Dine with General Grant - April 30, 2011

Former President and General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia travelled to Waynesville and dined in elegance with local residents on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Having arranged the visit last October, the Museum of the Friends Home hosted the honorable guests and treated them to a nine course dinner in the Home’s exquisitely decorated dining room. Fortunate to be awarded table sittings through a raffle drawing, four local couples joined the General and his wife and were delighted to have the opportunity to discuss the nation’s Civil War and the years which followed. Local resident Eula McDermott commented afterwards that the evening was“unbelievable” and left her thoroughly rejuvenated after a tiring day. She envied the Grant’s for their recently completed two and one-half year “cruise” around the world during which they were genuinely humbled by the red carpet treatment and sincere expressions of friendship. Eula also enjoyed the opportunity to “sit down and be waited on.” While perhaps the Grant’s have become accustomed to such, it didn’t diminish their willingness to interact with local residents and share their experiences. As Eula said, it was like the General and his wife were “reliving these experiences” as they recounted them. You can have a similar experience by visiting Waynesville’s Museum at the Friends Home, where you can walk about and sit down in a home-like setting, relax, and let history become part of you. Just in case you were wondering, General and Mrs. Grant were portrayed by Mr. and Mrs. George Dauler of the Cleveland area who have been re-enacting such events for over 25 years.

Check out our Photo Album for pictures from this event.