On October 9, 1999, I took a field trip to Galena, Illinois. Galena, incorporated in 1835, is located in the northwest corner of Illinois. Currently, Galena is considered an important tourist attraction because it is an example of a well-preserved 19th century community. In fact, 85 percent of the buildings in this town are recorded in the National Historic Register. Among the important sites to visit are Ulysses S. Grant's Home, Main Street Book Store, Mark Twain's Laughing River and the County Insane Asylum (Fried Green Tomatoes.)

The first stop on my tour was U.S. Grant Home. This home was built in 1859 and was presented to the returning Civil War hero, Ulysses S. Grant on August 18, 1865. Although this home was considered luxurious at the time, it is only about half the size of an average home today. The first picture is of John Smith's log home, a close neighbor to the Grant family. This small house once housed a family of six. In the mid 1800's homes were never built any larger than necessary.

The next photographs are of the inside of Grant's home. Photos 2-6 show Grant's living room. All of the furniture is original, including a piano from the early 1800's. Surpr

The next stop on this field trip was the Main Street Book Store (photos 23-26.) The owner of the bookstore informed me some of the books are over 300 years old and valued at over $1000.00. The books are well preserved to ensure that they endure. I thought it was very interesting that there was a biography of Carl Sandburg prominently displayed (photo 26.) You can also purchase many rare books and first editions in this bookstore.

After a long day of sightseeing in Galena, you can relax and enjoy a wonderful dinner at "Fried Green Tomatoes." To get to "Fried Green Tomatoes," you must exit out of the city and proceed along Black Jack Road to the outskirts. This is an authentic Italian restaurant that also has a historic significance. The building once housed the city's mentally ill and criminally insane. Although the building has been modernized, you can still imagine how it once looked by noting the small windows and large pillars. It actually resembles a jail.

The upstairs of the home was accessible by a very steep and narrow staircase (photo 15.)

There were five very small bedrooms on the second floor of the home, which are shown in photos 16-21. The master bedroom contained a Franklin stove and dressing tables. The bed was extremely small and looked very uncomfortable. The other rooms were for his four children; Frederick Dent Grant, Ulysses S. "Buck" Grant, Ellen "Nellie" Grant and Jesse Root Jr. In photograph 19, you can see "Buck" Grant's room, which had a spindle four poster bed. Ther

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