WILTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Grant Cottage is a nugget of U.S. history, located in the woods between Saratoga Springs and South Glens Falls. The legacy of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant will open to the public for the season on Friday, May 26.

The opening comes with a catch. The cottage itself will remain closed until mid-June, as preservation-related construction continues at the historic former residence where Grant spent his final weeks and finished his memoirs.

In the meantime, special tour opportunities will show off the site on Mount McGregor. Outdoor “Hidden History” tours can be booked now. The hike spans about a mile, and highlights the stories of presidents, inmates at the former McGregor prison, and more. Hiking shoes and clothing are encouraged.

Grant Cottage is open Thursdays to Sundays starting in June, and Wednesdays to Sundays from late June all the way into October. Historical programs set at the cottage include:

  • Oliver and Martha Clarke Welcome You
    • Sunday, May 28, 4:30 p.m.
    • Historians share the lives of longtime Grant Cottage caretakers Oliver Pendleton Clarke and Martha Josephine Kelsey Clarke, who lived on Mount McGregor from 1889 to the end of their lives
  • Unexpected Bravery: Women and Children of the Civil War
    • Saturday, June 10, 4:30 p.m.
    • Presenter A.J. Schenkman leads a talk on the lives of children and women who enlisted in the Civil War
  • The History Behind Juneteenth
    • Monday, June 19, 1 p.m.
    • Author Robert C. Conner leads a celebration and discussion of Juneteenth
  • Confederate General James Longstreet on Ulysses S. Grant
    • Sunday, July 2, 1 p.m.
    • Grant Cottage tour guide and historian Steve Trimm portrays Confederate General James Longstreet, a longtime friend of Ulysses Grant, and speaks about how their friendship at West Point fell apart as the Civil War began
  • The Magical Feats of Maxwell Treat
    • Sunday, July 9, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
    • Two performances by magician Jim Snack, taking on the persona of fictional 1800s magician Maxwell Treat
  • The Rise of Grant: A String of Contingencies
    • Sunday, July 23, 4:30 p.m.
    • Presenter Dr. Chris Mackowski will speak on Grant’s rise to power and role in Union victory during the Civil War
  • A Visit with General and Mrs. Grant
    • Sunday, Aug. 6, 4:30 p.m.
    • Reenactors portray Mr. and Mrs. Grant on the cottage porch, in celebration of the couple’s 175th wedding anniversary
  • Man of Many Worlds: The Amazing Life of Colonel Joseph Louis Cook/Atayataghlonghta
    • Saturday, Aug. 26, 4:30 p.m.
    • Author Joseph Bruchac talks about the life of Colonel Joseph Louis Cook, the highest-commissioned officer of African and Native American descent in the Continental Army
  • Grant’s Underappreciated Peace Legacy
    • Saturday, Sept. 23, 1 p.m.
    • A talk on Grant’s postwar achievements by presenter Frank Scaturro
  • Making Mt. McGregor: An Overview of its Underlying Geology
    • Saturday, Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m.
    • A talk on the geological makeup of Mt. McGregor and the southern Adirondacks with Dr. Andrew Horst

Grant Cottage is located at 1000 Mount McGregor Road in Wilton.