Welcome to the Big Apple everyone!
That’s right, we are in New York City right now, and currently staying in our hotel on Manhattan Island! We have tons of suprises and discoveries to find in the next couple of days here, but in the meantime, how about I detail our travels from where we left off in Princeton last night?
I think I’ll do just that. Let’s take a look then, shall we?
Princeton Cemetery
The town of Princeton, New Jersey is home to Princeton University, one of the most prestigious Universities in the entire Country. It has also served as a major hub for many indiviuduals of historical significance. Both Presidents James Madison and Woodrow Wilson graduated from here, the latter of which would later become the University’s President (Wilson would help turn the campus from a “country club” into a rigourous and quality College). John F. Kennedy also studied here briefly before transferring to Harvard in Massachusetts. And of course, there was Grover Cleveland and his wife Frances, who retired here following the conclusion of his Presidential term.
Firstly, we came across “Westland Mansion”, the place where Grover Cleveland and Frances lived for the remaining years of their lives, from 1897, until his death here in 1908. Frances continued to live in this house for many years afterwards.
Though currently a private home, it is still a nice sight to behold.
We continued on deeper into Princeton, and came to “Princeton Cemetery, the burial place of many New Jersey Notables!
This cemetery is kept in much better shape than James Buchanan’s Cemetery. Many of the gravestones here are very old, and while some are in a bit of disrepair, it’s still a very beautiful and peaceful atmosphere here.
There is one gravesite that we considered to be of the utmost priority… and you guessed it, another U.S. President’s!
This is the gravesite of President Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th President!
How is this possible you might ask? Well it’s quite simple. He was elected to a single term in 1884, lost reelection of 1888, and four years later won the election once more in 1892! He remains the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms (though we have had 45 Presidents, there have only been 44 men who have served in the office. We attribute this askanceness to Cleveland).
The grave to our left is of Ruth Cleveland, their little daughter, and to our right is that of Frances Cleveland, the First Lady.
The hourglass on his grave depicts his great value of Punctuality and time-management. He considered it to be a much more vital symbol to him than the Seal of the Presidency.
And the urn on top?… I haven’t the foggiest.
Poor Ruth… she was felled at only age 12 to a bout of Diphtheria. Her death heavily struck the family with a terrible blow…
Oscar Folsom was the father of Frances Cleveland, who died when she was just a little girl. This is located in front of Cleveland’s gravesite, as you can see.
And Emma Folsom was Frances’s mother. A widow, Ms. Folsom wanted to marry the new President, who was a bachelor. In an effort to get him to woo her, she invited him to a reception at her residence.
It didn’t go down exactally as planned… instead, Cleveland actually fell in love with her daughter… Frances, who was 27 years his junior.
It was true love however, and soon, they would get married in the White House, in a special ceremony that caused excitement across the nation.
Two other notable graves are in this cemetery. One is of an infamous early political figure that is reviled by unconstrained Hamiltonians…
I speak of course, of Aaron Burr Jr., Vice-President under Thomas Jefferson, and the killer of Alexander Hamilton in a legendary duel.
I felt tempted to do an impromptu jig myself on his grave, but I refrained from doing so.
Burr was buried nearby his father, Aaron Burr Sr., who served as a President of Princeton University.
And here he is.
The other notable grave here is of the reverand John Witherspoon, the chief delegate of New Jersey during the Second Continental Congress, which created the Declaration of Independence.
We’ve seen a whole lot on this trip haven’t we?
We had wrapped up with this cemetery, now bringing the “Presidential Gravesite Visit Count” to 27/39! 12 to go!
Our next stop was about an hour’s drive away from Princeton further in the north-east, to the small town of Caldwell (also in New Jersey). There is located the only museum dedicated to President Grover Cleveland… his birthplace!
Grover Cleveland Birthplace State Historic Site
Ooh la la.
Let’s head in!
Unfortunetly, various parts of the house were off-limits to photography (in order to preserve “item location confidentiality”, and prevent people from wanting to steal the stuff). Still, Some of my pictures here were my own, but others will be stocks.
A dress belonging to little Baby Ruth. She must have been the light in the family’s lives… she was also the first child to be born in the White House. That note at the top was handwritten by Frances Cleveland herself.
Believe it or not, the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Ruth Cleveland! Many people believe it was named after the famous baseball player Babe Ruth, but the bars preceeded him.
The kitchen of the house. The building was made in 1832, and Grover Cleveland (originally named “Stephen Grover Cleveland” after the legendary war-veteran Stephen Grover) was born here to Ann and Richard Cleveland. Richard Cleveland was a presbyterian minister of the local church, and when he got on the wrong side of the church (sometimes church groups like this can be very pretentious), Cleveland resigned his position, and were basically evicted from the house (given by the church to those who served in it).
Though young Grover lived here for only 3 and 1/2 years, it is still an important place in his life, and has the largest collection of Grover Cleveland artifacts anywhere.
An example of a letter involving the Cleveland household. You’d think that Grover’s father would be nice enough to give a hand with the laundry every now and again…
The kitchen cabinet, with several original Cleveland plates, china and trays. Many of the objects in here were original, including the actual sturdy oak floor beneath our feet.
The very bed and room where Cleveland was born in 1837. The house was originally bought by enthusiasts who wished to provide a birthday present to the 71-year old Former President in 1907. A few years later (and after his death), it opened up to the public as a museum house!
Part of the museum area (not my picture). There was a terrific set of memoribilia here.
A young Grover Cleveland, who had to become the main breadwinner of the family following his father’s death when he was 16. Grover quickly rose through the ranks to become a lawyer, the sheriff of Erie County (in New York where Buffalo is located), the Mayor of Buffalo, Governor of New York, and then of course, President of the United States.
The first Democrat elected since 1857 (he was elected in 1884), Cleveland maintained a conservative stance on his actions, promoted the Gold Standard (the continued minting of gold instead of unlimited silver), strengthened U.S. defences through a modern Navy, and established the Interstate Commerce Comission (ICC) in 1887. Though by no means the best president out there (especially considering his inability to handle economic crisises, he is generally ranked in the mid-upper tier, especially because of his good-character and moral-centered ideals.
A picture of the marrige of Grover and Frances Cleveland. It was true love, and Mrs. Cleveland would become a prominant player in Washington Politics/social life.
A nice portrait of “Grover the Good”. He was one of our heavier presidents perhaps only exceeded in weight by William Howard Taft.
Some special coats and effects of President Cleveland. He had very large clothes to accomodate his weight.
Cleveland suffered a cancerous sore that damaged much of his upper mouth. On a trip that was publicly known as a “Fishing Trip”, he was operated on by surgeons, who took the tumor out, and replaced the area with a rubber jaw. The left cast was after the surgery in 1893, and the right one is from 4 years later.
An older, and much slimmer Grover Cleveland. It’s hard to believe that this is him… he looks very thin. He became a well respected elder statesman and trustee of Princeton University after retiring there.
Uh oh, it’s the President! All hands on deck!
Okay okay… it’s just a cutout. Still love this picture though.
Remember Woodrow Wilson on the $100,000 banknote? Grover Cleveland is on the $1,000 (though this is just a postcard, not the money, don’t get too excited)!
But you know, even though this was a relatively small stop, it’s still crucial to visit sites like this. Not only is this the only Grover Cleveland Museum, but it also offers a fascinating view into Cleveland’s life that you would not suspect until you visit the interior.
So, all I can say is, never underestimate the content of some places… you may be very suprised.
Unfortunetly, I regret to inform you all that by the time we got to West Orange, the Thomas Edison National Historical Park (a planned stop on our journey) was in the process of closing, and we weren’t able to get a proper look into the place. Combined with the fact that many of the buildings were under restoration (and the grounds and mansion of Edison’s home of Glenmont also closed to rennovation), we could only explore the outside of it.
Many people attribute his famous “Menlo Park” labratory (see the Greenfield Village post from my last trip to see the actual “Menlo Park!”) as his main factory complex. That is perhaps true, but he used Menlo Park to attain the status of a world-class inventor, such as creating one of the first efficient lightbulbs. This labratory here however, is his entire complex in the later part of his career, where he ran countless experiments and created thousands of inventions which he would mass-produce.
Had we the time, we would have loved to go inside, but we have other pressing matters to attend to…
Such as this… NEW YORK CITY!
Seeing the skyline of the largest city in the country is very exhilarating, and quite a sight to behold… though I have seen New York City only a little over a year ago, it’s impact has still not left me…
That impact kinda equals a love=hate relationship, but I think it’s only natural for everyone who doesn’t live there. You grow fonder of it when you have time to reflect on it.
For those unfamilliar to the layout of this massive city, allow me to elaborate on the five “Boroughs”; or sections of the city.
- Manhattan: Manhattan Island is the cultural, political, and financial center of the city, and is what most people think of whenever they think of New York City. Famed landmarks such as The Empire State Building, Central Park, and The One World Trade Center dominate the landscape, and it is the most densely populated area in the Country.
- Brooklyn: The most populous borough of the five sections, Brooklyn has become a center for financial buisnesses, fine arts establishments, and economic development, rested on the west end of Long Island.
- Queens: The largest borough in terms of physical size, Queens also rests on Long Island, featuring key places such as John F. Kennedy International Airport, Citi Field (Home to the New York Mets), and various television/movie studios.
- The Bronx: The Northernmost of the Five Boroughs connecting to Mainland New York State, the Bronx features landmarks such as the Yankee’s Stadium, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo.
- Staten island: The smallest of the five boroughs, and likely the least populated as well, containing many parks, museums, and fine arts cultural excursions.
Since we are on a scheduele, we are sticking to must-see locations found solely on Manhattan Island, as well as Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
For now though, let’s head in!
Through the Holland Tunnel we go… and under the Hudson River itself!
We emerged onto the packed streets of Manhattan, filled with people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and backgrounds… you couldn’t help but wonder what each person’s story was.
Also, I would like to take this time to say that there is not a “fleet” of taxi-cars in New York City… by no means…
Instead, I am saying that there is a WHOLE ARMADA IN HERE!
Seriously! They number in the hundreds, and you can never go down a single block without spotting at least one.
And don’t even get me started on the amount of Starbucks in this place, there’s over 200 on Manhattan Island alone!
But I digress… let’s continue.
The One World Trade Center… the tallest-building in the entire Western Hemisphere, and the sixth tallest building in the entire world. It’s a marvel to behold, we’ll see it later this week of course, up close.
Our hotel room was way up on the 21st floor… it is very shocking, but it does offer a nice view… or at least, what one could find in a mass-city like this.
See that really tall building there? That is the Empire State Building, one of the tallest structures in the city, and once the tallest-building in the world!
We’ll also get a much closer look at it in a day or two. The observation deck up there commands a sweeping view of the entirety of New York City and the lands beyond.
And well… that is where we are right now! Tomorrow, we plan to explore many neat landmarks just to the south of Central Park (another stop of ours), such as Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Grand Central Station, among others!
We can’t wait to explore the “City that never Sleeps!” We’ll see you soon for our first day in this special city!
Mark's Historical Roadtrips! 