Steuben Memorial State Historic Site

What it is

The Steuben Memorial State Historic Site, in Steuben, Oneida County, New York, marks part of a 16,000-acre land grant given to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben for his wartime service. He used the land as a summer residence and is buried there, in an area known as the 'Sacred Grove'. The site includes his memorial tomb, a reconstructed log cabin built in 1937, and historic markers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Why it matters

The large land grant shows how the young United States rewarded Steuben, the Prussian-born officer who trained the Continental Army, for his contribution to independence. That he chose to spend his final years and be buried on this land reflects how deeply tied his later life became to the country he had helped create.

Look closer

• Why might Steuben have chosen to settle on land granted by Congress rather than return to Europe?
• What does the reconstruction of the log cabin in 1937 tell us about how later generations chose to remember him?
• What questions might the site leave unanswered about his everyday life there?