The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-12
THE HOUSE THAT GRANT BUILT
ST. LOITS DECLINES TO NAVE IT
As ( err WITH 4 STRING,
The tSutc business Man Who Oncrs the
0ld Cabin Having Almost Got an Adj
,crtisnE Privilege in Another Oncr
Years AEO-What WIN Hccomc OF II:

luU has become a wandeTer upon the face
n tbe earth The city Of St Louis has
officially refused a-festing place TO this old
LOG cabin built by the hands Of Ulysses s
Grant in 1851. and unless patriotic citizens
90 10 the rescue it Is probable that the strlc-
ur will become side-show attraction at
Coney Island or feature of Tho Trail
at the Portland Exposition.
The Municipal Assembly OF St. Louis
declined the ofTer Of Cyrus f, Blanke,
nresent owner Of tho Grant log cabin, to
present the building to the city and to LEI
/, remain forever, where II now stands, on
Art Hin Just east Of the Palace OF Fine
Arts. which Is the only permanent structure
n remain in Forest Park after tho rest Of
the worlds fair has been removed.
Mr.. Blankets proposition was rendered
by the advertising agent of his manufactur-
ing business This gentleman addressed
tho House Of Delegates and the City Council.
in presenting the proposition in writing,
and stated that all Mr.. Blanke required
was the city's pledge that Waterman or
caretaker be maintained to look after the
historic house.
we have no right to expend the city's
money in this manner said member OF
the Municipal Assembly.
1T would cost the city about $50 month, :
explained Mr. Blankets agent
Cant afford TO pay it, was the reply,
and the Assembly acquiosced.
There il a possibility that the matter
NAV be taken up by higher authorities and
reconsidered. 1t has been said that tho
Municipal Assembys action was due 10
the fact that the person acting Tor MI
Blanke was the same one who. few years
ago Presented to the Assembly an oher
from mis- employer to repaint and regild
the ST. Louis court house dome. The old
court house. dirty. dingy. smoke be-
grimed edifice, was pronounced by several
European and American artists and archl-
tects last year TO be. IN their opinion the
finest specimen Of classic architecture IN the
United States, with tho exception OF the
national Capitol Three or four years ago
an Eastern weekly published an article con-
corning this court house which set forth
Ike enthusiastic estimate of the old struc-
lures beauty.
St. Louis which had passed by the court
house ever since the days when negro
slaves were aucuoned in the east portico,
WIS unaware of its superior beauties. Most
of the citizens regarded the building as a
positive eyesore and there was more or
esS of u demand for new court house.
But local architects began pointing out
the beauties of the building, and after
the Eastern journals article appeared the
citizens of st. Louis began visiting their
court house just 20 see its fine points.
1T has a magnificent dome said one
but the whole building ia sadly in need of
bath
The startling discovery was then made
that the coal black dome was actually
made Of copper. and It was recalled by
the old citizens TINT more than forty years
ago the dome shone like gold in the sun
light A movement was set afoot TO have
the dome scraped and polished and the
rest Of the. outside of the bidding painted.
But then fas NOW. ST. Louis needed the
money elsewhere.s
Cyrus F. Blanke stepped into the breach.
He instructed his advertising manager TO
draw UP bill for presentation TO the Mu-
ncipal Assembly. 10 be enacted into city
ordinance, comforting authority on Mr.:
BlAnke to repaint the court house and regild
the dome. free OF expense 10 the city. The
advertising man presented the bill, ac-
companied by a brief address, and the
Assembly passed the measure with ems
thusiasm. When the Mayor came 10 eI
anime the document preparatory 20 sign
ing il he discovered that there was a clause
which permitted Mr.. Blanke TO paint the
name Of certain brand Of goods manu-
featured by him on the gilded dome
then the highest point in the oity-and
above the four great doors. The bill was
reconsidered and defeated.
This "Reminiscences Is offered by some
patriotic citizens as a basis Of hope that
the Grant cabin may yet be saved to st.
Louis. Mr.. Blanke SAYS he is receiving
applications from various parts Of the
country for the removal Of tbs log house.
4 Coney Island exhibition concern has
been after 1t for months, and the Lewis
and Clark Exposition concessionaires are
wing with each other 10 obtain it,
What's the matter with st. Louls1"
asked an old citizen when he learned about
the city's refusal TO accept the Grant cabin
az gift. We've let Gen. Sherman's
residence on Garrison avenue degenerate
into an ordinary boarding house. We've
tom down Fremont's headquarters on
Chou'eau avenue. We've allowed Gen
Frank P. Blair's old home on Twelfth street
70 be destroyed almost without comment;
and now We are going 10 let the only log
house President ever built get away
from us r~
Already the Grant cabin has mnde two
moves from its on ginal site. "LysT Grant
heWed out the oak logs on his father-in-
laws farm down on the Gravois rond,
about nine miles from tho St. Louis court
house. His team hauled the logs to the
selected site. on land loaned by his father
in-laE' Col. Dent, and Grant called his
neighbors together for an old fashioned
house raisn'.' There was plenty to
tat and old timers say plenty 10 drink as
The logs were raised. and Grant hired
a carpenter TO help him fit the window and
door frames; he did most Of the shinglnR
himself, and laid the floors. The structure
IS not properly cabin, but oommodious
mouse OF four large rooms. in two stories,
win a passage way through the centre
containing the stairway This is boarded
up There ia an outside fireplace chimney
81 each end
Grant and his family lived in the house
tbolt i've years, until within two years
% the beginning Of the civil war. Less
man i've years after Grant left that log
mouse because he was failure as n farmer
snl could not make a living. he was Lieuten-
eeul-ueneral Of the armies Of the United
GATES. and three years later he was elected
PRESIDENT. There are still living out in
We HTavos ncighborhood old persons
VINO say that 'Lys' Grant never amounted
70 much they deny him the greatness
pmmonly attributed TO him on the ground
lnat he vas too shiftess and piddlin' TO
uo well To these early neighbors Of the
.tured army officer Grant Is an unaccount-
able accident
Aller the war Grant acquired the Dent
I.Hes'ead, including the house he had
oLLi When Ferdinand Ward wrecked the
, r.u o' Grant Ward in 1884, the General
,,4IHod over the St. Louis county property
~ Ill