John Jay’s Bedford House is open for tours Thursday through Saturday at 1, 2, and 3pm. Tickets are sold out of the Glass Porch in the Main House.
The 1pm and 3pm tours are the standard house tour.
The 2pm tour is our daily thematic tour. Please check the calendar for details.
The Carriage Barn Education & Visitor Center and Discovery Centers are closed for the season.
Scholars Lecture – The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote
- February 21, 20196:30 pm–8:30 pm
Thursday, February 21. Elaine Weiss, The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote. Weiss tells the gripping story of the climax of the fight to ratify the 19th Amendment, replete with heroism, skullduggery, and suspense, coordination and conflict with other reform movements, and leadership by individuals famous and less than famous. The book has been optioned by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, to become a movie or limited series. Weiss is also the author of Fruits of Victory: The Woman’s Land Army of America in the Great War.
All lectures take place in the Iselin Wing at John Jay Homestead. Registration and refreshments begin at 6:30 pm. Lectures begin at 7:00 pm.
$25; $20 for members. Limited free seating is available for students.
- February 21, 20196:30 pm–8:30 pm
Scholars Lecture – No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at the Nation’s Founding
- March 14, 20196:30 pm–8:30 pm
Thursday, March 14. Sean Wilentz, No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at the Nation’s Founding. Rather than presenting the Constitution as a cynical political bargain enshrining slavery in the new nation, Wilentz argues that it actually restricted slavery’s legitimacy, and kept alive the eventual possibility of antislavery politics at the national level. Wilentz is the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton, author of seven other books and co-author or editor of many more, and the winner of multiple prizes and awards, including the Bancroft and Pulitzer (finalist). He is also historian-in-residence at Bob Dylan’s official website.
All lectures take place in the Iselin Wing at John Jay Homestead. Registration and refreshments begin at 6:30 pm. Lectures begin at 7:00 pm.
$25; $20 for members. Limited free seating is available for students.
- March 14, 20196:30 pm–8:30 pm
Stephen and Harriet Myers, former slaves themselves, ran the Underground Railroad office in Albany, NY, and worked directly with John Jay II in their efforts to bring runaway slaves to freedom. We have three letters from 1860 in our collection from the Myerss that speak to Jay’s relationship with the couple and dedication to their cause. A January note from Stephen, handwritten on a publication of the Albany Anti-Slavery’s office reads, “you hav my thanks for the many past favours you hav rendered me and the Bonds men in his flight to Canada.” An August letter from Harriet brought news of the successful fate of the “two fugitives arrived here that you sent…they had some mony they said that you gave them…” Finally, following a general update, a December letter from Stephen notes in the postscript that he named his grandson after John Jay II’s father, William Jay as “I desire to have one colored childe bear that name.” The complete December letter may be seen HERE, the January note may be seen HERE, and the note from Harriet may be seen HERE. To see transcriptions of these three letters, click HERE, HERE, and HERE.
We are excited to announce that beginning August 1st our 2pm tour will always be a thematic tour. On Wednesday through Saturday (Thursday through Saturday beginning October 15th) we will be exploring historical topics relevant to John Jay, his family, and Jay’s relationships with other Founders. On Sundays through October 15th the thematic tour will…
Read MorePassengers on board Metro-North and Amtrak trains from New York City to Albany can now learn more about John Jay Homestead on their smartphones using the new Hudson River Train Tour App, developed by the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, in partnership with the National Park Service. The app gives rail travelers several tools…
Read MoreAn article, written by the talented Joyce Corrigan about Sarah Livingston Jay, appeared in the February 23, 2018 issue of the Record Review. A special house tour focused on the Jay women is available by appointment. Sarah, Nancy, Eleanor and the rest! Six generations of strong, educated women lived at John Jay’s Bedford House. Their…
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