The Ford Mansion
Posted by: 
briansnat
N 40° 47.746 W 074° 27.978
18T E 545023 N 4516222
Built in 1774, the Ford Mansion was George Washington's headquarters during the winter of 1779-1780.
Waymark Code: WM3589
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 02/11/2008
Views: 64
On December 1st, 1779 Gen. George Washington and his staff moved into the mansion of his old friend, Col. Jacob Ford. Col. Ford had passed away in 1777, but his wife Theodosia welcomed Washington, despite the fact that she, her servants and 4 children had to confine their selves to 2 rooms while Washington, Martha and his staff took over the rest of the grand house.
Washington spent the entire winter at the mansion while his troops camped about 5 miles away at Jockey Hollow. The winter of 1779-1780 was the coldest and snowiest of the century, food was scarce and the troops spend a miserable winter at Jockey Hollow while Washington and his staff lived in relative luxury.
In 1873 the mansion was put up for auction and the assumption was that it would be purchased and demolished. It was saved by 4 like minded men who met at the auction, pooled their money and saved the mansion for posterity. It was turned over the the National Park Service on July 4th 1933.
Today the Ford Mansion is one of the most popular tourist attractions in northern NJ. The NPS built a museum on the property which houses an extensive collection of over 329,069 artifacts related to George Washington and the Revolutionary War period.
Washington's uniform, sword and letters, as well as original furnishings from the Ford mansion are part of the extensive collection. The museum has been undergoing renovations and expansion so more of the artifacts can be displayed. The new section is slated to open this spring.
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