In 1848, Ulysses S. Grant and his new bride, Julia Dent, received
80 acres of Dent family land southwest of St. Louis as a wedding
gift.
In 1855, Grant started sawing and notching the logs that would
be used to build a four-room, two-story cabin on the property. The cabin was completed in just three days with the help of friends. Grant established his farm and named it "Hardscrabble."
Grant did most of the work on the cabin himself. He layed the floors, built the staircase and shingled the roof. The Grant family lived in Hardscrabble for only a short period of time, from September to the following January when Ulysses and Julia moved back to the Dent family home following the death of Julia's mother. Grant ran both his and his father-in-law's farm. He grew potatoes, wheat and other vegetables, gathered fruit from the orchards and corded wood.
In 1885, the home passed out of the hands of the Grant family. It was sold to various people and was finally purchased by August Busch Sr. in 1907. In the intervening years, the cabin had been moved to Old Orchard, Mo., and displayed at the 1904 World's Fair. August Busch Sr. had the cabin moved and reassembled approximately one mile from its original location. In 1977, Anheuser-Busch restored the cabin to its present condition.
Grant did most of the work on the cabin himself. He layed the floors, built the staircase and shingled the roof. The Grant family lived in Hardscrabble for only a short period of time, from September to the following January when Ulysses and Julia moved back to the Dent family home following the death of Julia's mother. Grant ran both his and his father-in-law's farm. He grew potatoes, wheat and other vegetables, gathered fruit from the orchards and corded wood. 