Grant Birthplace
1st President born in a "mobile home"
Point Pleasant was a tiny huddle of cabins in what was considered the raw Western frontier in 1822. Grant's family lived here until he was about a year old and then moved to Georgetown, Ohio. Neither Grant nor his family would have imagined his birthplace would become a "mobile home."
After Grant's death in 1885, the house became a traveling memorial to the Civil War hero and president. The house was moved by towboat to Cincinnati for public exhibition. In 1888, it was displayed at Goodale Park in Columbus during the celebration of the centennial of the Northwest Territory. It then went on a tour across the nation traveling on a railroad car. The house was set up at the State Fairgrounds in Columbus, and in 1896 the Grant Memorial Building was constructed to surround and preserve the structure.
The 100th anniversary of Grant's birth created new interest in the house, and many people began to call for its return to Point Pleasant. In 1936, the birthplace was dismantled in sections and shipped by six trucks. The building was erected in sections on its original stone foundation. Evidence suggests much of the original fabric of the birthplace was replaced during and immediately after the move. After an absence of nearly 50 years, dedication services celebrating the return and "restoration" of the birthplace were held.
Marker is at the intersection of State Highway 232 and Ohio River Scenic Byway (U.S. 52), on the right when traveling west on State Highway 232.
Courtesy hmdb.org
