Grant Cottage
Why it's listed
Grant Cottage is a small two-story wooden house on Mount McGregor in Saratoga County, New York. Duncan McGregor built it in 1872. It has a rectangular plan, a wooden frame covered in clapboard, a gabled roof, several brick chimneys, and a one-story porch along the north and west sides. In June 1885, physicians advised that mountain air might help the ailing General Ulysses S. Grant. Grant was financially ruined and needed to finish his memoirs so his widow would not be left penniless. Joseph W. Drexel, the cottage's new owner, offered it to him, and Grant spent his last five weeks there, dying on July 23, 1885. Drexel willed that the cottage be kept exactly as it was at Grant's death. The Grand Army of the Republic and the Mt. McGregor Memorial Association first administered it, and the State of New York now owns it. Its interior and furniture remain nearly unchanged, which gives it special historic value as a preserved memorial.
Significance in brief: The cottage is where General Ulysses S. Grant spent his last five weeks and died on July 23, 1885, while finishing his memoirs. Its furnishings and personal artifacts remain as they were that day, preserved through a deliberate act of historic preservation.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 71000557, listed February 18, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | CR 101 N of Rte. 9, Mount McGregor |
|---|---|
| County | Saratoga County |
| Listed | February 18, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000557 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Duncan McGregor (erected the cottage in 1872) |
| Areas of significance | Military, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition rated good, unaltered, on its original site; operated as a museum and owned by the State of New York. Not all portions are open to the public. |
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.19984, -73.74324 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 71000557.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5596157
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.