In southern Ohio, the Grant Birthplace and related attractions located nearby will together host events to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ulysses S. Grant starting in February 2022 and continuing through the end of April and later into the year.
The goal behind all the events is to celebrate “Grant as a great Civil War general, two-term civil rights President, author of the greatest military memoir, statesman and the most popular American of the second half of the 19th century.”
Most of the events will be held in either Point Pleasant, home of the Grant Birthplace, or in Georgetown, where Grant spent his childhood years. All events, even indoor lectures, appear to be in-person. Contact the organizers to inquire about remote access via Zoom.
The series will kick off on February 17 with a lecture, “Grant–A Civil Rights President,” by Christy S. Coleman, Executive Director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation of Virginia at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.
Coleman will examine President Grant’s role in freeing the slaves, his battling the Ku Klux Klan, and how he was influenced by his upbringing in the abolitionist hotbed of Brown County, Ohio. Tickets are required. Admission is free but donations would be appreciated. For more information, call 877.372.8177 or 937.378.3087 or visit www.freedomcenter.org.
Other events include:
- “This is Your Life, U.S. Grant,” on Saturday March 19 at the Georgetown United Methodist Church, with living historian Dr. Curt Fields in character as Grant talking about his childhood.
- A Grant Parade in Batavia featuring costumed reenactors on Saturday, April 23.
- Historic Dance Demonstration by the Forget-Me-Nots Dance Company on the same day, Saturday, April 23, at the Grant Birthplace in Point Pleasant.
- President Ulysses S. Grant Birthday Bicentennial Dinner on Wednesday, April 27, at Norlyn Manor in Batavia, “prepared by an all-star team of chefs from Clermont County” featuring dishes found on White House menus in the 1860s and in Civil War camps as well.
- Band Concert, Light Show & Fireworks Finale on Saturday, April 30 at Courthouse Square in Georgetown with music by the Ohio National Guard Military Band.
To see the complete listing with a description for each event, visit the US Grant Homestead Association listing of Grant Bicentennial events.
