The White Haven Estate: Other Houses

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. . This historical marker is Near Affton in St. Louis County Missouri