Posted by & filed under Object of the Week.

While serving his second term as Governor of New York, John Jay was simultaneously preparing his farm at Bedford for his approaching retirement. Jay’s farm manager, Samuel Lyon, was overseeing the expansion of Bedford House for the Jay family, and the construction of the Brick Cottage for his own. This July 1799 letter addresses several aspects of the elaborate project. Learn more about John Jay’s Bedford House and how it embodies his personality and political views on our Thematic Tour – Homes of the Founding Fathers – offered at 2pm, Wednesday through Saturday, throughout the month of May. Click HERE to read a transcription of the letter.