The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-07-08
gHE.PREsIpENT,s HOWE.
WiNhsIOns Wish..A nice Farm Of SIX
Hundred AcTeS-.A Fine Lot Of
Stock.

WiAhslOno Wish..A nice Farm Of SIx
Hundred ACTeS-sA Fine Lot Of
i Stock, -.
The correspondent of the Toledo BI1ds
Gays: The homes Of great men have more
than local interest. SlratfOrd.on'Avon Is
linked with Shakespeare's name; the
readers OF Walter Scott desire 10 visit
AbOtSrord; while Mount Vernon IS hal
lowed by the memories Of Washington.
About five miles southwest oil St lloulb,
on . smooth turnpike, is Wish'ton. Wish,
the home Of Gen. Grant. Hero Is the
Presidenta little farm Of G0O acres On
alhillSide, Sloplng 10 the south and west,
Is a somewhat inferior looking two. story,
five rOOmed frame house, with Ngdodly
porch TO protect from the southern sun.
When first built, this was one Of the few
franc houses. outside OF the city. The
saWmIll had not then @moVed Westj" and
the only stools USED 10 build the shouse
were the axe, hatchct, hammer 'trO and
drawing knife; while eight by ten win.
dow glass were the most pAlRtial then
manufactured. Near by are distinguish
able the remains Of IN old "trace," or
Spanish road, planted with black lOCusts
that have evidently been growing about
hity years. Such Is the Dent homestead
'bt former times, then called White Haven
by It's owner. At this place twenty-five
years and two months ago, there was q
wedding. The groom was U. s. Grant, q
young officer from Jefferson Barracks, the
military post Of ST. Louis; the bride was
MiBs Julia 3. Dent; and we presume these
old lDcusts, II they could talk, might reveal
2 soldiers COurtship. T.H o.. /
2 Soon after tue marriage Grant resign.
ed, and General Dent gave the young
couple eighty acres oftimber land. Here
they built small house, which was soon
abandoned Tor the larger house Of Gener-
al Dent. II Grant was not q success as
q farmer hc certainly was as chopper.
Here he exhibited the same persistence
and vigpr which have made him the
military hero ofour age As 10 the army
30 here he did thorough work. for where
he cleered of the land, no rough, knotty
oaks are left standing as an evidence Of
laziness in the workman: It Is related OF
Grant that he here chopped for six con-
secutlve weeks and didn't lose a day;
piled and seasoned the wood, and hauled
It into the cityrSt five dollars a load.
William Elrood, q cousin Of Granite, has
had charge Of the farm for the past six
years, and is fast bringing it up from the
decay into which It had fallen during the
war. Mr.. ElrOod is one OF those honest-
hearted, whole'souled men whose very
presence Is q source olpleasure. he has
been known to remark that there was
''some good cider in, the house" but his
nature didn't permit him to stop talking
after he had made the remark until he
had put on another very gratifying
thought, expressed in this way: I'D like
you 10 come in and try some" He kind.
" showed US the fine stock Of which the
President Is such m admifer. There were
about forty horses and as many cattle, 0
few sheep, and much pork. ~ II
The famous HOlstein cattle recently I'M.
ported from Europe are the wOst ad-
mired. A band Of white GncircIes their
body between the fore and hind quarters.
With this exception they are jet black.
The vineyard OF three and hall acres
contains seventeen choice varieties Of ma.
tive and foreign grapes. A, fine. new
stone mansion Is going up, but the Pres.
dent, when at his farm lately, intimated
that he should probably not make his
homo there permanently, in the future.
A branch of the Pscilc railroad passes
through the farm, and stops its trains at
the unTomantic name of Grant Station.
Before he'war, Grant had left his home
to become an unsuccessful real estate
dealer in st. Louis. In 1867 he was an
unsuccessful oflce.seeker. lie wanted to
be County Engineer, but, unfortunately, he
escaped that great mercy, as the iniallible
County Court deemed rival competitor
better fitted for the position. Grant
might take Richmond, preserve the Re
public, and with honor oil the chair at
Washington; but i'd those days the Civil
Engineer Of 81. Louis County had TO be
made of sterner stuff,