Ford Mansion
Encyclopedia
The 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 being George Washington
’s headquarters from December 1779 to June 1780.. The mansion is located in Morristown, New Jersey
.
with quoins
at the corners." The mansion was made with palladian
window above the door and a stylish cornice. The fancy architecture was not created to look appealing, but to showcase the wealth of the family who owned the building.
The headmaster’s section of the house was built with symmetrical rooms on both side of the foyer
. The office is across from the library
and the parlor is across from the dining room
. On the second floor there are symmetrical bedrooms for each side of the hallway. The servant’s section of the house was near the kitchen
and the pantry
on the east side. The grand hall and the parlor are what categorized the house as a mansion
. Unlike most mansions at the time, the Ford Mansion did not use bricks for the exterior, but painted flush board and clapboards
.
were obliged to set up an encampment in Morristown because of transportation problems. Washington liked Morristown’s "defensible terrain, important communication routes, and access to critical resources." . The Ford family had businesses in iron mines, iron forge
s, a gristmill
, a hemp-mill
, and a gunpowder
mill that were all stationed near the house. These businesses were useful to the army in getting resources.
The surrounding community was made up of 250 residents and 70 buildings.. In 1777 many high ranking officials rented these houses. Unfortunately, there was an epidemic of smallpox
that spread through the town from the soldiers, making the townspeople somewhat bitter to Washington’s troops when they arrived in 1779. Washington’s army was stationed at Jockey Hollow
while Washington stayed in Ford Mansion. Jockey Hollow is five miles south of Washington’s Headquarters..
. Ford built the house just south of the Whippany River
, making it easier to travel to work.
Jacob was a commander of the Morris County Militia
. Ford died from pneumonia
on January 11, 1777 in the mansion house.. Thirty-five Delaware troops witnessed the death of Jacob Ford Jr. Before his death, Ford and his soldiers captured a bronze, six pounder field cannon
from the British Army
on January 3, 1777 at the victory in Princeton, New Jersey
. According to the Morristown National Park, "with artillery
and arms in short supply, the victory at Princeton not only boosted the morale of the Continental Army
, but it bolstered their scant arsenal
of weapons.". Jacob Ford Jr. is noted for his bravery in the various tours at the Morristown National Park Museum.
, and 18 servants stayed in the mansion.. Theodosia Ford occupied two of the four upstairs bedrooms and reserved the kitchen for her own personal use. Her daughter, Elizabeth Ford, who was 12 when Washington stayed at the mansion, stayed in her mother’s room. During the winter months of 1779 to 1780 she read and learned a total of 25 stitches. Theodosia’s boys stayed in another room downstairs.. The room featured two doors. One door lead to the servants’ side of the house above the pantry and the other door lead to the center hall. The boy’s room was more of a recreational room with muskets and Chinese checkers, which is displayed in the Morristown National Historic Park Museum. The names of the boys were Jacob, Gabriel, and Timothy Ford. Jacob was eight, Gabriel was fifteen, and Timothy was seventeen during Washington’s stay.
. It allowed Washington to keep a close eye on the British and enabled him to send letters successfully to the Continental congress.
Washington wrote many letters to congress explaining the poor predicament that his troops were in during his stay at the Ford Mansion. His place of work was in the private study, which was located on the first floor of the house. Washington’s Aides-de-Camp worked in the parlor, which became the military office. This included Alexander Hamilton
, Robert H. Harrison
, Tench Tilghman
, Richard Meade and James McHenry
. According to Pfister, the only record of Washington’s stay at the mansion was a letter from Richard Meade to Mrs. Ford dated July 26, 1780. The letter has been transcribed in the Library of Congress and reads:
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. The Georgian styled mansion is known for being 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...
’s headquarters from December 1779 to June 1780.. The mansion is located in 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...
.
Architecture
The Ford mansion has a Georgian style exterior, but the interior kitchen and framing shows evidence of Dutch influence. According to Alan Gowan, "the boarding of the Ford Mansion was laid evenly painted and scored to look like a fine masonryMasonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
with quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
at the corners." The mansion was made with palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
window above the door and a stylish cornice. The fancy architecture was not created to look appealing, but to showcase the wealth of the family who owned the building.
Foyer
A foyer or lobby is a large, vast room or complex of rooms adjacent to the auditorium...
. The office is across from the library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and the parlor is across from the dining room
Dining room
A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
. On the second floor there are symmetrical bedrooms for each side of the hallway. The servant’s section of the house was near the kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
and the pantry
Pantry
A pantry is a room where food, provisions or dishes are stored and served in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. The derivation of the word is from the same source as the Old French term paneterie; that is from pain, the French form of the Latin panis for bread.In a late medieval hall, there were...
on the east side. The grand hall and the parlor are what categorized the house as a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
. Unlike most mansions at the time, the Ford Mansion did not use bricks for the exterior, but painted flush board and clapboards
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
.
Location
George Washington and the Continental ArmyContinental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
were obliged to set up an encampment in Morristown because of transportation problems. Washington liked Morristown’s "defensible terrain, important communication routes, and access to critical resources." . The Ford family had businesses in iron mines, iron forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
s, a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, a hemp-mill
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
, and a gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
mill that were all stationed near the house. These businesses were useful to the army in getting resources.
The surrounding community was made up of 250 residents and 70 buildings.. In 1777 many high ranking officials rented these houses. Unfortunately, there was an epidemic of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
that spread through the town from the soldiers, making the townspeople somewhat bitter to Washington’s troops when they arrived in 1779. Washington’s army was stationed at Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow is a unit of Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey. It was twice used as a winter encampment by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
while Washington stayed in Ford Mansion. Jockey Hollow is five miles south of Washington’s Headquarters..
Ownership
The Ford Mansion was originally owned by Colonel Jacob Ford Jr. He was given the deed to the two hundred acres of land by his father in 1762, which was the same year he married Theodosia Johnes. Before serving in the war, Jacob Jr. and his father owned an iron forge in Whippany, New JerseyWhippany, New Jersey
Whippany is an unincorporated area located within Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey. Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area...
. Ford built the house just south of the Whippany River
Whippany River
The Whippany River is a tributary of the Rockaway River, approximately 20 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States....
, making it easier to travel to work.
Jacob was a commander of the Morris County Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. Ford died from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on January 11, 1777 in the mansion house.. Thirty-five Delaware troops witnessed the death of Jacob Ford Jr. Before his death, Ford and his soldiers captured a bronze, six pounder field cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
from the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on January 3, 1777 at the victory in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. According to the Morristown National Park, "with artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and arms in short supply, the victory at Princeton not only boosted the morale of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, but it bolstered their scant arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
of weapons.". Jacob Ford Jr. is noted for his bravery in the various tours at the Morristown National Park Museum.
Resistance of 1779-1780
After Ford’s death, Mrs. Theodosia Ford gained ownership of the mansion. According to Pfister, "she was forced to accept a leadership role in the family. After her husband and father-in-law’s death, Mrs. Ford held the family together and kept the farm and family business a profitable endeavor." Prior to Washington’s arrival, the house was considered a "great human tragedy for the Ford family" because in 1777, the house was rented to an overabundance of Continental Army troops that developed smallpox. When Washington arrived he asked permission from the widow if he could stay in the mansion and paid her for rent. General Washington, Martha Washington, five aides-de-campAide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
, and 18 servants stayed in the mansion.. Theodosia Ford occupied two of the four upstairs bedrooms and reserved the kitchen for her own personal use. Her daughter, Elizabeth Ford, who was 12 when Washington stayed at the mansion, stayed in her mother’s room. During the winter months of 1779 to 1780 she read and learned a total of 25 stitches. Theodosia’s boys stayed in another room downstairs.. The room featured two doors. One door lead to the servants’ side of the house above the pantry and the other door lead to the center hall. The boy’s room was more of a recreational room with muskets and Chinese checkers, which is displayed in the Morristown National Historic Park Museum. The names of the boys were Jacob, Gabriel, and Timothy Ford. Jacob was eight, Gabriel was fifteen, and Timothy was seventeen during Washington’s stay.
Commander and Chief
Washington arrived at Ford mansion in December 1779. According to Pfister, the mansion was one of the biggest houses in town at that time. The location was perfect for Washington because the American capital was in Philadelphia and the British Army capital was in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. It allowed Washington to keep a close eye on the British and enabled him to send letters successfully to the Continental congress.
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....
, Richard Meade 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...
. According to Pfister, the only record of Washington’s stay at the mansion was a letter from Richard Meade to Mrs. Ford dated July 26, 1780. The letter has been transcribed in the Library of Congress and reads:
Madam: I have received your favour by Captain Tomas Pry. I communicated its contents to His Excellency and am directed to transmit you the inclosed certificate. I have the honour and [the draft is in the writing of and is signed "R.K. Meade, A.D.C.] I certify that the commander in Chief took up his quarters at Mrs. Fords at Morris Town the first day of December 1779, that he left them the 23d of June 1780, and that he occupied two rooms below; all the upper floor, Kitchen, Cellar and Stable. The Stable was built and the two Rooms above Stairs finished at the public expence, and a well, which was intirely useless and filled up before, put in thorough repair by walling & c. Head Quarters near Passaick July 26th. 1780.