Boyhood Home | Schoolhouse
219 East Grant Avenue | 508 South Water Street
Georgetown, Ohio 45121
Open May 1st - October 31st or by other appointment
Open Wednesday - Sunday 12pm to 5pm
Closed Monday and Tuesday unless by appointment.
Admission of $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children covers both the Boyhood Home and Schoolhouse. OHC and USGHA members have complimentary admittance.
Applications for USGHA or OHC membership
For information call (877) 372-8177 or email usghainfo@gmail.com
More Sites in Clermont County
─── Boyhood Home ───
Photo courtsey of Patrick Shepherd
Built in 1823, additions to the home were made in 1825 and 1828, and many more times after it was sold in 1840's. Slated for demolition in the in the early 1980's, the property was saved by John & Judy Ruthven.
Designated a National Historic Landmark, it opened for visitors in 1982. Today it is the property of the Ohio History Connection, while the museum is staffed and maintained by the Homestead Association.
─── School House ───
Photo courtesy of Patrick Shepherd
The two-room school attended by Ulysses was built in 1829 and served as Georgetown's one-room schoolhouse for over twenty years until it was replaced in 1852.
The building became Ohio History Connection property in 1941, and it is now regularly staffed, and can be toured with the homestead. For a more in-depth look at Grant's and other schoolhouses, read our Legacy of Learning ebook.
─── Tannery ───
Photo courtesy of Chuck Smith
Located directly across the street from the Boyhood Home, the tannery served as the Grant family's livelihood for many years. Built in 1823 by Jesse Grant, it was no favorite place of young Ulysses, and work there helped steer him towards West Point and the Presidency.
The building has only recently been acquired by the Association, and is currently not open to visitors.
─── Native Son Statue ───
Erected in the north corner of the courthouse square, the statue was the culmination of decade's worth of dedicated work between the Association and the village of Georgetown.
Surrounding the statue's base are custom-engraved bricks, which continue to help provide for maintenance and upkeep. They can be purchased and installed year-round, see our order form for instructions
Based on the presidential statue in the capitol rotunda, the marble base is engraved with vignettes depicting Grant's time as general and president.
He stands with his sword and riding coat, face set south to the river beyond. His jacket bears four stars, denoting him as Commanding General of the United States Army.
A landmark since its dedication in the summer of 2012, the statue can be viewed at any time of the day or night
─── Murals ───
Three murals can be found in and around Georgetown, two completed by local artist and friend of the USGHA, Kevin Miller, and the final by renowned barn muralist Scott Hagan. On President’s Day 2022, the first mural was commissioned to commemorate Grant’s 200th birthday.
Starting at 118 N. Main, a presentation of “The Battle of the Wilderness” stands dramatically behind the Native Son statue. The next can be found at 120 S. Main facing the fairgrounds, a three-scene vignette depicting General, Neighbor, and President Grant painted in the autumn of 2022.
Heading west out of town about five miles, the barn mural is visible at the intersection of State Routes 505/756 & 125. Scott Hagan, famous throughout the state for creating the eighty-eight Ohio Bicentennial Barns, painted a version of Grant’s presidential portrait similar to the one used on the fifty-dollar bill. Dedicated in the summer of 2023, it has rapidly become a landmark for those coming and going in the county.
─── About Us ───
To celebrate the life, history, and legacy of Ulysses S. Grant through preservation and education
Chartered in 1970, the US Grant Homestead Association seeks to preserve and promote the life and legacy of US Grant as a young boy, a general, and 18th President of the United States. In partnership with the Ohio History Connection, the historical sites of his boyhood home and schoolhouse are staffed and maintained by the Association.
Through living history, volunteer outreach, and public presentations, we strive to keep local history alive and approachable. The culmination of this is our annual US Grant Days, held every year on his birthday, where we explore the life and times of our native son.