Washington's Headquarters Museum — Attraction in Morristown

Washington's headquarters museum and the Ford Mansion are part of 4 separate sites that make up the Morristown National Historical Park. In fact, these areas were the first 'national historical park', established in 1933.

The museum is small, with 3 rooms of artifacts. We learned that General Washington was a sword collector, and the museum displays the sword he was wearing when he was inaugurated as the first POTUS. There are also historical items like furniture, clothing, games, and pamphlets from the late 18th century. Pamphlets were apparently like blogging back in the day.

It's a pretty building, built in the 1930s by the same architect as the Jefferson Memorial in DC. Washington's home in Mount Vernon was used as inspiration.

The entry fee is $7 per adult, kids under 15 yrs are free. Tickets are good for one week. The entry fee includes a guided tour of the Ford Mansion, which is the only way to see the house where Washington and his aides resided for the harsh winter of 1780. The guided tour is a must!

The Ford Mansion (not from the same family as Ford Motors) was the largest house in the area at that time. The family who lived there had to move into a small area of the house to host General Washington and his staff for the winter.

There are a few original pieces of furniture, and the park service has furnished the rest with period-appropriate pieces. There are two floors to tour in the mansion. Luckily, it was air-conditioned. The only part of the house missing was the temporary extension added by Washington's men, where his aides de camp lived and worked.

We had a park ranger named Thomas Sobol on the 30-min tour, and he was very knowledgeable about the sites, and the war history in general.

Highly...

Washington’s Headquarters Museum located in Morristown National Historical Park is an excellent museum. The museum has interactive displays and engaging displays. Before viewing the museum be sure to watch the movie about the Continental Army’s difficult winter at Morristown. Artifacts from the Colonial Era and Revolutionary War are prominently displayed in the museum. Among some of the best are military wares, a surgeon’s kit, rare manuscripts, a harpsichord, the chain from West Point, furniture, silverware, plates, a recreated soldier’s hut, and George Washington’s Presidential inaugural sword. It is easy to spend an hour to two hours here depending on interest level.Tickets for the nearby Ford Mansion are also distributed here.The museum staff is friendly and helpful. If you plan on seeing all of the historical park this is the best place to start. Best of all this is...

A small but packed museum about Washington’s battles in New Jersey, especially the hard winter of 1780. A relatively small but sturdy facility set on a modest park lot, with ample artifacts and information about the war’s New Jersey sites and the Morristown encampment in particular. The Peale portrait and other paintings of Washington are central gems and quite intimate (sort of scary there was only one staff member and no security!). The orientation video room is helpful. The rare book and pamphlet room is worth a peek. Good walking nearby (statue across the street, cannon down the road). Lovely neighborhood to stroll on a nice day. It’s a shame 287 sliced off the area - one is struck by how little room there is of the original Jockey Hallow. Looking forward to the completion of the Ford mansion...