Last updated: December 19, 2020
Place
Ice House and Chicken House
NPS/David Newmann
Quick Facts
Location:
Grantwood Village, MO
Significance:
Outbuildings of White Haven, home of Ulysses S. Grant
Designation:
National Park, National Historic Landmark, HABS/HAER/HALS
Amenities
4 listed
Accessible Rooms, Accessible Sites, Cellular Signal, Wheelchair Accessible
The ice house and chicken house functioned as important outbuildings at White Haven. The ice house dates back to roughly 1840 while the chicken house was most likely constructed circa 1850 to 1870. Ice from local water streams was stored in the north room (facing the walking trace today) with sawdust packed on top for preservation. It is believed the south room housed perishable foods and drinks for refrigeration. The ice house was intentionally built into a soft, sloping hill just south of Little Prairie Creek so that the ice could be stored underground. Enslaved labor most likely did the work of cutting out and storing ice in this structure before the Civil War.
Forty to fifty chickens per half acre were typically housed at this structure, with space for a scratch/feed room on the main level. When the Grant family lived at White Haven in the 1850s, Julia Dent Grant kept a number of chickens as personal pets. She recalled that “my chickens were marvelous in their yield. I never had the least trouble,” and that she usually raised fourteen to eighteen baby chicks at a time. Enslaved laborers tended to the daily work of feeding Julia’s chickens and keeping the chicken house clean.
Forty to fifty chickens per half acre were typically housed at this structure, with space for a scratch/feed room on the main level. When the Grant family lived at White Haven in the 1850s, Julia Dent Grant kept a number of chickens as personal pets. She recalled that “my chickens were marvelous in their yield. I never had the least trouble,” and that she usually raised fourteen to eighteen baby chicks at a time. Enslaved laborers tended to the daily work of feeding Julia’s chickens and keeping the chicken house clean.