General Grant National Memorial This memorial to Ulysses S. Grant, victorious Union commander of the Civil War, includes the tomb of General Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant. A West Point graduate, Grant served in the Mexican War and at various frontier posts, before rapidly rising through the ranks during the Civil War. Grant's tenacity and boldness led to victories in the Battles of Vicksburg and Chattanooga and Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, scenes depicted by mosaics in the tomb. In 1866 Congress awarded Grant his fourth star making him the first full General of the Armies.
A grateful nation twice elected Grant to serve as President of the United States, from 1869 to 1877. Grant's accomplishments include signing the act establishing the first national park, Yellowstone, on March 1, 1872. After the Presidency, Grant settled in New York City. Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885 in Mount McGregor, New York, and was laid to rest in New York City on August 8th.
Approximately 90,000 people from around the country and the world donated a total of over $600,000 towards construction of his tomb, the largest public fundraising effort ever at that time. Designed by architect John Duncan, the granite and marble structure was completed in 1897 and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. Over one million people attended the parade and dedication ceremony of Grant's Tomb, on April 27, 1897.
Hamilton Grange National Memorial Hamilton Grange National Memorial, located at 287 Convent Avenue, preserves the home of founding father Alexander Hamilton. Born and raised in the West Indies, Hamilton came to New York in 1772 at age 17 to study finance at King's College (now Columbia University).
Hamilton became a supporter of the cause of the American patriots during the political turmoil of the 1770s. Commissioned as a Captain of Artillery at the beginning of the American Revolution, he soon became an aide-de-camp to George Washington.
After the war, as a member of Congress, Hamilton was instrumental in creating the new Constitution. As co-author of the Federalist Papers he was indispensable in the effort to get the Constitution adopted. As the first Secretary of the Treasury (1789-1795) he devised plans for funding the national debt, securing federal credit, encouraging expansion of manufacturing and organizing the federal bank.
Hamilton commissioned architect John McComb Jr. to design a Federal style country home on a sprawling 32 acre estate in upper Manhattan. This house was completed in 1802 and named "The Grange" after the Hamilton family's ancestral home in Scotland, but served as his home for only two years. On July 11, 1804, Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel with his political rival Aaron Burr.
Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site contains "Springwood", the lifelong home of America's only 4-term President. Also on the site is the Presidential Library and Museum, operated by the National Archives. Visitors may enjoy a guided tour of FDR's home, take a self-guided tour of the Museum, or stroll the grounds, gardens, and trails of this 300-acre site.
Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve The Hudson is an amazing resource: a tidal river that links the communities of the valley economically, culturally, and ecologically. Home to more than 200 species of fish, the Hudson serves as a nursery ground for such important fish as sturgeon, striped bass and American shad and has been a cradle of human development for thousands of years.The river is profoundly influenced by the ocean's tides for over half its length, creating an estuary which stretches 153 miles and includes a wide range of wetland habitats. The reserve sites reflect this diversity, from the brackish marshes of Piermont to the slightly brackish wetlands of Iona Island, and the freshwater tidal mudflats and marshes of Tivoli Bays and Stockport Flats.
Iroquois NWR The refuge serves as a nesting, feeding, resting and staging areas for migratory waterfowl. The varied habitats support approximately 266 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, plus reptiles, fish, amphibians and insects. Bald eagles have maintained an active nest on the refuge since 1986. Management goals address the needs of species of special concern including black tern, black ducks, osprey, American woodcock, and peregrine falcons which use the refuge during some time of the year.The relatively flat terrain encompasses 10,818 acres of habitat. Freshwater marshes and hardwood swamps border or are fed by Oak Orchard Creek which enters the refuge from the east and meanders in a westerly direction before leaving the refuge at the north boundary to empty into Lake Ontario 20 miles away. Forests, meadows and fields slope up gently from the wetland's edge.The refuge is located in an area known as the Oak Orchard Swamp, locally known as "the Alabama Swamp". The Seneca Indians, one of the six tribes of the Iroquois Nation and the aboriginal inhabitants of this area, were the first to farm the area by clearing garden plots within the oak forests near their villages. To the first European settlers in the late 1700's the remaining clusters of oak trees resembled orchards. Thus the name, "Oak Orchard Swamp".
Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site Chartered in l988, the Tenement Museum?s mission is ?to promote tolerance and historical perspective through the presentation and interpretation of a variety of immigrant and migrant experiences on Manhattan?s Lower East Side, a gateway to America?. The heart of the Tenement Museum is its tenement building that was home to an estimated 7,000 people, from over 20 nations, between 1863 and 1935. Visitors tour the tenement?s cramped living spaces and learn about the lives of past residents and the history of the neighborhood. The Museum also offers various programs such as walking tours, plays, art exhibits, and readings that represent the immigrant experience, throughout the year. The Museum?s tenement building is an affiliated site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a National Historic Landmark. In November of 1998, President Clinton and the United States Congress declared the Tenement Museum a National Historic Area affiliated with the National Park Service.
