(04-01-2016, 01:51 PM)RJNorton Wrote: Kudos, Bill!

Yes!!!

(04-01-2016, 03:30 PM)LincolnMan Wrote: Welcome to the Forum!
The house is in Detroit proper. You can view it from State Fair Avenue which runs through Woodward Ave.
The Henry Ford is in Dearborn which is outside of Detroit.
Let me know when you are in Michigan when the time comes!

Thanks for the welcome, Bill, as well as the info as to where the house is. I think I have an idea of where that is in Detroit. I'd like to try and see the house while we're there.

I will definitely let you know when we're in Michigan. We (my husband and I) make frequent trips to Port Huron since it's only about 90 minutes from us (we're in Canada). We haven't been to the Henry Ford in a couple years though and want to go back.

I googled around and found an interesting article from the Detroit Free Press dated March 12, 2015. Just in case you don't have these names on the SUV hit list for contacting about the Grant Home, Bill, this article mentions the following historians who have been working on the project: Sandra Clark, Director of the Michigan Historical Center, and Kimberly Johnson of the same group, who has been researching the house. The article also listed Jack Dempsey of Plymouth as the President of the Michigan Historical Society who has worked for years to save the house. Go get 'em.

Supposedly, $222,000 has been granted for the move and stabilization of the house. At that time, they had a deal with a Detroit school to place it on their campus. So what's the hold-up?

Speaking of Henry Ford's museum in Dearborn, Miss Bellatrix (and a warm welcome to you!), this same article says that the house was offered to Ford's museum, but was turned down because its history did not meet the standards of that museum's mission.

Here's a description of the house in 1849 from a letter written to Julia Grant from Ulysses upon his renting the house:

Ulysses S. Grant wrote to his wife, Julia, on April 27, 1849, about the house:

"My dearest Julia ... I have rented a neat little house in the same neighborhood with (two of his fellow officers). In the lower part of the house, there is a neat double parlor, a dining room, one small bedroom and kitchen. There is a nice upstairs and a garden filled with the best kind of fruit. There is a long arbor grown over with vines that will bear fine grapes in abundance for us and to give away. There are currants and plum and peach trees and in fact everything that the place could want to make it comfortable. I will have a soldier at work in the garden next week so that by the time you get here, everything will be in the nicest order.

— Yours devotedly, Ulys"

Laurie:
Actually, I read that article to the Camp as a part of my presentation the other night. Our Camp Commander and another brother have already made several contact attempts- starting with the individuals mentioned in the article. Hipefully, we will have have update soon. Good sleuthing Laurie!

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I just sent an email to the author of the Detroit Free Press Article.

I had sent an enail to the author of the Free Press article over the weekend. He kindly replied. He no longer works for the paper but for the mayor's office. He had no word of the status of the house. However, I have more individuals to contact.

(04-04-2016, 04:40 PM)LincolnMan Wrote: I had sent an enail to the author of the Free Press article over the weekend. He kindly replied. He no longer works for the paper but for the mayor's office. He had no word of the status of the house. However, I have more individuals to contact.

Best of luck, Bill!!

We are also going to contact other Sons of Union Veterans Camp within the area to inform and strengthen our presence on this matter.

Hope you all don't mind all the updates on this. Yesterday I got an email from Lansing inquiring into what I had observed about the house. Hopefully, some activity will be generated.

I was notified this afternoon by the point person in Lansing that the grafitti has been painted over. That is progress! I replied back to the email a thanks and a question about what are the future plans. No response on that yet.

Please continue to give us updates. Both SUV camps and those of SCVs do a lot to keep our history alive. This morning, I received a phone call from an SCV member informing me that one of the State of Maryland Civil War Centennial signs about Booth's escape has been taken off its pole and thrown on the ground (same type of sign that went missing at Garrett's Farm a year ago).

I left a message for the head of our Historic Preservation Commission, who is supposed to alert the Maryland Historical Trust for repairs. The same type of sign is at Surratt House, and the State Highway Administration just refurbished ours this past fall. Hopefully, they'll send a repair crew quickly.

Thanks Laurie. Frankly, I was surprized at how quickly Lansing acted on the grafitti problem. Now we need to know what will happen to the house as far as moving and preserving it. Please also keep us informed on the Booth sign. These things are of great interest to all on this forum.

The concern for the welfare and future of the U.S. Grant house has gone to the Department level within the Sons of Union Veterans. I am going to try and drive by it again this week to see the paint job.

If possible, take and share a photo! Thanks!

Ok. Will do! Unfortunately, I felt I could not post the photo with the grafitti as it was too offensive.

Thanks for all the updates, Bill! It's great to hear that the graffiti has been covered up. Can't wait to see a photo of the house!