Last updated: July 13, 2026
Place
Sitting Room
NPS
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
You are now in a private part of the home, reserved for family only. You are also now in a part of the home that was added on to the base house. White Haven was constructed between 1812 and 1816. This room was built around 1830. What you’re in is often called the sitting room, or family room. Here is where games would be played, and several items in the room's cabinet are like those that the Grant kids would enjoy using. Some are familiar to us today—dominoes and playing cards remain popular amongst people of all ages. In terms of figurines, the boys would play with small lead soldiers, while the girls would have porcelain dolls. Several photos are also on display in the room. Even though photography was still relatively new while Grant and his family was living here in the 1850s, they still had several photos to display. One photo includes Julia and her two sons, Fred and Ulysses Jr. sitting on her lap. Julia had it taken in 1854, and it's the earliest known photo of Julia with her two children.