Friday, October 13, 2006

Who is Buried Under Grant's Tomb?


The last resting place of the 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant, and his wife on Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side has been the subject of NYC's most infamous, and silliest, riddle over the years. The correct answer is that nobody is buried under the monument...Grant and his wife are, however, entombed here and are not six feet under. (That's why it's Grant's Tomb, not Grant's Grave.)

If you take a short walk up Riverside Drive, you will find a grave here. It's a small monument surrounded by an iron fence. The story goes that St.Clair was playing on the rocks overlooking the Hudson River on the Pollock property, and fell to his death on July 15, 1797. He was five years old. When the Pollocks later sold the property, his uncle made the request that St. Clair's grave,which was on the property, would always be respected. Though this part of NYC has been through many hands since then, St. Clair's grave has always been marked. (Story found here)

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