Washington's Headquarters Museum

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 recommended!