Grant US Wisdom

During our summer travels, we have visited other presidential communities (see blog entry 8-11-10) to see first-hand how they preserve and promote their history.  We were overwhelmed when we arrived in Galena, Illinois, which is considered one of several hometowns of Ulysses S. Grant, our nation's 18th president.  This little community in northwest Illinios, population 4,329, is at least an hour and a half from the nearest interstate highway but has a tremendous historic district and commercial area.  It boasts of 40 bed & breakfast establishments, yet has just a fraction of the history and historic attractions that Independence has.  There are two tourist visitor's centers, one operated by the city and the other by the local chamber of commerce.  Yes, that's right; their chamber actively promotes heritage tourism in their restored historic railroad depot.  There is even a third center that also promotes tourism, sells souvenirs, and sells tickets to sites.  There are two competing trolley tours charging $15 per head.  House museum tickets go for $12 per head (compared to $5 here) and there were people standing in line at the front door.  We called ahead two weeks in advance to book a Saturday night at a B&B and were turned away from three B&B's because we were only booking one night and ended up staying in a hotel (which was full also).  The business district was lined with specialty shops, restaurants, and people spending money (with no one complaining about the economy).  And this community had neither a Presidential Library nor the presence of the National Park Service (NPS) to assist them with preserving and presenting their history. To top it off, there are five other cities in the nation (White Haven in Grantwood Village Missouri - National Historic Site operated by the NPS, Grant Cottage in Wilton New York - operated as a New York State Historic Site & Museum, Grant's Birthplace in Point Pleasant Ohio - operated as a museum by the Ohio Historical Society, Grant's Boyhood Home National Historic Landmark in Georgetown Ohio, and, of course, Grant's Tomb in Riverside Park in Manhatten New York) that all boast of President Grant sites.  And each of these six "Presidential" communities in four different states treat their single presidential site as a precious national treasure even though President Grant was routinely ranked in the lower quartile in importance considering all US presidents.  Meanwhile, back in Independence, the hometown of Harry Truman, who is listed as one of the top five US presidents, the community hosts practically all of his historic sites (except for the Grandview Farm) including a presidential library & museum, three boyhood homes, and the expanded National Historic Landmark District.  And if our presidential history was not enough, we are the most important community in the country for pioneer trails history, we have religious history, and history in the Civil War and Border War conflicts.  So why do we struggle in preserving our history and promoting our town for heritage tourism?  These blog entries over the last few years are intended to answer those questions and present how entities representing government, non-profit, church, chamber, and school have all worked independently to take focus away from our rich history and, in some cases, to disrespect and degrade not just our local heritage but that of this great nation.  It's no wonder that noted New York Times journalist, A.G. Sulzberger, wrote two years ago that one might conclude that Harry Truman is our community's "less favorite son."