Ulysses S. Grant’s Log Cabin Souvenir Cup

Q: I have a white glass cup just under 4 inches high that has a picture of a log cabin on the side. The glass is also decorated with wording that says, “General Grant’s log cabin built by him in 1854, St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904.” It also has a mark on the bottom and the words “Victoria, Carlsbad, Austria.”

A: Many souvenir items picturing Ulysses S. Grant’s log cabin were sold at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. They commemorated the log cabin that Grant built in White Haven, Mo., in 1856. It was Grant’s first home, but his family lived there for only three months. The log cabin changed hands several times and was eventually bought by the C.F. Blanke Tea & Coffee Co., which moved it to the site of the company’s display at the St. Louis World’s Fair. In 1907 it was bought by August A. Busch and moved to its present site, about a mile from its original location. Your cup was made by “Victoria” Schmidt & Co. Porcelain Factory, which was founded in 1883.