Near Affton in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The White Haven Estate: Other Houses
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, June 14, 2012
1. The White Haven Estate: Other Houses Marker
Inscription.
The White Haven Estate: Other Houses. Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. White Haven was the name given to both the house and the estate. Typical of many large plantations, other houses on the property were built and occupied by family members and slaves. White residents gave their houses special names. The slaves, however, did not give affectionate names to the one or two-room dwellings they occupied. These structures were simply referred to as cabins.
Above Left , Julia's brother Louis built Wish-ton=Wish (a Native American word for whippoorwill) in 1848. It served as a temporary home for Ulysses and Julia in 1855 and on their visits to St. Louis during Grant's presidency. Fire destroyed the house in 1873.
Above , Ulysses built a house in 1856 on 80 acres that Colonel Dent gave the Grants as a wedding gift, although no deed legalized the transfer. Julia did not like the crude log cabin, facetiously named Hardscrabble. They lived there only three months, returning to the main house upon Mrs. Dent;s death. The cabin is now located at Grant's Farm.
Left , This slave cabin from a neighboring farm is typical of cabins in the area. Documents indicate that as many as twelve slave cabins were located behind the main house, perhaps across the small creek in what is today Forest Haven subdivision. Later records suggest that these cabins were demolished during Grant's ownership.
White Haven was the name given to both the house and the estate. Typical of many large plantations, other houses on the property were built and occupied by family members and slaves. White residents gave their houses special names. The slaves, however, did not give affectionate names to the one or two-room dwellings they occupied. These structures were simply referred to as cabins.
Above Left Julia's brother Louis built Wish-ton=Wish (a Native American word for whippoorwill) in 1848. It served as a temporary home for Ulysses and Julia in 1855 and on their visits to St. Louis during Grant's presidency. Fire destroyed the house in 1873.
Above Ulysses built a house in 1856 on 80 acres that Colonel Dent gave the Grants as a wedding gift, although no deed legalized the transfer. Julia did not like the crude log cabin, facetiously named Hardscrabble. They lived there only three months, returning to the main house upon Mrs. Dent;s death. The cabin is now located at Grant's Farm.
Left This slave cabin from a neighboring farm is typical of cabins in the area. Documents indicate that as many as twelve slave cabins were located behind the main house, perhaps across the small creek in what is today Forest Haven subdivision. Later records suggest that these cabins were demolished during Grant's ownership.
Location. 38° 33.125′ N, 90° 21.094′ W. Marker is near Affton, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It can be reached from Grant Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7400 Grant Road, Saint Louis MO 63123, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: New Buildings for White Haven (here, next to this marker); Slaves Only (here, next to this
Another marker is no longer nearby. White Haven's Outbuildings (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, June 14, 2012
3. Hardscrabble
Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 3, 2012, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 889 times since then and 43 times this year. Last updated on October 15, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 3, 2012, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
