JoTravels.com
Point Pleasant Ohio
Birthplace of President Ulysses S. Grant

If you have a day and are looking for a very scenic pleasant drive in southern Ohio, try taking State Route 52 from Cincinnati to Ashland Kentucky. We took this route going to West Virginia from Cincinnati instead of taking the boring interstates. It's a winding road that follows the path of the Ohio river, full of beautiful scenery. There are lots of tiny towns and places to pull off along the way to have a picnic lunch.

About 25 miles southeast of Cincinnati along State Route 52, you will find the tiny village of Point Pleasant, Ohio. We stopped and spent an interesting hour or so at the birthplace of President Ulysses S. Grant.

The three room house is at the junction of U.S. 52 and S.R. 232. This restored one-story cottage, which was built in 1817, was built next to the tannery where Grant's father worked. This house is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ulysses Simpson Grant was born (as Hiram Ulysses Grant) in the tiny white house on April 22, 1822. His full name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. His parents were Hannah Simpson Grant and Jesse Grant, first mayor of the Clermont County village of Bethel. He graduated from West Point in 1843, and served two terms as President starting in 1868.

I didn't know much about President Grant before we stopped, but I do love to tour historic houses and learn about life in earlier times. The house is very tiny, and had only one room when Grant was born. Many of the possessions in the house are original belongings of the Grant family.

The entire family lived in one room, the bed was stuffed with straw and sits on a rope frame. The china cabinet belonged to Grant's mother, there are a pair of boots in the room that his father made. The original house had two rooms added on after the Grants moved.

The people who oversee the house are very friendly and will answer any questions. They have a vast knowledge of the area. We toured the house and walked around the grounds. Here are my pictures taken at the birthplace of President Ulysses S. Grant, in Point Pleasant, Ohio. I visited here in June, 2003.