Ohio Serves: Honoring Veterans and Preserving Military History in Clermont County, Ohio

The free, self-guided Land of Grant Trail connects 17 historic sites across the area, revealing how Grant's upbringing helped shape the character that carried him to West Point and, eventually, the White House. Along the way, you can visit his birthplace in Clermont County, his boyhood home and schoolhouse in Georgetown, and the U.S. Grant Memorial Bridge, which spans the junction of Big Indian Creek and the Ohio River.

It is an easy trail to take at your own pace, whether you tackle a few stops on a fall afternoon or check in at all 17 historic landmarks.

One stop deserves extra time. On Front Street in New Richmond, at the New Richmond Military Museum along the banks of the Ohio River, you will find the General Ulysses S. Grant "Let Us Have Peace" mural, painted by artist David Browning in 2025.

The words come from Grant's 1868 campaign slogan, when he was first elected president after a long and bloody Civil War. The mural serves as a prayer for today's leaders and tomorrow's: that the principles of our Founding Fathers, a government "of the people, by the people and for the people," provide the blueprint for solving our differences peacefully.

The story fits Clermont County well. Abraham Lincoln chose Grant to lead the Union forces, and Grant's success ultimately resulted in freedom for more than four million enslaved Americans. For a county that reveres its abolitionist and Underground Railroad history, it is fitting that the man most responsible for reuniting a divided country was born here. As we celebrate America's 250th anniversary, the mural is a reminder of what service and sacrifice made possible.

Its location makes it even more meaningful. Standing at the New Richmond Military Museum, with the Ohio River just beyond, you are surrounded by a place dedicated to remembering veterans, honoring military service and preserving the history of those who served our country.