with wife
Julia and children
Nellie,
Jesse,
Ulysses Jr. and
Frederick relaxing at the cottage in 1870.
Ulysses S. Grant received the cottage as a gift from wealthy acquaintances aligned with the
Republican Party who had summer homes in
Elberon, New Jersey. These homes, being within walking distance of each other, provided an atmosphere conducive to achieving a meeting of the minds as it pertained to the issues of the day. The cottage was used by the Grant family for three months of every summer starting in 1867 and culminating in 1885, years after Grant had already been out of office. It was one of many
Summer White Houses utilized by United States presidents during the summer months. Grant enjoyed staying there so much that he was criticized for spending too much time at the cottage. Referring to
Long Branch, New Jersey, as the "summer capital", Grant presided over cabinet meetings at the cottage, and strategized the failed proposal to
annex the Dominican Republic there. He wrote much of his
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant at the cottage. While staying in Long Branch, Grant worshiped at the
Church of the Presidents on Ocean Avenue. In 1941, the
Sisters of St. Joseph of the Peace purchased the adjacent property and turned the entire seven acres into the Stella Maris Retreat Center. In 1963, having decided to improve the property but not possessing the requisite funds to restore the cottage, the Sisters decided to have the building razed. The complex closed in 2015. == Description ==