US Grant in living history

10/28/2025

With Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

10/20/2025

10/20/2025

The first weekend of November will be spent at my favorite museum.

10/15/2025

The second half of October is a busy month

10/15/2025

10/15/2025

Here is my presentation schedule for the remainder of October.
In this are two General Grant presentations before the Trains & Troops weekend right after Halloween at the PA State RR Museum in Strasburg PA.
Most of the shows will be the Railroad Ghost Stories program, but I also debut a reading of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the middle of that. I will do that as Pres. Grant, as the author, Washington Irving was one of his favorites in his youth.
21 - Antebellum Marine Band Brass Quintet at Cross Keys Village, New Oxford PA 6 pm
22 - Retirement Community (Passavant) Zelienople PA 1:30 pm Railroad Ghost Stories
23 – Bradford Library, Bradford PA 6 pm
Railroad Ghost Stories
25 – SATURDAY Delmont Library, Delmont PA 1 pm
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
26 – Jackson Mansion, Apollo PA, 6 pm
Friendship With Lincoln
28 – Cumberland Woods, Alison Park PA 11 am
Winning The War In The West
29 - Peters Twp Library, McMurray PA, 6 pm
RR Ghost Stories
31 - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 1 pm SET UP FOR WEEKEND TRAINS & TROOPS EVENT.

10/12/2025

As it is in my live speaking programs as US Grant, I refrain from ANY discussion of modern politics, leaving the audience to make any comparisons or connections based on the information I present from a living history perspective in the time Grant was alive ONLY. I find this much better to keep the enflamed rhetoric we can't escape anymore as we go about our lives out of my story telling in character.

This subject though, seems ripe for a bit of sounding off about something greatly overlooked about Grant's political awakening and growth in the role of chief executive.

There are some right now saying that Pres. Trump is the only president to truly support the Jewish people.

HOWEVER, in his second term, Grant took note of the pogroms in Ukraine and Russia and made official condemnations of them for it. After his mistaken General Order 11 in December of 1862 he made his apologies and the Jewish voters rewarded him in 1868, and he did not forget.

This was the first foray into international affairs for the US, and he was reticent to commit our country to such. BUT, because of the nature of the offenses on the Jews of those lands, he felt it was too important to overlook.

In the end, it was Jewish financiers who funded the building of his mausoleum in NYC.

10/04/2025

This would be grand to come upon in Chattanooga some time!

10/02/2025

My favorite supplier for ci**rs will be closing their brick and mortar location, but still will sell online!

David & Lauren from John Hay Ci**rs have made the very difficult decision to close our retail shop located at Kitchen Kettle Village in In*******se, PA at the end of this year.

It is hard to believe we started our journey at Kitchen Kettle Village in 2011 - with just a pop-up spot in the middle of the Village. As we knew this was where we wanted to call home, in May of 2012 when a shop location became available and was offered to us, we of course accepted. We have enjoyed every day over the last 14 years, seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones, and will miss the Village greatly.

The good news is that our ci**rs and other accessories will still be available on our website at www.JohnHayCi**rs.com. Ordering is easy – and we are also now offering free shipping on orders of $100 or more! We also plan to be out and about at local events and will keep our page and website updated so you will know where to find us.

So, to our local and visiting customers, please stop by our store before we close the door on December 23rd to say goodbye to David, Lauren and Dawn.

David & Lauren Patrick

Owners, John Hay Ci**rs

02/17/2025

The first major victory of the American Civil War is commemorated today with the capture of Fort Donelson in Tennessee and nearly 30,000 rebel soldiers commanded by Gen Simon Bolivar Buckner protecting the approach to Nashville on the Cumberland River, by the 6 division force commanded by BGen US Grant.
He captures most of the rebel force, offering no terms but an unconditional and immediate surrender, earning him among the newspapermen the nickname "unconditional surrender". I say "most" because two senior generals to Buckner, Tilghman and Pillow, elected to skedaddle, leaving him and their forces to Grant, and cavalry man, Nathan Bedford Forrest broke out of the siege line with his troopers to fight on. Of Gen. Pillow escaping, Grant said his escape would aid our cause far better than his capture. Pillow had been his division commander in Mexico in 1847, and never impressed him as a soldier. The surrender meeting was held in the Dover hotel, about a mile east/ up river from the fort.
Grant's letter to Julia is especially fascinating.