don't follow orders very well. It's like trying to herd cats.

Dwight Eisenhower had the same problem when he became president. It was said that he couldn't simply issue orders and have them obeyed as he was able to as an army commander.

 

[StephenColbert27]

The problem was that politicians don't follow orders very well. It's like trying to herd cats.

Grant also was too trusting of his friends, who often took advantage of them for their own gain. The problem was that Grant tended to be more loyal than was warranted. At the end of the day, sadly, Grant's administration was not much more corrupt than those that followed. After all, this is the Gilded Age that we're talking about.

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

The fact that grant was still very popular after his presidency shows the real value of his administration. Plus he very nearly got nominated again in 1880

 

[E_just_E]

I find it interesting that it is "General Grant National Memorial" instead of "President Grant National Memorial". The contextual reference as "General" (same with Eisenhower, btw) should not be used to describe him in times other than when he was one, while as a memorial, the highest title, "President", should prevail. For example, you just do not see "General Hays" as a description for the 19th President or "General Garfield" for the 20th...

 

[O' Be Joyful]

The problem was with the National Park Service and their inability to get the money required. Scaturro wasn't even in government; he was a student at Columbia who was unhappy with the state of the Tomb. After he brought it to the attention of the public, the gears did finally start moving, and the renovation was completed.

There was also an implied threat made by the Grant family & the state of Illinois to dis-inter the Grants if restorations to the site were not made.

This site shows pictures of the memorial's condition before it was restored and also details its history from the beginning. http://www.grantstomb.org/tdr2.html

It also mentions some of the
shameful "improvements" made in the early 1970's


The 1960's and 1970's saw a general decline of patriotism and misdirection on the part of the National Park Service (NPS). A 1959 report by an NPS historian admits that when it assumed control of Grant's Tomb, "the [National Park] Service had no program for the site." Ten years later, the NPS adopted an unfortunate plan under which the trophy cases in the two reliquary rooms, designed by the tomb's architect, were destroyed. Other invaluable features of the site's accompanying archival collection inherited by the NPS, including drawings submitted in the competition for Grant's Tomb and information regarding original contributors to the monument, were either disposed of intentionally or otherwise lost.

 

[StephenColbert27]

There was also an implied threat made by the Grant family & the state of Illinois to dis-inter the Grants if restorations to the site were not made.

This site shows pictures of the memorial's condition before it was restored and also details its history from the beginning. http://www.grantstomb.org/tdr2.html

It also mentions some of the
shameful "improvements" made in the early 1970's


The 1960's and 1970's saw a general decline of patriotism and misdirection on the part of the National Park Service (NPS). A 1959 report by an NPS historian admits that when it assumed control of Grant's Tomb, "the [National Park] Service had no program for the site." Ten years later, the NPS adopted an unfortunate plan under which the trophy cases in the two reliquary rooms, designed by the tomb's architect, were destroyed. Other invaluable features of the site's accompanying archival collection inherited by the NPS, including drawings submitted in the competition for Grant's Tomb and information regarding original contributors to the monument, were either disposed of intentionally or otherwise lost.

Thanks for the information! It would make sense for the time period for there to be a lack of interest in or respect for a military hero, but it is no less shameful.

 

[Brenal]

From 2009

 

[7th Texas Mounted Rifles]

Nice!
Thanks for posting, @StephenColbert27!

NYC is one of the few that I don't think that I will see in my lifetime, haha.

Thanks for the photographic tour!