Morris-Jumel Mansion

Really cute place. Saw it on Ghost Adventures and it does felt like stepping back in time in the park. The house inside is old and beautiful and I learned a lot from the signs. Would be five stars except I had a lot of questions and there was no one around after I paid, and I got locked in the museum and it took awhile to get out.

I had no idea this mansion existed until I googled «Oldest Homes in NYC.» So, of course I had to go. This mansion is 250 years old and the oldest in Manhattan! It was built by a Brit, Colonel Roger Morris, who, along with his wife lived there up until they were deported back to England (because hello, they were Torries). In 1776, George Washington and his men lived there for a brief spell and used it as a command post during the Battle of Harlem Heights. Fast forward, post Revolutionary War, to another owner/​occupant of the home: Stephen Jumel and his wife Eliza. Interesting fact (well, to me), after Stephen died, Eliza married Aaron Burr (yes, him!)…and when she divorced Aaron, do you know who her attorney was? Alexander Hamilton’s son, Alexander Hamilton Jr.!! Take that, Aaron Burr! I won’t divulge the entire history of the home because I think that people need to see this home for themselves to truly enjoy it. The tour is self-​guided and a small donation. The docent that we met was very nice and informative and answered all of our questions.
The home does need some repairs but is still in great condition for as old as it is. It’s a neat home with creaky, wide plank wooden floors and some original pieces of furniture. When we visited, there was a wallpaper exhibit, which I thought was pretty cool. As we were wandering around, I kept thinking, ‘Where’s the kitchen?’ I then realized that it’s out of site and in the basement. So, we popped down there to see it. There are some artifacts on display there as well. Check the website for current and future exhibits.
After the tour, my nerd field trip companion and I both agreed that we’d like to come back when the gardens are in bloom. It’s so quiet up there… I love it.

This place is such a historical landmark. It was once George Washington’s battle headquarters, belonged to Aaron Burr, and Eliza Jumel — the main maiden of the house presumably still haunts it! But don’t let that discourage you. This is a great place to explore, with some really interesting exhibits and activities going on. The staff is super friendly and really educated — you can tell they really love history and the building itself. Without a doubt check this place out.

Another neat museum/​exhibit in NY.
This was George Washington’s home when NY was the capital of the US for awhile.
The rooms are set up for viewing. Parlors, bedrooms and his war room.
The home is set on 130 acres. Gardens also.
This spot is about 11 miles from the city, but worth the trip.

I have never done the inside tour but I do live nearby so I come here to walk my dog sometimes or just Relax in the garden. It really opens up in the back. It’s very relaxing and beautiful. If it’s anything like the other old timey houses in the Washington heights and inwood area, im sure the interior would not be a disappointment either.

I came here for one of he events on the premises. I meet a women who organized a jazz in the park event on Sunday’s. She’s one of the «known» women in the community who ensures a positive outcome each day at the mansion! It was Ana amazing huge production! I volunteered to help with setup and make sure everyone was happy! Check it out!

I really enjoyed my trip to the Morris-​Jumel Mansion. As the oldest surviving house in NYC, it’s been swallowed up by progress and the hustle and bustle of a major city but still manages to seem peaceful and makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
When you approach the house there is something sad and forlorn about it. A sense that someone spent a lot of time looking out of the upstairs window waiting for someone to come.
I was a little disappointed that you can’t actually enter the rooms but with all the period furniture in them I can understand why. Bonus points for being an actively haunted location. I was peering into Eliza Jumel’s bedroom and a woman whispered next to me so loudly that I jumped. I do a lot of ITC work and paranormal research so not much makes me jump but that did! Very cool! I also captured someone confessing to a murder when I sat outside in the sunken garden. I used Echovox software on my phone and heard «There was a murder… poisoned. to death.» and then later a very remorseful «I killed him». Pretty amazing.
Only thing I did not care for was the modern art in the house. Just not my style. It reminded me of Kensington Palace in London where there’s not really much to see so they make up for it by having art installments in all the rooms. The headless figure in Eliza Jumel’s room was just wrong.

Excellent tour with extremely knowledgable guide — she had actually written a book about Eliza, the owner of the house during the early 1800’s. Beautiful and well preserved rooms. Tour lasted about an hour and you have to sign up in advance. Not terribly big –seven or eight rooms that you can look into.

Came here for Open House New York and the tour guide was very informative. It’s a great house with beautiful furnishings, although a little bit worse for wear from the years. Many of the furnishings are original, so it’s good to imagine Aaron Burr and Madam Jumel sitting around in the furniture back in the day. However, they have taken to installing modern art in the rooms, maybe as a 2^nd source of income, which sometimes detracts from the presentations of the rooms. Some of the plaques are also a bit outdated and not as helpful or informative, so it’s good that I was on a tour.
Overall, I would say that it’s good that this is only $ 5 for admission, because it’s well worth that price only.

Obviously well cared for, there is a definite feeling of attention being paid to make this place attractive to visitors — except — AWFUL contemporary «art» is currently installed IN THE ROOMS themselves, ugly and with tedious, pretentious «arty» text about «deconstructing blah blah etc…» Please, curators, we’ve come to see the Mansion — and it is a huge schlep for some of us. The mistake here is that you can’t make a historic beautiful home into a contemporary art installation unless people know that is what they are going to get. The work is truly awful, and I wasn’t the only person who noticed and remarked upon it.

The tour was short but interesting. Cheap, not a huge place, but nice. What made this tour really amazing was the attitudes of the tour guide and the lady manager of the property. It was like you were visiting someone’s home and they treated us so well and were so incredibly funny and easy to talk to. The employees were so hilarious to watch as they bantered, and they would banter with the people on the tour. Extremely sweet, nice, entertaining people and worth talking to, kinda like watching a tv show in front of you.

I did workshops here as a child, volunteered in the garden as an adult and enjoyed free wine, food and cake at events all year round.
An interesting and dedicated group of people manage the place which seems to be getting better every year since its downturn about 10 years back.
I’m glad to see the place being spruced up again.
It’s an amazing place for laying in the grass, smelling the huge variety of sweet roses or other herbs in the culinary/​medicinal garden, or just letting your pups run around.
And recently some great expos, including a rather raunchy lingerie exhibit about the loves of Aaron Burr. :)
Highly recommended, it’s a real gem in the neighborhood and a great stop if you plan on coming uptown for the cloisters anyway!
BTW, they have a book exchange and entrance fee is soo affordable.

If you are even remotely a history buff, this place is a must see. The house itself and the history behind it is soooo worth the long subway ride uptown. The grounds are lovely and a nice spot to relax before or after your visit. As others have mentioned there is a tour at noon every Saturday. Our tour guide didn’t show up but it was fine self-​guided with a good amount of in
The deducted star is just for the lady that works there. Just supremely unhelpful and brusque.

This mansion will be a perfect place for a horror movie based on the condition and the history revolving it.
From the outside, it looks grand but it has that cold eerie aura, from the peeling white paint of the walls, the messiness of the lawn or maybe because it was chilly on that day. The house just standing alone on top of the hill, looking very lonely.
The house has the smell of the old house (the oldest house in Manhattan), it was self guided tour though the staff did tell us a fast version of the house history, admission is $ 5/​person. When we were there, there was only 3 visitors including us.
The interior on the first and second were beautiful and well kept. Ms. Jumel certainly had a fondness with blue turquoise color. The kitchen downstairs are in messy condition, it’s like the museum curator can’t decide whether it is a display or a storage room.
We thought the information a bit scarce and bland, considering this house actually has interesting stories you can make a film out of it.
Find out the story of this mansion before you come to this place, especially the life of Eliza Jumel…

Came for a wine tasting. Place was AWESOME!!! It was at night and snow was on the ground so you couldn’t really get the full effect. Gotta come back in the summa time. Cobble stone lined street was dope too.

It’s colonial NYC. It survived the Revolution. Enough said!
Check out the following website for many great colonial places in NYC

The Morris-​Jumel mansion is an impressive structure that preserves the memory of several important personalities, all linked by a common site.
George Washington and Aaron Burr are by far the two most well known names but equally important characters in this area’s saga include Mary Philipse (of the powerful Philipse family, a name you’ll find attached to other historic sites in Westchester Co.), Roger Morris (hey, that explains the first part of the mansion’s name), Eliza Bowen (quite the character) and Stephen Jumel (French wine merchant from Santo Domingo and post-​hyphen namesake)
Washington slept here. He slept at a lot of places across the country but he was here twice. During the Revolutionary War, plans for the Battle of Harlem Heights were hatched here. A few years later now President Washington returned with his cabinet (and future presidents) for a visit.
I’m a huge history enthusiast and truly admire Morris-Jumel’s milieu, story and preservation. With that said, I was slightly disappointed by the experience. The person working during the afternoon didn’t notice our arrival and only when we walked into the gift shop did she tell us about the handout with background information and collect our $ 5. Our entry was basically unnoticed and that’s usually not the case at historic homes where someone will greet you.
I also think that the exhibits excluded some very interesting details of Madame Jumel’s life, mainly her being born to a prostitute, working as a prostitute herself, attempts at buying her way into NYC society, the marriage of convenience to Aaron Burr (he was in need of money, she in need of social status) and her tendency to fabricate her origins, claiming to be born on the high seas.
That’s intriguing, juicy, dare I say scandalous stuff that I didn’t pick up on at all from my visit. I’m not sure if it’s too racy for school children and other guests. Perhaps it’s mentioned during the 12pm tour on Saturdays that we didn’t make.
So by all means visit Morris-​Jumel, soak up the history and maybe, just maybe, you’ll encounter Eliza Jumel’s ghost. (Or Aaron Burr, if you’re lucky).

The oldest house in Manhattan, and a need to visit for any local antiquarian. H.P. Lovecraft wrote of his visit in the early ‘20s, and I went Saturday with my wife to see the sights, site, and imagine the difference over the span of time. Barbara, the caretaker, is a dear, indeed. And while you can do a self-​guided tour, I’d go on Saturday at noon to take advantage of the docent and his guided tour, which, he tells me, is excellent.
Spend some time walking the grounds, sit on a bench along the edge of the property, and be sure to check out the row of clapboard houses nearby. And ask Barb about the ghosts that people see from the Triple Nickel next door — especially the man in the white feather coat.
A wonderful place.

I grew up a few short blocks from Morris-​Jumel Mansion. What is also a few short blocks away? A prison.
Having lived in such a close proximity, I have come here a few times and can say, honestly and without a doubt that people were much shorter when this house was built. The doorways make me feel like a giant!

I love this mansion. I love Barb the caretaker and always take out of town visitors to meet her and see the amazing house and grounds. The neighborhood is in the process of restoring the gardens which provide Harlem’s best picnic grounds north of the park.
Ask Barb about the elderly «homeless» woman who she met on the park’s bench in the eighties.
You can also feel superior to the idiotic life-​time New Yorkers who’ve never heard of this place. Oh, well.