Dey Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Dey Mansion, located in modern day Wayne
, New Jersey
and originally known as "Bloomsbury Manor," played an intricate role in the American Revolution
. Built by Dutch settlers in the middle of the 18th century it served as Washington's Headquarters
on several occasions.
, was the first of his family to settle in the colonies. His grandson Dirck Dey, a Dutch born planter, purchased 600 acres of land in Preakness Valley, now present day Wayne Township. The exact start date of construction on the Dey Mansion is unknown, but Dirck Dey started building it in the 1740s. By 1764 Dirck passed the mansion onto his son Theunis. Theunis along with his wife, Hester Schuyler, raised ten children in the mansion. Theunis was a political figure who served on the state council by representing Bergen County
and was a member of the charter trustee at Queens college, now present day Rutgers University
. He also served as a Colonel in the Bergen County Militia during the American Revolution. It was during his service in the militia that he came into contact with George Washington
. This led to Theunis to offer his mansion to serve as Washington's headquarters.
During his stay Washington and his advisers which included Alexander Hamilton
, Robert H. Harrison
, Tench Tilghman
, David Humphreys
and James McHenry
used the four rooms on the eastern side of the mansion for their bedrooms as well as their military war rooms. Washington also had numerous visitors while at the Dey Mansion, those of which include the Marquis de Lafayette, General Anthony Wayne
, Major General Lord Stirling, Benedict Arnold
, General William Howe
and the Marquis de Chastellux
.
Washington's letters and correspondences during his time at the Dey Mansion totaled 964, for over 1800 written pages. One of which informed him on July 14, 1780 that the French allied support had landed at Newport
, Rhode Island
. Washington left on July 28th to join them.
During Washington's time away from the Dey Mansion Major, General Bendict Arnold's treason became evident and his accomplice Major John Andre
was hanged in Tappan, New York
on October 2nd. Fearing that the British commander Sir Henry Clinton
would seek revenge, Washington moved his army once again to the Preakness Valley's Dey Mansion, and arrived on October 8, 1780. He stayed there until November 27, 1780 when he moved his headquarters and a portion of his army to Morristown, New Jersey
.
List of Family Owners from its Construction to Present
1740-1801 Dey,
1801-1813 Neafie,
1813-1861 Hogencamp,
1861-1864 Yeoman,
1864-1865 Gillen,
1865-1866 Tainter,
1866-1875 Millington,
1875-1883 Howe,
1883-1889 Heeseman,
1889-1891 Islieb,
1891-1892 Heeseman,
1892-1901 Petry,
1901-1902 Heeseman,
1902-1906 Belcher,
1906-1907 French,
1907-1909 Murphy,
1909-1912 Wright,
1912-1918 Pfister,
1918-1930 Alsheimer,
1930-Present Passaic County Parks
On January 10, 1930 the Passaic County Parks Commission acquired the land, and on October 8, 1934 it was opened for visitors. Among the guests invited to its opening was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and although he was unable to attend he wrote a letter in which he said, "You have made a real contribution to the history of the nation"(See picture of letter). In 1970 the Dey Mansion was entered into the New Jersey Register of Historic Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places
. As of 1987 the Dey Mansion has been open to the public as a Museum. It also acts as a meeting place and reenactment center for many historic groups such as the Hester-Schuyler-Colfax Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution
and the Sons of the American Revolution
. The New Jesery Militia/Heard's Brigade also sponsors annual events at the Dey Mansion in February, October, and December.
Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and originally known as "Bloomsbury Manor," played an intricate role in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Built by Dutch settlers in the middle of the 18th century it served as Washington's Headquarters
Washington's Headquarters
Washington's Headquarters refers to locations used as a headquarters by George Washington:* Headquarters of George Washington, Cumberland, Maryland, as a Colonel in 1755 to 1758, revisited as US Commander in Chief in 1794...
on several occasions.
Dey Family History
In 1641 Dirck Janszen Siecken Dey, a soldier for the Dutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
, was the first of his family to settle in the colonies. His grandson Dirck Dey, a Dutch born planter, purchased 600 acres of land in Preakness Valley, now present day Wayne Township. The exact start date of construction on the Dey Mansion is unknown, but Dirck Dey started building it in the 1740s. By 1764 Dirck passed the mansion onto his son Theunis. Theunis along with his wife, Hester Schuyler, raised ten children in the mansion. Theunis was a political figure who served on the state council by representing Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
and was a member of the charter trustee at Queens college, now present day Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. He also served as a Colonel in the Bergen County Militia during the American Revolution. It was during his service in the militia that he came into contact with George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. This led to Theunis to offer his mansion to serve as Washington's headquarters.
Washington's Preakness Valley Headquarters
George Washington utilized the Dey Mansion during the American Revolution as one of his many Headquarters. This area of the Preakness Valley (in New Jersey) was chosen specifically for its strategic location, as well as its abundance of food and forage in the surrounding area. On two separate occasions the Dey Mansion served as Headquarters for Washington, once from July 1 through July 28, 1780 and again from October 8 through November 27 1780.During his stay Washington and his advisers which included Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, Robert H. Harrison
Robert H. Harrison
Robert Hanson Harrison was an American jurist.Harrison began the American Revolutionary War as a lieutenant in the 3rd Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army. In 1775 he became an aide-de-camp to General George Washington with the rank of lieutenant colonel...
, Tench Tilghman
Tench Tilghman
Tench Tilghman was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary war. He served as an aide de camp to General George Washington, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel....
, David Humphreys
David Humphreys (soldier)
David Humphreys was a American Revolutionary War colonel and aide de camp to George Washington, American minister to Portugal and then to Spain, entrepreneur who brought Merino sheep to America and member of the Connecticut state legislature...
and James McHenry
James McHenry
James McHenry was an early American statesman. McHenry was a signer of the United States Constitution from Maryland and the namesake of Fort McHenry...
used the four rooms on the eastern side of the mansion for their bedrooms as well as their military war rooms. Washington also had numerous visitors while at the Dey Mansion, those of which include the Marquis de Lafayette, General Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
, Major General Lord Stirling, Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, General William Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...
and the Marquis de Chastellux
François-Jean de Chastellux
François Jean de Beauvoir, Marquis de Chastellux, was a military officer who served during the War of American Independence as a major general in the French expeditionary forces led by general Comte de Rochambeau...
.
Washington's letters and correspondences during his time at the Dey Mansion totaled 964, for over 1800 written pages. One of which informed him on July 14, 1780 that the French allied support had landed at Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Washington left on July 28th to join them.
During Washington's time away from the Dey Mansion Major, General Bendict Arnold's treason became evident and his accomplice Major John Andre
John André
John André was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.-Early life:André was born on May 2, 1750 in London to...
was hanged in Tappan, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on October 2nd. Fearing that the British commander Sir Henry Clinton
Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)
General Sir Henry Clinton KB was a British army officer and politician, best known for his service as a general during the American War of Independence. First arriving in Boston in May 1775, from 1778 to 1782 he was the British Commander-in-Chief in North America...
would seek revenge, Washington moved his army once again to the Preakness Valley's Dey Mansion, and arrived on October 8, 1780. He stayed there until November 27, 1780 when he moved his headquarters and a portion of his army to Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
.
Layout of the Mansion and Surrounding Property
The Dey Mansion is of Georgian style architecture with Dutch and English influences, and was built on a 600 acre lot in Preakness Valley, now present day Wayne, NJ. The Mansion was built facing the south in order receive sunlight. Each floor of the two story mansion features a long and wide center hall with multiple rooms on each side and an attic that spans the entire length of the mansion. The kitchen is located on an extension of the mansion which is separated by a stone floor hallway. Today most of the original wood frames and floors, along with some of the original furniture and art work still exist. It sits on a two acre plot of land, with features built onto the property including a blacksmith shop, plantation house and a court yard in the middle of the three buildings.Dey Mansion Through the Years
Colonel Theunis Dey's oldest son General Richard Dey, sold the Mansion and 335 acres of surrounding land in 1801. Since then sixteen different families have owned the mansion and land.List of Family Owners from its Construction to Present
1740-1801 Dey,
1801-1813 Neafie,
1813-1861 Hogencamp,
1861-1864 Yeoman,
1864-1865 Gillen,
1865-1866 Tainter,
1866-1875 Millington,
1875-1883 Howe,
1883-1889 Heeseman,
1889-1891 Islieb,
1891-1892 Heeseman,
1892-1901 Petry,
1901-1902 Heeseman,
1902-1906 Belcher,
1906-1907 French,
1907-1909 Murphy,
1909-1912 Wright,
1912-1918 Pfister,
1918-1930 Alsheimer,
1930-Present Passaic County Parks
On January 10, 1930 the Passaic County Parks Commission acquired the land, and on October 8, 1934 it was opened for visitors. Among the guests invited to its opening was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and although he was unable to attend he wrote a letter in which he said, "You have made a real contribution to the history of the nation"(See picture of letter). In 1970 the Dey Mansion was entered into the New Jersey Register of Historic Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. As of 1987 the Dey Mansion has been open to the public as a Museum. It also acts as a meeting place and reenactment center for many historic groups such as the Hester-Schuyler-Colfax Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
and the Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
. The New Jesery Militia/Heard's Brigade also sponsors annual events at the Dey Mansion in February, October, and December.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Passaic County, New Jersey
- Ford MansionFord MansionThe Ford Mansion is a mid-18th century mature version of the classical American architecture that was built by Jacob Ford, Jr. in 1774. It was acquired by the Washington Association of New Jersey in 1873. Today, it is owned by National Park Service. The Georgian styled mansion is known for...
- List of museums in New Jersey