Speaking of travels, you’re likely to feel like you’ve wandered into a museum of global artifacts during moments of your tour of Grant’s home! That’s because many of the belongings on the house’s main floor were gifts given to Grant and his wife, Julia Dent, during their two-and-a-half year world tour vacation. The story goes, we were told on our tour, that the trip was initially planned to be much shorter; however, when the Grants were treated like celebrities wherever they stopped, they just had to keep going! By the time they returned, Grant had put on considerable weight, because of all the feasting they had partaken in.
In the Grants’ dining room, you’re able to view some of Grant’s wife, Julia’s, personal touches, where an example of presidential china can be seen. A specialty design commissioned by Grant’s wife for their daughter’s wedding at the White House, the china offers a window into the way that personal touches were added to objects in the mid-1800s. Elegant pastel-colored flowers adorn the center of the china, with a small crest for the family name at the top of the plate. These personal touches are identifiable throughout the rest of your tour, too. From works of art to an incredibly large and heavy Bible, each of these belongings offers you a deeper, more personal perspective into the lives of these important historical figures.
Knowledgeable Guide Enhances the Grant’s Home Tour
Throughout your tour, any and all questions can be posed to a knowledgeable docent whose passion for history and Grant’s life is evident in every answer he provides. When asked about Grant and Julia’s views of her father’s ownership of slaves, for example, our docent, Chuck, discussed the role that Julia and Grant’s upbringing and studies played in their ongoing conversations about the topic. In fact, Chuck shared, people were amazed at the fact that even as they grew older the Grant and Julia still conversed as deeply as they had when they’d first begun courtship. Far from perfunctory, expect to be enlightened and entertained by your tour guide while visiting Grant’s home, as humor and history meld together at each stop in the home. Far from a recitation of rote memorization, you’ll feel as if your tour guide is truly conversing with you during your visit--just another personal touch in a building full of personality.
