On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant established Yellowstone National Park -- America's first national park. It has been called the best idea the country ever had, and it was the landmark of Grant's administration. More than 115 years later, in 1989, Congress established the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, adding Grant's Missouri estate, White Haven, to the list of Park Service holdings.
 ©National Park Service Ulysses S. Grant's Missouri home, White Haven, was made a national historic site in 1989. |
The historic site preserves the nearly ten-acre estate near St. Louis where Grant and his family lived from 1854 to 1860. The property includes the main house and lands, as well as slave quarters and outbuildings. The years Grant spent farming at White Haven were difficult ones, but historians believe that these experiences helped him develop the skills and character necessary to lead the Union Army and the nation during the Civil War.
During those years, when Grant was constantly in the public spotlight, he returned to the big white house in Missouri to relax and spend time with his wife Julia. He lost the house in a failed Wall Street deal in 1885, shortly before his death.
 ©Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Ulysses S. Grant established Yellowstone National Park, America's first national park. |
Grant's role as Union general during the Civil War is commemorated at Civil War sites and at the Park Service's General Grant National Memorial. The White Haven site is the first to focus primarily on Grant's life and presidency.
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site Information
Address: 7400 Grant Road, St. Louis, MO
Phone: 314/842-3298, ext. 245
Hours of Operation: Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day
Admission: Free; tickets, available at the visitor's center, are required to visit the main house
Learn more about these other national historic sites:
- National Monuments: Learn more about America's national monuments.
- National Memorials: Discover national memorials in the U.S.
- National Historic Sites: Read about American national historic sites.
- Missouri State Guide: Learn about Mobil Travel Guide-rated hotels and restaurants in Missouri as well as other recreational activities.
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