Stone memorializing Ulysses S. Grant

Item

Legacies Classification
Memorial Object
Memorial Type
Plaque/Marker
Memorial Context
Memorialized Subject
Grant, Ulysses S.
Title
Stone memorializing Ulysses S. Grant
Background and Context
The “Walk of Fame” was created in 1929 by then president Hamilton Holt to honor significant historical figures. The memorial is located in the center of campus around Mills Lawn.

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) was a prominent Union General during the Civil War and president of the United States. He was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, where his father was a tanner and went to Military School at West Point. After graduation, he served in the Mexican-American War before marrying Julia Dent, sister of a friend, and a slave owner in Missouri, in 1848. Despite his upbringing in an abolitionist home, Grant spent much of the 1850s working his farm--White Haven--in Missouri with the slave laborers owned by his wife. Indeed, sometime during the decade, Grant was given a slave--William Jones--whom he finally emancipated in 1859. Grant's wife, however, continued to own a slave, "Jule," who moved with the family throughout the battlegrounds of the Civil War until she ran away in 1863. During the course of the war, Grant's attitude toward slavery changed--perhaps because of his experience with African American soldiers--and by the time of his presidency, he was a vocal supporter of the 15th amendment.

Grant's stone in the Walk of Fame was acquired from his house in White Haven, Missouri, which he owned from 1844 to 1884. It is unclear when the stone was installed in the Walk of Fame, but it was before 1939.

Holt, Hamilton
Physical Description
14" x 22.5"
It is a gray stone located in section 8
Memorial Inscription
U.S. Grant White Haven ST. Louis Co. MO
Creator/Participating Person(s)
Holt, Hamilton
Date created, installed or dedicated
1936
Date Modified
August 27, 2020
Funded by
Rollins College
Campus Location
Location: Institution, City, State

Position: 1069 (71 views)