Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

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Washington’s Headquarters Main Page

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TOUR TIMES

The Ford Mansion at Morristown National Historical Park is where General George Washington stayed during the Continental Army’s encampment at Morristown in the winter of 1779-80. Entrance into the mansion is by guided tour only. Tours last 45 minutes and are typically held Thursdays through Sundays at 11 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM, and 3 PM. Keep in mind that these times may change based on the season, so be sure to check the National Park Service’s official Touring the Ford Mansion web page for the latest schedule before heading to the park.

Guide gives a tour of the Ford Mansion at Morristown National Historical Park

TICKETS

Free tickets for a tour of the Ford Mansion are obtained at the Washington’s Headquarters Museum, which is located a short walk from the mansion. While free, you still need a ticket to join a tour.

There is a limit of 10 people per tour, and you can only get tickets for the next tour that has available tickets. For example, you can’t arrive first thing in the morning and ask for tickets to the 3 PM tour unless all tickets for tours prior to 3 PM have already been taken. The exception is if you have more people in your group than there are tickets remaining for the next tour, in which case you can get tickets for the tour after that.

I visited the park in late June and took two tours, one on a Sunday and one during the week. On Sunday I showed up about ten minutes before the 11 AM tour and had no problem getting a ticket—there were ten people in my group. However, tickets get harder to come by as the day wears on. Also, the busiest day is Saturday, and most tours sell out. During the week I had no problem getting a ticket.

MANSION HISTORY

The Ford Mansion was built by industrialist Jacob Ford between 1772 and 1774. A colonel in the Morris County Militia, Ford died in 1777 of pneumonia that he caught while on duty, so by the time the winter of 1779 rolled around, the house was owned by his widow, Theodosia. She allowed George and Martha Washington to stay at the house during the Continental Army’s winter encampment at Morristown from December 1779 until early June 1780. In addition to her four children, her six servants, and the Washingtons, the house was occupied by five of Washington’s aides (one was Alexander Hamilton) and eighteen of his servants (slaves included), not to mention visitors with their own staffs of servants who stayed for short durations throughout the winter. At times there were as many as one hundred people in the house, with up to 80 percent of them being servants.

High ranking officers, and not just George Washington, stayed in Morristown at private residences. At such homes they enjoyed a warm fire and quality food and drink. In the meantime, just five miles away at Jockey Hollow, lower ranking officers and enlisted men had to endure bitter cold and near starvation. Over one hundred men died from various causes by the time spring arrived.

After the war, the Ford Family descendants lived in the house until selling it in 1870 to four men who converted it into a museum. Business went well until the Great Depression hit in 1929. When the men could no longer pay the bills, they donated the property to the National Park Service. In 1933, Morristown National Historical Park was created. It was the first Historical Park in the National Park system.

HOUSE TOUR

A tour of the Ford Mansion begins in the Washington’s Headquarters Museum. After a brief introduction, the guide will take visitors to the mansion. There are two floors in the house, and there is no elevator. Those in wheelchairs and those who have trouble climbing stairs will not be able to attend (the museum, however, is handicap accessible).

I went on the mansion tour twice because the first time around I forgot to load my camera with a working battery. I had two different guides, so I can say that the topics discussed depend on the guide. The first was a lady who focused on the Fords, the house itself, how the upper class society people spent the very cold winter, and how all of the different people in the house coped with each other. The second guide was a man who talked more about Washington’s use of the house, the conditions during the winter of 1779-80, and the war itself.

The tour begins on the west side of the Ford Mansion in the first floor parlor where Washington’s staff members set up an office. Supposedly it was so cold in the room that even with the fireplace going the inks at the tables near the windows often froze. After 3 PM the tables were cleared and the room was used as the dining room.

The tall secretary desk and the small Hepplewhite-style table (under the mirror in the photo below) are original pieces that belonged to the Fords and were used by Washington and his men. Washington supposedly wrote many letters at the table. The rest of the items in the room are authentic antiques from the 1700s.

Parlor in the Ford Mansion used by George Washington and his staff as an office and dining room, Morristown National Historical Park

Washington had his own office in the study of the Ford mansion, which is the room next to the parlor. None of the furnishings are original, but the room is set up to look like it might have when Washington was there.

George Washington’s office in the study of the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

With so many people crammed into the house, every nook and cranny had to be used as a sleeping space. The three Ford boys (ages 8 to 17) ended up getting booted out of their upstairs bedrooms and had to sleep in the first floor sitting room, which is what is called a family room today. This room is located in the center of the house on the other side of the hall from the parlor and study.

Ford boys’ bedroom in the first floor sitting room of the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

Theodosia Ford gave up her upstairs bedroom to George and Martha Washington and made the first floor dining room hers and her 11-year-old daughter’s room. It also served as the family room since most of the other rooms in the house were taken by guests. The room is located next to the sitting room where the boys slept.

The chair with the metal plaque on the back is an original Ford Family dining room chair. The other two chairs are copies of the original.

Lower floor dining room used as a bedroom by Theodosia Ford and her daughter during George Washington’s stay at the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

The kitchen was located on the lower floor on the east side of the Ford Mansion. It was extremely large for the time, which shows how wealthy the Fords were, but it was still not large enough for the number of guests staying and eating in the house when George Washington and his entourage arrived. This was also where the servants ate their meals. Notice the oven built into the right side of the fireplace.

Kitchen of the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

After touring the lower floor of the Ford Mansion, the tour heads upstairs to the bedroom area. The main attraction is the Master Bedroom where George and Martha Washington stayed. This is located on the west side of the house directly above the parlor. Most likely Washington had his own bed, for he was too tall to use standard beds of the time. The mirror on the wall and small dressing table are original to the Fords and were most likely used by the Washingtons.

Upstairs master bedroom used by George and Martha Washington during their 1779-80 stay at the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

Dressing table owned by the Fords and very likely to have been used by George and Martha Washington during their stay in the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

Two other bedrooms were used by Washington’s five aides, one of whom was Alexander Hamilton. Three aides slept in one room and two in the other. They most likely had their own camp beds similar to the ones on display. The bed near the fireplace with no covering is an authentic antique camp bed, while the others are reproductions. When moving, the beds could be folded up and packed into a wagon.

Upstairs bedroom in the Ford Mansion used by George Washington’s aides-de-camps, Morristown National Historical Park

Camp beds similar to the ones used by Washington’s staff members when they stayed at the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

The servants lived on the upper floor in the two rooms on the east side of the Ford Mansion above the kitchen and pantry. The ceiling remained unfinished because there was no need to spend more money than necessary on the servants’ quarters.

Large servants’ quarters in the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

Small servants’ quarters in the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

There is one item in the house that actually belonged to George Washington: one of his travel chests. It is not known why he left it behind, but it remained in the house when the Ford’s lived there and when it was operated as a museum. It is located in the upstairs hallway.

Chest owned by George Washington on display in the Ford Mansion, Morristown National Historical Park

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