DESTINATION IDEAS
   England
   Germany
   Italy
   France
   Austria
   Belgium
   Croatia
   Ireland
   Wales
   Switzerland
   Castles
   Museums
   Cathedrals
   War History
   Family Travel
   Wine & Food
   Motorsports
   Romantic Hotels

Ireland image

DUNGANNON
HOTEL DEALS

BARGAIN SEARCH
HOTELS
AIRFARES
AUTO & RAIL


Castles Ireland and Northern Ireland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bargain Travel Europe guide to Europe on a budget for unusual destinations,
holiday travel tips and secret spots missed by travel tours.



GRANT HOMESTEAD – NORTHERN IRELAND
American President’s County Tyrone Heritage Site

Grant Homestead Farm Dungannon photo“Who’s buried in Grant's Tomb?” It’s an old joke, a seemingly obvious trick riddle which can be incorrectly answered in a few different ways, popularized by Groucho Marx. The correct answer - the two term American President who gained his fame as victorious Union Army General of the Civil War, Ulysses. S. Grant - and his wife Julia. But what does the "S" stand for? His first name was really Hiram, which he didn’t particularly like, and while in West Point took to the Ulysses S. Grant moniker. His fellow cadets called him "Sam" for "Uncle Sam" Grant, but the S actually stands for Simpson, taking his mother’s maiden name for the middle initial and discarding the dreaded Hiram forever. Grant was born in the wooded farmlands of Ohio where his parents had moved after his "Scots-Irish" grandparents originally settled in colonial Pennsylvania. If following your out Irish heritage (see Searching Irish Ancestry) and visiting the countryside of the north of Ireland, looking for a bit of familiar Americana, take a look off the beaten track for the Grant Homestead in County Tyrone.

Inside Grant Homestead Farmhouse photoUlysses S. Grant only set foot in Ireland once, when he visited his ancestral homeland after his presidency had ended. The Grant Homestead is actually the farmhouse and homestead of the Simpsons, the American president’s maternal ancestors from what was referred to as Ulster, the northern counties of Ireland settled by Scotch and English protestants, now Northern Ireland (see St Columbs Cathedral Londonderry). The modest farmhouse was the birthplace off Grant's great-grandfather John Simpson.

Grant Homestead Simpson Family Cottage photoThe Grant Homestead consists of the 19th Century farmhouse two room cottage of whitewashed mud brick walls typical of the area where the Simpson family tended their animals and crops. A half-door to the yard allowed fresh air in while keeping the animals out. A Jamb Wall protected the room from the open fireplace. The house is furnished much as it would have been with Settle Bed and a Half-Loft. Next to the house is the Turf Shed where dried bog turf was stored for fire fuel and a Cart Shed for farm equipment. The sheds have a modest American Civil War history exhibit, related to General Grant, while the yard surrounding the cottage displays farm implements. Also at the site is an outdoor garden picnic area and children’s play yard.

Grant Homestead Garden Picnic Area photoThe Grant Homestead is a bit out of the way, down a narrow road through the farms off the A4 highway, 13 miles west of Dungannon in County Tyrone (UK), about an hour south of Derry and 30 minutes from Enniskillen. For those seeking Ulster Irish roots ancestry, it can be combined with a visit to the Irish American Folk Park in Omagh (see Ulster-American Folk Park) built around the ancestral homestead of Judge Thomas Mellon (endower of Carnegie-Mellon). The Grant Homestead is open daily and only costs 1£ for adults and 50p for children, but when the visitor’s center is closed, you can still look around. A caretaker who lives on the property keeps the cottage open.

During the visitor center hours there is an audio-visual presentation on Grant, the Simpsons and Ulster farm life. The visitor’s center at the Grant Homestead also rents bicycles to explore a hiking and cycling route trail around Branny Hill between Killymaddy and Ballygawley. Bike hire should be reserved ahead. And should the question arise "Where is Ulysses Simpson Grant buried?", the correct answer is, he's not buried, but "entombed" in Grant's Tomb in upper westside Manhatten, New York. © Bargain Travel Europe

Find best travel deals in Northern Ireland on TripAdvisor

Web Info
Discover NI

These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.

SEE ALSO

DRIVING SCENIC IRELAND WITH A RENTAL CAR

BELLE ISLE COOKING SCHOOL & LODGINGS

ENNISKILLEN CASTLE - FERMANAGH

CASTLE COOLE & FLORENCE COURT MANOR

TITANIC BELFAST EXPERIENCE