Morris-Jumel Mansion

The Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest residence, has witnessed the evolution of northern Manhattan from rural countryside to a dynamic multicultural community. Through historic site tours, education programs, and a lively schedule of events, the museum interprets the mansion in the context of domestic life in New York City from 1765 until 1865.

Built in 1765 as a summer home for a retired officer of the British Army who served in the French and Indian War, Colonel Morris and family left the home during the Revolutionary War. George Washington used the home as his Headquarters during September and October 1776, at which time the Battle of Harlem Heights was fought and won. It was subsequently a tavern and reverted back to a family home in 1810 when it was purchased by the wealthy Franco-American couple, Stephen and Eliza Jumel. Eliza Jumel grew up in poverty and rose to become one of the wealthiest women in America with a life worthy of a soap opera. After her first husband passed away in a dramatic accident, she married the notorious Aaron Burr, only to divorce him a year later. She passed away in the house in 1865 at the age of 90. The home became a museum in 1907, under the operation of the Colonial Dames of America. Since 1975 the Mansion has been operated by a non-profit which is happy to preserve, interpret, and entertain in Manhattan's oldest home.

There's always something new at Manhattan's oldest house!