Grant Funeral Reenactment

This coming Saturday, August 6, 1pm, there will be a reenactment of the funeral procession of President U.S. Grant at Grant Cottage, atop Mt. McGregor, in Wilton, NY.
The Cottage, within sight of my house and now a state park, is one of the neatest historic sites I've seen. Here, the President was secluded for his last few weeks while dying of throat cancer. Nearly penniless due to bad investment advice, he sought to provide for his family after his death by completing his memoires. After his death, the owners recognized the site's significance and left everything as it was. You can stand next to the bed where he died, see the clock that was stopped by his son upon death, and even see the robe he died in. There is a scenic overlook, where he was wheeled for one last gaze over many surrounding miles of countryside. On weekends, there is usually a reenactor dressed as the General in his Civil War uniform, who is his spitting image in appearance.
The site was served by the 11-mile narrow gauge Saratoga, Mt. McGregor & Lake George Railroad, a short-lived line which ran only between the first two names in its title, using a single coach and a tiny 0-4-2 saddletanker. His funeral procession was filled with pomp and ceremony, with the little train bringing his body into the old downtown station at Saratoga, where a bunting-draped D&H 4-4-0 and train wheeled him to Albany. After laying in state overnight in the state capitol, he was taken south to New York City via the NYC&HR. The little train is long gone, of course, though the right of way is still visible. The RR was removed from downtown Saratoga in the 1950s, and a supermarket stands where the old depot stood.
The little railroad also served a gray stone, prison-like TB sanatarium next to the cottage, now actually used as a medium-security prison by the state. There is a prison checkpoint on the road up the mountain, and the guards are sometimes gruff, but it's worth the effort if you're in the area. for more information, see the links below:
[www.artcom.com]
[nysparks.state.ny.us]
[www.nycivilwar.us]
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