Thursday, August 21, 2014

Morris-Jumel Mansion

I thought a fun way to spend some time would be to visit the oldest house in Manhattan.


The Morris-Jumel Mansion was built in 1765 by a British colonel. The home was confiscated during the Revolutionary War, and George Washington used it as a crash pad.
In 1790, he threw a dinner party, where he entertained Thomas Jefferson and others in the Octagon Room.


This was Washington’s bedroom and study.


The home was later sold to a French wine importer named Stephen Jumel. After his death, his ex married Alexander Hamilton’s murderer, Aaron Burr.
This is one of the Madame’s bedrooms.


After the wonderful visit inside, and a stroll though the property's garden, I walked up High Bridge Park to see, both, the park's namesake, which is the 2nd oldest pedestrian bridge in Manhattan (first built in 1860, and finished in 1883), and the High Bridge Water Tower, which was built in 1872.