Ford Mansion — Attraction in Morristown

This is a very wonderful museum, with the Ford Mansion, Washington's Headquarters during the winter of 1779-1780, and a separate building housing the Washington Society collections and other artifacts. I have visited this place many times since the Bicentennial 1976, if not sooner.

Among the exhibitions here, I have seen amazing collections of Revolutionary War firearms, powder horns with scrimshaw, and Revolutionary War period pamphlets, many of which I had read from pdf printouts: a highlight for me was Richard Price, Welsh economist whom Jefferson read while composing the Declaration, and whose language was incorporated into the Declaration. It was a very extensive collection, Josiah Quincy's 1774 tract on the Boston Port Bill, and Granville-Sharp's A Declaration of the People's Natural Right to a Share in the Legislature. (These should be familiar to anyone concerned with government and our Revolution).

In the 1990s, while researching the Battle of Princeton, the staff was very helpful in allowing me to examine the paperwork concerning the Light Six-Pounder Battalion Gun in their collection, captured from the British at Princeton. This piece was displayed for a time in a replica traveling carriage, then behind plexiglass during renovations.

The Ford Mansion is in excellent condition, furnished for the period, and the guides are...

This large Georgian style home was built in the early 1770's for Jacob Ford, Jr., an iron manufacturer, and his family. Mr. Ford also served as a colonel in the Morris County Militia during the Revolutionary War. Ford died in January 1777 while 35 soldiers from Delaware were briefly quartered in the house. In December 1779, Mr. Ford's widow, Theodosia, allowed General Washington to use her home as his headquarters during the winter of 1779-1780. While Mrs. Ford and her four children moved into two rooms of the house, General Washington, his wife Martha, five aides-de-camp, eighteen servants, a number of visiting dignitaries and sometimes guards took over the rest of the house. After Washington's six month stay, the Ford family continued to live in the house until the 1870's when it was sold at auction. Four prominent New Jersey men bought the house and created the Washington Association of New Jersey in order to preserve the house and display it to the public. This house is one of the earliest house museums in the United States. The Washington Association donated the house and their extensive collections to the National Park Service in 1933. Today the house is furnished to reflect how it might have appeared during Washington's stay. The house is shown only by guided tours which begin in the...

The Ford Mansion is one of the earliest house museums in the US and is located in Morristown National Historical Park. The Georgian style house was built by Jacob Ford, who died as a member of the Continental Army in 1777. During the winter of 1779-80 George Washington used the home as his headquarters. Many other prominent members of the army such as Alexander Hamilton also stayed in the house. While the Continental Army occupied the house the Ford family stayed upstairs. To see the mansion you have to go get tickets at the Washington’s Headquarters Museum. Tour times are posted on the park’s webpage. Tickets are given out on a first come and first serve basis. Tickets are free. The guided tour of the house was excellent. The guide gave a history of the house and each of the room’s. The house is decorated as to what it might’ve looked like when Washington lived in it. The guide also added much detail about what the house would’ve been like with so many soldiers present. As with many houses from this time period, it is really unique to see the architecture of the time. In some rooms the ceilings and floors are slightly slanted. The tour for the house is about an hour long and extremely interesting. When visiting the park make sure to see this...