George Washington once used New Jersey’s Ford Mansion as his wartime headquarters; after nearly 10 months of restoration, the historic house reopened for public tours in October 2024

Balancing modern structural preservation with historical integrity remains a constant challenge in Morristown, New Jersey. The Ford Mansion’s fate was once decided by an auctioneer’s hammer. Fast forward 151 years, the house that sheltered George Washington during the Revolutionary War shut down for repairs and reopened on 5 October 2024.According to the National Park Service (NPS), the reopening followed nearly ten months of restoration. The work involved repainting the exterior, restoring historic windows, and repointing sections of the foundation. Each windowpane received ultraviolet-protective film, and new period-appropriate draperies were installed. The house was also given permanent silhouette figures, which the NPS calls “new visitors”. The reopening was announced on 26 September 2024, and work on the grounds was continuing.The mansion was built in the early 1770s for Jacob Ford Jr., an iron manufacturer and colonel in the Morris County Militia. Ford passed away in January 1777, when 35 Delaware soldiers were quartered there. His widow, Theodosia, later allowed Washington to use the family home.A family home used as a Wartime headquartersIn December 1779, Washington arrived and remained through the winter of 1779-80. The mansion had 12 rooms and was a Georgian-style residence. Theodosia and her four children occupied two rooms. The rest accommodated Washington, his wife Martha, five aides-de-camp, 18 servants, dignitaries, and, at times, guards.The winter was severe, and the NPS said the season brought more than 20 snowstorms. After Washington’s 6-month stay, the Ford family continued living in the house. It remained privately owned until the 1870s, when the death of its last private owner, Henry Augustus Ford, put its future up in the air. Following his will, the property was divided into lots and sold at auction to provide for his descendants.As per the NPS account of the Ford Mansion auction, the sale took place on 25 June 1873; 19 of the 47 lots were claimed, for a total of $44,310, excluding the headquarters property. When bidding for the mansion reached $24,100, former governor Thomas Randolph stepped forward with General Norris Halsted and George Halsey. But, according to the same account, they agreed to buy it for any sum up to $25,000 if a fourth person joined them, with each man receiving a quarter share. William Van Vleck Lidgerwood joined the group, and the house was sold to the four men for $25,000.From private purchaser to public toursThe purchasers intended to hold the property until New Jersey took it over, but the state did not assume ownership. They established the Washington Association of New Jersey, an association dedicated to preserving the residence and opening it to visitors. The house was described by the NPS as one of the earliest house museums in the United States.The association maintained the site until 1933. But growing attendance, more automobile travel, and financial pressure during the Great Depression made it difficult to keep it afloat. By 1931, a national historical park in Morristown was under consideration. The association’s trustees supported transferring the headquarters property, along with the Jockey Hollow and Fort Nonsense lands, into the National Park System. President Herbert Hoover signed the legislation on 3 March 1933. Subsequently, the association and the town handed over the deeds to Interior Secretary Harold Ickes on 4 July, the same year.The park furnished the mansion to make it look as close as possible to how it might have appeared during Washington’s stay. When the house reopened in October 2024, tours were scheduled for 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm, each lasting about 45 minutes. The groups in attendance were limited to 20 people and were admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.