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126-626: The Morris–Jumel Mansion (also known as the Morris House , Mount Morris , Jumel Mansion , and Morris–Jumel Mansion Museum ) is an 18th-century historic house museum in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City , United States. It is the oldest extant house in Manhattan , having been built in 1765 by British military officer Roger Morris , and was also home to

252-576: A National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. On May 12, 2012, a 10,000 ton rockfall just south of the state line left a 520-foot (160 m) scar on the cliffs. The Palisades is now a part of Palisades Interstate Park , a popular destination for hiking and other outdoor recreational activities, that also includes Harriman - Bear Mountain State Park , Minnewaska State Park Preserve and several other parks and historic sites in

378-609: A serial which helped popularize the term cliffhanger . In October 1931, after four years of construction, the George Washington Bridge opened between Upper Manhattan and Fort Lee. On April 28, 1940, the Boy Scout Foundation of Greater New York announced the donation of 723 acres by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to establish a weekend camp for New York City Boy Scouts. In June 1983, the Palisades were designated

504-649: A $ 200,000 preservation grant from the New York state government in 1987. In spite of high crime rates in the surrounding neighborhood, the mansion's curator said in the late 1980s that the museum was largely unaffected by crime because of several security measures. The Morris–Jumel Mansion was one of the founding members of the Historic House Trust , established in 1989. The Morris–Jumel Mansion's exterior underwent an extensive renovation starting in 1990. Jan Hird Pokorny Architects , which had been hired in 1986 to conduct

630-404: A 1934–1935 Works Progress Administration renovation. It was adapted from an earlier Victorian-style garden on the site. The garden, which measures about 58 by 63 feet (18 by 19 m), is octagonal; the shape was inspired by that of the mansion's octagonal annex. Stone paths divide the garden into quadrants, and there is a retaining wall around it. Next to the garden is an octagonal structure with

756-399: A Hoboken ferryboat entrepreneur at that time: It is hardly possible to imagine one of greater attraction; a broad belt of light underwood and flowering shrubs, studded at intervals with lofty forest trees, runs for two miles along a cliff which overhangs the matchless Hudson; sometimes it feathers the rocks down to its very margin, and at others leaves a pebbly shore, just rude enough to break

882-422: A balcony on the second floor. The main house has a hip roof with dormer windows, which is surrounded by a cornice with dentils . Part of the roof is flat and enclosed by a railing. The annex also has a hip roof. There are three asymmetrical chimneys: one each above the eastern and western walls of the main mansion and one above the annex. A gutter was installed on the roof in the early 19th century, replacing

1008-509: A brick facade. There are also lawns on the west and north sides of the mansion, as well as a rose garden on the east side. During the 17th century, the site was part of the town of Harlem and was located on a larger plot called the Great Maize Land. The first house on the site had been developed by Jan Kiersen, who received a half- morgen of land, about 1,495 square yards (1,250 m), in 1695 or 1696. He also received permission to build

1134-506: A coach house), but a map from 1815 showed two additional buildings and a gatehouse near the mansion. In 1810, French wine merchant Stephen Jumel paid $ 10,000 for the house and some land around it. He moved into the mansion with his wife, the socialite Eliza Bowen Jumel , and their adopted daughter, Mary Bowen. The Jumels had largely been "neglected by society" when they lived in Lower Manhattan, and Eliza, who had come from poor beginnings,

1260-669: A collection consistent with the historical structure. Some museums choose to collect pieces original to the period, while not original to the house. Others, fill the home with replicas of the original pieces, reconstructed with the help of historic records. Still other museums adopt a more aesthetic approach and use the homes to display the architecture and artistic objects. Because historic homes have often existed through different generations and have been passed on from one family to another, volunteers and professionals also must decide which historical narrative to tell their visitors. Some museums grapple with this issue by displaying different eras in

1386-655: A committee in February 1903 to raise money for the mansion, and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment approved the park's creation that May. Lillie Earle initially did not wish to sell the mansion to the city, but she later indicated that she was willing to sell the mansion to the city or to a historical organization. The city bought the house that July for $ 235,000. Following the sale, the Realty Protective Company sued Lillie, claiming that she had reneged on an agreement to pay

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1512-496: A diamond on the glass to determine whether the diamond was real. The south facade of the main house has a double-height portico and triangular pediment supported by grand Tuscan columns . Although early historians claimed that the portico was added to the house in the 19th century, the portico was likely built along with the rest of the mansion. The New York Daily News called it the only portico in New York City to be built before

1638-789: A dispute in which the New York State Legislature passed competing bills awarding operation of the museum to both the Colonial Dames and the Daughters, park commissioner John J. Pallas was appointed to mediate the dispute. As a compromise, governor Benjamin Odell signed a bill that May, allowing the Department of Parks to turn the house's operation over to either organization. Following a hearing in November 1904, Pallas ruled in 1905 that ownership of

1764-496: A draft of the 1775 Olive Branch Petition while cleaning out the mansion's attic. The museum had been planning a $ 350,000 renovation at the time, and its executive director Carol Ward wanted to sell the Olive Branch Petition manuscript to raise money for an endowment . The manuscript was ultimately sold for over $ 912,500. In 2014, Ward announced plans to raise $ 250,000 for renovations and educational programming in advance of

1890-568: A flagstone carriage drive was added in front of the mansion. The disputes over the Jumel estate were not resolved until 1881, when a judge ruled that Mary Bowen had never legally owned the mansion and ordered that the Jumel estate be partitioned. In May 1882, the New York Supreme Court ruled that the Jumel Mansion could be put up for sale, and an auction for the mansion and surrounding estate

2016-561: A forest preserve. Fearing that they would soon be put out of business, quarry operators responded by working faster: in March 1898 alone, more than three tons of dynamite was used to bring down Washington Head and Indian Head in Fort Lee, New Jersey , producing several million cubic yards of traprock. The following year, work by the New Jersey Federation of Women's Clubs led to the creation of

2142-466: A house, barn, and garden east of Kingsbridge Road (now St. Nicholas Avenue ). Kiersen received a deed to the land in 1700 or 1701 and gradually enlarged his estate. The land had been passed down to Kiersen's daughter Yantie (also spelled Jannetje) and her husband Jacob Dyckman by the late 1750s. Kiersen's two sons had sold off their interests in the farm prior to 1763, when the property was sold to James Carroll for 1,000 New York pounds . Carroll farmed on

2268-577: A matching $ 2.5 million and the state of New Jersey appropriated $ 500,000 to build the Henry Hudson Drive (which would be succeeded by the Palisades Parkway in 1947). Ultimately, the Sing Sing relocation was discontinued. In the 1910s, when Fort Lee was a center of film production, the cliffs were frequently used as film locations. The most notable of these films was The Perils of Pauline ,

2394-418: A restored kitchen. The project was expected to cost $ 115,000 by 1925, and plans for the renovation were delayed because of uncertainty about the original design of the front door. The house had still not been renovated by the early 1930s, but it was repainted in 1932 in anticipation of Washington's 200th birthday. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) designed a further renovation of

2520-540: A site in Upper Manhattan, with an orchard, two nearby rivers, and panoramic views in all four directions. Morris may have purchased the site around June 1765, when the advertisement was withdrawn. At the time, the site was still rural, the land was part of the British Province of New York , and New York City comprised what is now Lower Manhattan . Construction began in mid-1765. Contractors secured oak timbers from

2646-400: A survey of the house's condition, was also hired to restore the house. Structural improvements comprised three-quarters of the $ 600,000 cost. Pokorny's firm restored the structure to its 19th-century appearance, consulting old photographs and replacing architectural details such as the balustrade, dormers, and windows. One of the exterior stairways, built in the 1930s, was infilled. By the end of

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2772-400: A year, more than fifty percent of historic house museums received fewer than 5,000 visitors per year. These museums are also unique in that the actual structure belongs to the museum collection as a historical object. While some historic home museums are fortunate to possess a collection containing many of the original furnishings once present in the home, many face the challenge of displaying

2898-504: Is based on the dialectics of memory, however it also has the inclusion of joyous festivals to mask the turmoil. The Hiroshima Traces (1999) text takes a look at the importance of collective memory and how it is embedded in culture and place. Thus, collective memory does not only reside in a house or building, but it also resonates in outdoor space – particularly when a monumental event has occurred, such as war. Problematic creation of collective memory occurs within historic house museums when

3024-424: Is connected to the main mansion via a short passageway, nicknamed the "hyphen". The main house is cited as measuring 52.67 by 38.5 feet (16.05 by 11.73 m) across, while the "hyphen" measures about 8 by 6 feet (2.4 by 1.8 m). The rear annex is approximately 21 to 22 feet (6.4 to 6.7 m) wide and 30 to 32 feet (9.1 to 9.8 m) deep. A well was constructed to the northeast of the mansion in 1857, but there

3150-737: Is near the mansion. The mansion sits atop Coogan's Bluff , from which Lower Manhattan , the Hudson River including the Palisades , the Bronx , Westchester , the Long Island Sound , and the Harlem River were once visible. The mansion also overlooked the Polo Grounds baseball stadium immediately to the east. The Jumel family, who once occupied the mansion, claimed to be able to see seven counties from

3276-418: Is no evidence of outdoor toilets or privies. The structure was built with a wooden frame, with brick exterior walls to keep out the heat. The brick walls, measuring more than 2 feet (0.61 m) thick, are covered with white wooden siding that has a rusticated appearance. The corners of the house are decorated with vertical quoins , and a wooden belt course runs horizontally across the second floor. All of

3402-514: Is the only remnant of a 130-acre (53 ha) estate that belonged to him and his wife, Mary Philipse Morris. The Morris property covered some distance from Harlem all the way to the Hudson River to the west. The mansion itself was built on one of the highest natural points in Manhattan, though the site sloped slightly upward to the north. A gate to the west, along Jumel Terrace, provides entry to

3528-505: Is the six cents you pay at the ferry. After the Civil War, signs advertising patent medicines and other products covered the rock face in letters 20 feet (6.1 m) high. In the 19th century, the cliffs were heavily quarried for railroad ballast , leading to local efforts to preserve them. Beginning in the 1890s, several unsuccessful efforts were made to turn much of the Highlands into

3654-602: The Federal , Georgian , and Palladian styles, has a raised basement and three above-ground stories. It has a wooden facade with a double-height portico facing south and an octagonal annex in the rear. The interior consists of a kitchen in the basement; a parlor, library, and dining room on the first floor; bedrooms on the upper floors; and wide central hallways. The museum's collection includes furniture, decorations, household items, and personal items belonging to its former occupants. The museum also presents performances and events at

3780-557: The George Washington Bridge , as well as providing a vista of the Manhattan skyline . They sit in the Newark Basin , a rift basin located mostly in New Jersey. Palisade is derived from the same root as the word pole , ultimately from the Latin word palus , meaning stake. A "palisade" is, in general, a defensive fence or wall made up of wooden stakes or tree trunks. The Lenape called

3906-551: The Great Fire of 1776 from the mansion's second-floor balcony. The Continental Army remained in "undisturbed possession of their camps" until about October 18, when the Battle of Pell's Point began. Washington retreated around October 21–22 to flee advancing British troops, and Continental Army colonel Robert Magaw was left to guard the house. On November 16, 1776, during the Battle of Fort Washington , Washington's troops tried to reenter

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4032-646: The New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades , are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States . The cliffs stretch north from Jersey City about 20 miles (32 km) to near Nyack, New York , and are visible at Haverstraw, New York . They rise nearly vertically from near

4158-585: The Palisades Interstate Park Commission , headed by George W. Perkins , which was authorized to acquire land between Fort Lee and Piermont, New York . Its jurisdiction was extended to Stony Point, New York in 1906. In 1908, the State of New York announced plans to move Sing Sing Prison to Bear Mountain . Work was begun in the area near Highland Lake (renamed Hessian Lake) and in January 1909,

4284-592: The Sons of the American Revolution . In 1898, a decade after the nearby Hamilton Grange had been relocated, there were unsuccessful proposals to move Earle Cliff. The 1900 United States census showed that seven members of the Earle household lived in the house. Ferdinand Earle lived in the mansion until his death at the beginning of 1903. As early as 1899, there had been calls for the government of New York City to acquire

4410-486: The 1820s, albeit likely only during the summer. These included the family of Moses Field in 1825 and the Clinton family in 1826. Stephen deeded Eliza the mansion and surrounding land in 1825; sources disagree on whether the move was due to Eliza Jumel's duplicity or whether the move was intended to prevent Stephen's creditors from taking over the mansion. Eliza returned permanently in 1826 with her husband's power of attorney . At

4536-538: The 1970s and 1980s, as the Revolutionary War's bicentennial set off a wave of patriotism and alerted Americans to the destruction of their physical heritage. The tradition of restoring homes of the past and designating them as museums draws on the English custom of preserving ancient buildings and monuments. Initially homes were considered worthy of saving because of their associations with important individuals, usually of

4662-442: The 20th century, the mansion and surrounding area were frequented by buses carrying European and Japanese tourists, prompting complaints from local residents. There were twelve rooms on display at the time. The paint had started to peel off, the roof was leaking, and some decorative elements had begun to deteriorate in the early 2000s. As such, the house was repainted and the windows were replaced in 2002. In 2013, an intern discovered

4788-412: The American Revolution. The portico originally overlooked New York Bay several miles away and spans half of the width of the house. The front door was surrounded by an ornately carved doorway. There are sidelight windows on either side of the doorway, above which is an arch with a semicircular fanlight ; the fanlight was added by the Jumel family. Directly above the main entrance are a French door and

4914-681: The Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Fort Washington , Cornwallis marched his men up the steep Palisades and southward through the Northern Valley. Washington, stationed near Fort Lee, was alerted to the ambush effort by an unknown horseback patriot, remembered only as the Closter Rider, and successfully fled west through Englewood and over the Hackensack River , avoiding capture in what is remembered as Washington's Retreat. The Palisades were

5040-459: The Chase household, but the 1880 census showed twelve members of the Chase household living in the mansion. One contemporary writer said the Jumel Mansion was "doomed to speedy transformation from an elegant country-seat to an elegant suburban portion of the town" because of Manhattan's growing urbanization. At some point in the late 19th century, either right before or not long after Eliza Jumel's death,

5166-548: The Jumel Mansion and convert it to a museum. Supporters of the museum plan included the editor of The Spirit of '76 magazine, the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society , Daughters of the American Revolution , and Sons of the American Revolution. At the time, the house was one of three remaining structures in Manhattan associated with George Washington, the other two being Fraunces Tavern and St. Paul's Chapel . The city's Board of Public Improvements first considered

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5292-548: The Jumel Mansion in 1817. Eliza and her servants were the only occupants of the mansion until Mary Bowen arrived in 1818. The 1820 census shows that seven persons lived in the mansion. Eliza sold some of the more ornate furniture and paintings in the house in April 1821 and then returned to France. During the time that the Jumels stayed in France, the mansion was rented to several people during

5418-425: The Jumel and Earle families' furniture, and landscape the gardens around the house. Other changes included a new wooden floor in the basement; a flower garden on the site of one of the mansion's barns; and an arbor to the east of the house. The mansion hosted events such as Washington's Birthday celebrations even before the renovation was completed. The Morris–Jumel Mansion Museum formally opened on May 29, 1907, after

5544-656: The Jumel household, but the Jumels probably split their time between the uptown mansion and their Lower Manhattan house. The Jumels remodeled the house, adding the Federal style entrance and redecorating the interior in the Empire style . The family reproduced the original wallpaper and bought as much furniture as they could. Stephen Jumel publicly described the renovation as a gift to his wife in an attempt to increase her standing in society. He also bought up several neighboring farms. The family sometimes stayed in their other houses in Lower Manhattan and France. Mary Bowen refused to stay in

5670-517: The Jumel household. A well was excavated on the grounds around 1857. Eliza Jumel was eccentric in her later years. By the 1850s, she was reportedly seen parading around the house on horseback, followed by people dressed up as soldiers. Unscrupulous neighbors took advantage of the woman's eccentricity, "helping themselves to anything they wanted on the neglected farms of the estate", in Shelton's words. The 1860 United States census recorded seven people in

5796-461: The Pell and Monroe families. The carpenter Alvah Knowlton built a new entryway around 1838. Eliza likely did not live in the mansion for much of the 1840s, but she and the Chase family had moved into the mansion again by 1848, five years after Mary Chase died. The 1850 United States census showed nine people in the Jumel household who lived at the mansion, while an 1855 statewide census recorded 14 people in

5922-553: The area may have constructed the mansion. The exterior design was influenced by Palladio , a 16th-century Italian architect, while the interior was described as having a Georgian -style plan. The remodeling by the Jumels c. 1810 was in the Federal style. Twentieth-century news articles described the house as being designed in the Georgian style. While other 18th-century waterfront mansions in New York City were oriented with their rears facing

6048-470: The area until 1921. The Chase family remained at the Jumel Mansion until Nelson Chase and Eliza Jumel Péry sold it in March 1887 to Henry H. Tobey, who resold it to Eban Sutton Jr. Sutton is not known to have lived in the mansion, and there are no definitive indications of who lived in the house immediately after the sale. Elizabeth Le Prince likely moved into the house in 1889–1890 and remained there until 1894, but this cannot be confirmed. Elizabeth's husband,

6174-404: The basement gutters. Historic house museum Historic house museums are sometimes known as a "memory museum", which is a term used to suggest that the museum contains a collection of the traces of memory of the people who once lived there. It is often made up of the inhabitants' belongings and objects – this approach is mostly concerned with authenticity . Some museums are organised around

6300-585: The basement to the first-floor pantry was sealed off, and the Earles renovated the octagonal annex into a studio apartment and removed a dormer window . Lillie Earle, who headed the Washington Heights Society of the Children of the American Revolution , sometimes hosted events at the mansion. These included receptions for children, lawn parties, a commemoration of the Battle of Harlem Heights, and meetings of

6426-489: The cliffs "rocks that look like rows of trees", a phrase that became " Weehawken ", the name of a town in New Jersey that sits at the top of the cliffs across from Midtown Manhattan . The basalt cliffs are the margin of a diabase sill , formed about 200 million years ago, at the close of the Triassic period by the intrusion of molten magma upward into sandstone . The molten material cooled and solidified before reaching

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6552-500: The company ten percent of the house's sale price. The grounds had been downsized to 67,391 square feet (6,260.8 m) and were surrounded by retaining walls on three sides. Roger Morris Park opened to the public on December 28, 1903, and a bronze plaque was added next to the house's main entrance. The Daughters of the American Revolution formed the Washington Headquarters Association (WHA) in March 1904 to operate

6678-406: The cost of the renovation had increased due to both inflation and the need to fix additional issues. The house was deteriorating: the paint on the facade was peeling, and one of the portico's columns collapsed in late 2022. The New York Times described the house in late 2023 as being in such poor condition "that it is possible to touch it and walk away with a moist, splintered clump of wood siding in

6804-412: The description given him by Giovanni da Verrazzano , who suggested they look like a "fence of stakes". During the early stages of the American Revolution, British military commander Lord Cornwallis landed a force of between 2,500 and 5,000 at Huyler's Landing on November 20, 1776. In an effort to ambush American general George Washington and crush the rebellion in the wake of the rebels' defeat in

6930-451: The early filmmaker Louis Le Prince , wished to screen his films publicly at the mansion but disappeared mysteriously in 1890. Numerous pieces of furniture, purported to be from Eliza Jumel's collection, were auctioned off in early 1890, though the family of Nelson Chase claimed that they still owned the Jumel furniture. Sutton sold the mansion to Seth Milliken in May 1894. The Earle family acquired

7056-466: The edge of the river, and are about 300 feet (90 m) high at Weehawken , increasing gradually to 540 feet (160 m) high near their northern terminus. North of Fort Lee , the Palisades are part of Palisades Interstate Park and are a National Natural Landmark . The Palisades are among the most dramatic geologic features in the vicinity of New York City , forming a canyon of the Hudson north of

7182-403: The elite classes, like former presidents, authors, or businessmen. Increasingly, Americans have fought to preserve structures characteristic of a more typical American past that represents the lives of everyday people. Historic house museums usually operate with small staffs and on limited budgets. Many are run entirely by volunteers and often do not meet the professional standards established by

7308-494: The estate was split into fifteen lots, and the mansion and an adjacent coach house were classified as occupying lot number 8. The same year, Mary Morris dropped her claim to the mansion, and John Jacob Astor bought the property from the Morris heirs. Myer was recorded as having rented the property through 1809; the 1800 census indicates that his household had 11 people. A map from 1810 showed only two associated outbuildings (a barn and

7434-438: The facades are covered with planking except for the eastern wall of the main mansion, which is covered with shingles. Originally, the northern wall also used shingles, which were less expensive than the planking. At the bottom of the basement walls is a stone gutter measuring 22 inches (560 mm) wide. The windows are all of slightly differing sizes; one window has a scratch, created when one of Eliza Jumel's grandchildren scraped

7560-558: The family of socialite Eliza Jumel in the 19th century. The New York City government has owned the house since 1903. The house's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks , and the building is a National Historic Landmark and a contributing property to the Jumel Terrace Historic District . Roger Morris developed the house for himself and his wife Mary Philipse Morris, but only lived there until 1775. Continental Army General George Washington used

7686-461: The five major extinction episodes that span geologic time. Franklyn Van Houten completed groundbreaking research on a rock formation known as the Newark Basin . His discovery of a consistent geological pattern in which lake levels rose and fell is now known as the "Van Houten cycle". The Palisades appear on the first European map of the New World, made by Gerardus Mercator in 1541 based on

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7812-404: The gentle waves, and make a music which mimics softly the loud chorus of the ocean. Through this beautiful little wood, a broad well gravelled terrace is led by every point which can exhibit the scenery to advantage; narrower and wilder paths diverge at intervals, some into the deeper shadow of the wood, and some shelving gradually to the pretty coves below. The price of entrance to this little Eden,

7938-415: The historic district. The land lot , which is coextensive with Roger Morris Park, measures 62,000 square feet (5,760 m) with a frontage of 359.25 feet (109.50 m) and a depth of 168.67 feet (51.41 m). The site is bounded by Jumel Terrace to the west, 160th Street to the south, Edgecombe Avenue to the east, and 162nd Street to the north. Extending west of the mansion is Sylvan Terrace , which

8064-447: The home's history within different rooms or sections of the structure. Others choose one particular narrative, usually the one deemed most historically significant, and restore the home to that particular period. There are a number of organizations around the world that dedicate themselves to the preservation, restoration, or promotion of historic house museums. They include: Hudson River Palisades The Palisades , also called

8190-504: The house as early as September 5, 1776, holding it for their commander in chief, George Washington . Washington used the mansion as a headquarters for a month after British troops forced his army to retreat to Upper Manhattan. He entered the house on the night of September 14–15, 1776; the exact date and time of his arrival is unclear. The house was chosen because of its elevated topography, which enabled Washington to see approaching enemy troops. There were claims that Washington may have chosen

8316-523: The house but were beaten back by British troops. The British captured about 3,000 Continental Army soldiers, took nearby Fort Washington , and occupied the house. Captured Continental Army prisoners were tied up in the mansion's barns. The British occupied the house from 1776 until the evacuation of New York in 1783. Documentation of the British troops' time at the house is sparse and is described mainly in two soldiers' journals. Records do not show who occupied

8442-476: The house for a party in 1790. Washington wrote that the mansion had been "confiscated, and in the possession of a common farmer". Ledyard had sold his half of the property before 1791 to Theodore Hopkins and Michael Joy. American real estate operator Anthony L. Bleecker bought the entirety of the Mount Morris estate in 1791 and 1792. He then attempted to sell it, renting the property to a farmer named Jacob Myer in

8568-435: The house in 1934 and hired Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers to carry out the project. Work on the renovation started that September. The project added a stairway to the basement on the east, as well as areaways along the western half of the house. The first-floor kitchen at the northeast corner was removed. In addition, a new garden, pathways, drainage pipes, gutter stones, and patio were built. The basement kitchen

8694-418: The house just after the British captured Fort Washington. Maps from 1777 and 1782 showed that there were four buildings around the mansion's site, which likely included a barn, a coach house, and another house. The mansion became the headquarters of British lieutenant-general Henry Clinton until 1777 and Hessian commander Baron Wilhelm von Knyphausen during 1778. The latter's staff also took up some space in

8820-486: The house was known variously as the Morris Mansion and the Jumel Mansion. Nancy McClelland was hired in 1945 to restore the interiors, with assistance from Hofstatters' Sons and Watson & Collins. The house's exhibits were rearranged so the Morris family's belongings were on the first floor and the Jumel family's belongings were on the second floor. Period furniture and furnishings such as wallpaper were installed through

8946-480: The house's 250th anniversary. The museum had attracted 17,000 visitors that year, less than half of whom were students. Ward obtained $ 1.2 million in funding from the Manhattan borough president's office and other sources, but NYC Parks wanted to raise another $ 1.5 million before beginning renovations. The project was to include renovations of the roof and front balcony, as well as repairs and acquisitions of furniture, which would be partially funded by $ 700,000 earned from

9072-593: The house. The house became a tavern in 1785, a capacity in which it served for about two years. Talmage Hall operated the tavern, which was known as Calumet Hall. The tavern was a popular stop along the Albany Post Road , since it was the first tavern travelers saw after leaving New York City. Contemporary advertisements promoted the fact that the tavern was in the Morrises' old house and the presence of stagecoach service to Upstate New York and New England . One observer

9198-477: The house. Both the museum's exhibits and the house's architecture have received positive commentary, and the mansion has been featured in several media works. The mansion is located at 65 Jumel Terrace in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. The house is in Roger Morris Park, within the boundaries of the Jumel Terrace Historic District , but is landmarked separately from

9324-539: The house. In the late 19th century, the house was visible from several miles away and had views of most locations in Manhattan, despite being readily accessible from the elevated Ninth Avenue Line . This led one 19th-century writer to state that "as a point of observation it is hardly to be excelled". Roger Morris Park , within which the mansion is situated, is a 1.52-acre (0.62 ha) park bounded by Jumel Terrace, Edgecombe Avenue, 160th Street, and 162nd Street. The park, named after British military officer Roger Morris ,

9450-570: The house. Other Hessian and British commanders sporadically occupied the mansion, and a tent camp existed nearby. During 1780, the British used the house as a lookout station, and Hessian major general Von Lossburg also lived there. In 1779, the Colony of New York's Commissioners of Forfeiture passed the Act of Attainder, which confiscated all Loyalists' properties as soon as the British withdrew from New York. The Morrises forfeited their Harlem Heights estate, which

9576-567: The house. The restorations of the dining room and rear parlor were finished in June 1945, and the entire restoration was completed in October. The mansion remained in good condition the following decade and was designated as a national and city landmark in the 1960s. By then, there were persistent rumors that the house was haunted. The museum saw 20,000 annual visitors by the 1970s, after a series of books about Eliza Jumel were published. The museum's curator at

9702-465: The household. The Chase family lived in the mansion until 1862, when they were thrown out after a fight in which Eliza's great-nephew threw an inkstand at the painting of his great-aunt. Eliza and one male servant occupied the house until her death in 1865. During that time, the mansion had few visitors and began to decay. Shelton wrote that Eliza was often seen wearing tattered dresses and entertaining imaginary visitors. Following Eliza's death, her estate

9828-626: The land for two years before selling it to Roger Morris in 1765. Roger Morris, who served as a member of the Executive Council of the Province of New York, had retired from the British Army in 1764. At the time, Roger and Mary Morris lived at Broadway and Stone Street near the site of the present Bowling Green Custom House . Concurrently, the New York Mercury published an advertisement for

9954-514: The late 1830s; the Jumel family and the related Chase family then occupied the house consistently until 1887. After being sold twice more, the house was owned by the Earle family from 1894 to 1903. After the city acquired the mansion, it reopened as a museum on May 29, 1907, and was operated by the Washington Historic Association. The house has undergone renovations in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1980s. The house, designed with elements of

10080-564: The lives of communities in earlier eras, which would then be performed to modern audiences. They often occupied large wooden architecture buildings or outdoor sites and landscapes, that were true to the era, adding to authenticity. Collective memory is sometimes used in the resurrection of historic house museums; however, not all historic house museums use this approach. The notion of collective memory originated from philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs , in "La Memoire Collective" ("On Collective Memory", 1950). This extended thesis examines

10206-534: The mansion as his temporary headquarters for one month in late 1776, during the American Revolutionary War , after which British and Hessian officers occupied the house until 1783. After the British evacuation of New York , the house passed through multiple owners over the next three decades, being used variously as a residence and a tavern. The Jumels bought the house in 1810, living there intermittently until

10332-532: The mansion belonged to the Department of Parks. The Daughters did not contest Pallas's decision, though the WHA was still permitted to operate the museum. The WHA announced in April 1905 that it planned to restore the Morris–Jumel Mansion. The Board of Aldermen provided $ 100,000 in funding. The association planned to restore the original Colonial-style architectural details, unseal the old fireplaces, display some of

10458-409: The mansion by herself because of a belief that the house was haunted by the ghosts of soldiers. The Jumels hosted numerous prominent European and American guests at their mansion. By 1814, Stephen Jumel had offered the mansion and his other properties for sale, but the mansion was not sold. In 1815, Stephen Jumel imported several Egyptian cypress trees from France, which were planted on vacant lots near

10584-522: The mansion had no official name at the time, but the house was not renamed. The historian Reginald Pelham Bolton discovered parts of the mansion's original kitchen the next year. William Henry Shelton, the museum's curator during the 1920s, reported that many visitors came from the West and Midwest (where few or no Revolutionary War–era structures existed) and that the museum was also popular among teachers and Francophones. The Herald Statesman reported that

10710-463: The mansion has been described in The New York Times as one of Manhattan's oldest buildings of any kind. The mansion consists of two sections. The main house is two and a half stories high, including the half-height third story which is treated as an attic. There is a two-story octagonal annex with a drawing room at the rear of the mansion, which may be the first of its kind in the U.S. The annex

10836-419: The mansion in 1894 and renamed it Earle Cliff. The new owners were Ferdinand Pinney Earle, whose mother's family were related to the Morrises, and his wife, Lillie J. Earle. They moved many colonial-style decorations to the cellar, replaced decorative elements, painted the walls, and installed wallpaper throughout various parts of the house. A new kitchen was built at the northeast corner of the house. A stair from

10962-436: The mansion. Stephen died in 1832 after being injured in a carriage accident. Around the time of Stephen's death, Mary married the lawyer Nelson Chase, and Eliza bought additional furniture for the mansion. Eliza was engaged to former U.S. vice president Aaron Burr in 1833; they were married in the house's parlor on July 3 of that year. The marriage, and Burr's stay in the house, was short. Eliza filed for divorce in 1834, which

11088-466: The mansion. The entire estate was completed by 1770. There also were a set of barns, which were located to the north, near what is now 165th Street. The Morrises' two sons and two daughters were born at the house, and four slaves also resided there. The Morrises lived there until 1775, when the American Revolutionary War began. Both Roger and Mary were Loyalists affiliated with the British cause. The historian William Henry Shelton wrote that Mount Morris

11214-517: The mansion. The same year, Stephen and Eliza placed the mansion in trust . The Jumels went to France the same year because they had failed to gain enough social standing. One story alleges that Stephen offered French emperor Napoleon his house in Harlem Heights, but Shelton writes that the Jumels had departed before Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Waterloo , making this unlikely. Eliza, who had become tired of her social life in France, returned to

11340-525: The meantime. In 1793, Bleecker sold the parcel that included the Morris House to William Kenyon. After Roger Morris died in 1794, Mary Morris sued to regain ownership of the mansion, claiming that the Act of Attainder did not apply to the mansion since it belonged to her as part of the Morrises' prenuptial agreement . Kenyon sold the entire parcel to Leonard Parkinson, an Englishman, on August 29, 1799. Parkinson decided to sell and subdivide his estate in 1809;

11466-498: The mid-twentieth century among scholars who were interested in the history of people, as opposed to political and economical issues. Social history remains an influential branch of history. Philip J. Ethington, a professor of history and political science, further adds to social history and its relationship to locations by saying – Following this historical movement, the concept of " open-air museums " became prominent. These particular types of museums had interpreters in costume re-enact

11592-553: The museum industry. An independent survey conducted by Peggy Coats in 1990 revealed that sixty-five percent of historic house museums did not have a full-time staff, and 19 to 27 percent of historic homes employed only one full-time employee. Furthermore, the majority of these museums operated on less than $ 50,000 annually. The survey also revealed a significant disparity in the number of visitors between local house museums and national sites. While museums like Mount Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg were visited by over one million tourists

11718-562: The museum was one of the most popular historical sites in Upper Manhattan. The mansion was repainted and renovated in 1922, when the portico's pillars and the entrance to the eastern portion of the house were rebuilt. In 1924, the Committee for the Restoration of Jumel Mansion approved Charles A. Platt's plans for a renovation of the mansion. The project included a new brick building for heating equipment. The project also included new landscaping and

11844-467: The museum, claiming that they had the rights to operate the museum because their ancestors fought under Washington. Their sister organization, the Sons of the American Revolution, submitted a competing bid to operate the museum but later agreed to provide financial support to the Daughters. The Colonial Dames of America also submitted a bid, claiming that they were more responsible than the Daughters were. Following

11970-403: The narrative of all people who lived there is dangerous. While some plantation museum narratives have changed following an outcry from the public and the academy, "plantation museums reflect, create, and contribute to racialized ways of understanding and organizing the world" by limiting or eliminating the narrative of the enslaved inhabitants. A degree of authenticity is also to be considered in

12096-537: The narrative of non-family members is dismissed, ignored, or completely rejected. Within the Southern United States, plantation museums (the former homes of enslavers) constitute a significant portion of the museum community and contribute to the racialized collective memory of the United States. Because museums are responsible for "the building of identity, cultural memory and community", neglecting to include

12222-509: The nearby forest, which oxen then pulled to the site. Roger Morris described the site as a place where he "might find an eligible retreat for a gentleman fond of rural employments and who wishes to pass the Summer months with pleasure and profit". The house was originally known as Mount Morris but was also referred to as the Roger Morris House. Morris also built a stable and carriage house near

12348-558: The palm of your hand". The Morris–Jumel Mansion is an early example of Palladian architecture in the U.S.; the Toronto Star claimed that the mansion was the first Palladian-style structure in North America. It is not known who designed the mansion, but Morris may have been the architect of his own residence; his uncle had been a successful architect in England. Carpenters and masons from

12474-426: The park. The gate is overshadowed by a saucer magnolia, and a brick path leads from the gate to the mansion's front door, which is lined with additional trees. Due to the steep slope of the site, there is a masonry retaining wall to the east, facing Edgecombe Avenue. There are brick pathways throughout the park. The northeast corner of the park contains a sunken garden, which was designed by Helen Elise Bullard during

12600-498: The person who lived there or the social role the house had. Other historic house museums may be partially or completely reconstructed in order to tell the story of a particular area, social-class or historical period. The " narrative " of the people who lived there guides this approach, and dictates the manner in which it is completed. Another alternative approach, deployed by nonprofit organization House Museum , includes contemporary art integration, where artists are invited to respond to

12726-426: The physical and conceptual history of a site, thus injecting contemporary perspectives and value into historic places. In each kind of museum, visitors learn about the previous inhabitants through an explanation and exploration of social history . The idea of a historic house museum derives from a branch of history called social history that is solely based on people and their way of living. It became very popular in

12852-549: The plan in March 1900 and asked the Manhattan Department of Parks (later the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation , or NYC Parks) that September to map out the Jumel Mansion's site. After initially voting against acquiring the house, the Board of Public Improvements voted in favor of the acquisition in March 1901. The next month, the board approved a proposal to purchase the house for $ 150,000, although

12978-412: The public good and the preservation of American history, especially centered on the first U.S. president, General George Washington. Since the establishment of the country's first historic site in 1850, Washington's Revolutionary headquarters in New York, Americans have found a penchant for preserving similar historical structures. The establishment of historic house museums increased in popularity through

13104-527: The renovation was completed. Kady Brownell, an American Civil War veteran, was the museum's first custodian. In the first few years of the museum's operation, the WHA hosted two events at the house annually; by the early 1910s, the museum attracted over 30,000 visitors per year. The Morris–Jumel Mansion was one of the only remaining mansions in Washington Heights at the time, as most of the area's other large country homes were being demolished. The mansion

13230-405: The restoration and creation of a historic house museum. The space must be authentic in terms of truly replicating and representing the way it once stood in its original form and appear to be untouched and left in time. There are three steps when declaring if a space is authentic: The earliest projects for preserving historic homes began in the 1850s under the direction of individuals concerned with

13356-520: The river, the Morris–Jumel Mansion is oriented north–south, roughly parallel to the Harlem River. It predates the street grid, which was established by the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 . The Morris–Jumel Mansion is the oldest surviving house in Manhattan. Because there is a caretaker's apartment in the house, it is also Manhattan's oldest building that is still technically in residential use. Additionally,

13482-533: The role of people and place, and how collective memory is not only associated with the individual but is a shared experience. It also focused on the way individual memory is influenced by social structures, as a way of continuing socialisation by producing memory as collective experience. An example of a site that utilizes collective memory is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan. It was restored and

13608-471: The sale of the 1775 manuscript. The museum's popularity increased after the Broadway musical Hamilton opened in 2015; Ward estimated that, in 2016, the museum may have seen a 75 percent increase in visitors because of the musical. Eliza Jumel's bedroom and the parlor were restored in the early 2020s. The Historic House Trust announced in November 2021 that it had secured $ 2.7 million for a renovation. By then,

13734-478: The sale was not finalized at that time. The New York City Board of Aldermen passed legislation in December 1901 to convert the mansion and surrounding grounds into a public park. Seth M. Milliken moved to foreclose on a $ 30,000 mortgage on the house in May 1902, and a lis pendens was filed against the mansion early the next year as part of the foreclosure proceedings. The Daughters of the American Revolution formed

13860-404: The site because of a previous romantic attraction to Mary Morris, but these rumors were unfounded. Washington stayed at the mansion for a month with his military secretary and several aides, strategizing for the Battle of Harlem Heights while headquartered there. About 8,000 troops stayed in nearby camps, while some troops set up wooden huts along modern-day Sylvan Terrace. He reportedly observed

13986-564: The site of 18 documented duels and probably many unrecorded ones in the years 1798–1845. The most famous is the Burr–Hamilton duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr , which took place in a spot known as the Heights of Weehawken on July 11, 1804. An English visitor, Fanny Trollope , in her 1832 book Domestic Manners of the Americans , wrote of a park established at the Palisades by

14112-432: The state another 10,000 acres (40 km ) and one million dollars toward the creation of a state park. George Walbridge Perkins , who served as president of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission from its creation in 1900 until his death in 1920, with whom she had been working, raised another $ 1.5 million from a dozen wealthy contributors including John D. Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan . New York State appropriated

14238-532: The state purchased the 740-acre (3.0 km ) Bear Mountain tract. Conservationists, inspired by the work of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission , lobbied successfully for the creation of the Highlands of the Hudson Forest Preserve. However, the prison project was continued. Mary Williamson Averell , whose husband, Union Pacific Railroad president E. H. Harriman died in September of that year, offered

14364-475: The surface. Water erosion of the softer sandstone left behind the columnar structure of harder rock that exists today. The cliffs are about 300 ft (100 m) thick in sections and originally may have reached 1,000 ft (300 m). The end-Triassic extinction event that coincided with the formation of the Hudson Palisades, Central Atlantic magmatic province , 200 million years ago ranks second in severity of

14490-439: The time, Mrs. LeRoy Campbell, said most visitors came to the mansion because of their interest in Jumel's life. Among the visitors were British queen Elizabeth II , who toured the house in 1976 to celebrate the United States' bicentennial. By the early 1980s, nine of the house's rooms were open to the public. A board of trustees was raising money for the restoration of the house, which had again become dilapidated. The house received

14616-415: The time, Stephen wanted to sell off all of his American properties and had no intention of going back to the U.S., but he ultimately returned in mid-1828. The same year, ownership of the mansion was transferred to Mary. Records indicate that an ice house was built next to the mansion after the Jumels returned from France. The 1830 United States census recorded eleven people in the Jumel household who lived in

14742-612: Was advertised for sale in the New York Gazette and Weekly Mercury in 1783. Following its confiscation, Mount Morris was occupied by several different tenants. The house was recorded as having been sold in July 1784 to John Berrian and Isaac Ledyard for 2,250 New York pounds. Josiah Collins Pumpelly and the St. Louis Post Dispatch stated that Ledyard lived in the house for at least a year, but Arnold Pickman wrote that neither Berrian nor Ledyard lived in

14868-451: Was anxious to become part of New York City's elite. According to Shelton, members of the public may have become interested in the mansion's history because of Eliza's lifestyle, which Shelton called "a leaf out of the book of the fairies". The Washington Post wrote that the house was "the social center of colonial New York" for a half-century after the Jumels bought the house. The 1810 United States census shows that seven people lived in

14994-430: Was granted in 1836, shortly before Burr's death. Burr left the mansion for seven months after Eliza filed for divorce, then returned for another five weeks. Following Burr's death, Eliza was ostracized from high society, and she stayed in the mansion from time to time. She reportedly lived in the mansion until 1834, then rented residences elsewhere for five years. During the late 1830s, the mansion may have been occupied by

15120-414: Was held that June. An unidentified purchaser bought the mansion and 30 neighboring lots for $ 40,000, but the sale was delayed after protests from several people alleging to be Stephen Jumel's heirs. Nelson Chase ultimately retained the mansion, although the estate was subdivided. He built a new barn around 1885; the barn was likely demolished before 1909. The family did not finish selling off their property in

15246-448: Was involved in a series of lawsuits revolving around her will. The Chase family lived in the house for about two decades after Eliza died. By 1868, the mansion was occupied by Nelson Chase, the family of Nelson's son William Inglis Chase, and the family of Nelson's daughter Eliza Jumel Péry. The three branches of the families lived in different parts of the mansion and ate dinner at different times. The 1870 United States census did not list

15372-483: Was now well within the borders of New York City, easily accessible via the subway and the Amsterdam Avenue streetcar . A Colonial-style gateway, similar in design to the house's original gateway, was installed at the mansion in 1913 at a cost of $ 20,000. The following year, parts of the third floor opened as exhibit space. The WHA petitioned the Board of Aldermen to name the house Washington's Headquarters in 1915, as

15498-530: Was originally the mansion's carriage driveway. The house is surrounded by residential buildings, such as the 555 Edgecombe Avenue apartment building (formerly the Roger Morris Apartments) to the south. There are numerous row houses on the surrounding blocks, which include some of Manhattan's last remaining wood-frame houses. The 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue station of the New York City Subway

15624-528: Was quoted in the New York Times as saying that the mansion was suitable for both temporary and permanent visitors and characterized the house's octagonal parlor room as being "very happily calculated for a turtle party". Hall had been forced to sell the tavern by June 1788. A farmer, John Bogardus, is recorded as having rented the mansion in 1789 and 1790. After becoming U.S. President, George Washington, several Founding Fathers , and their families returned to

15750-413: Was restored to its 18th-century appearance, and an exhibit with colonial children's objects was added. The Daughters of the American Revolution also refurbished four rooms; each of the Daughters's four chapters was responsible for a different room. The house reopened in October 1936 and recorded 800 visitors within one month. The WHA dedicated a new flag outside the mansion in 1939. In the mid-20th century,

15876-553: Was vulnerable to arson attacks from Patriots —who sought American independence—since Roger was a member of New York's legislative council. In an attempt to protect his property, Roger went to England at the start of the war. The rest of the family stayed at the house in mid-1775 and possibly early 1776, but they had fled by mid-1776, likely to the Philipse estate in Yonkers . Continental Army general William Heath and his officers occupied

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