It's time to explore Jersey again. Adrian & I went on another historical visit last Sunday. We took a tour of Dey Mansion in Wayne. Dey Mansion (pronounced "die" in Dutch, or "day" in American English) was the home of Colonel Theunis Dey in the mid-18th century. The brick Georgian style mansion was used by General Washington twice as his headquarters while his troops encamped at Totowa Heights.
Kitchen - note the correlation between hunting and cooking in this photo :)
Men wore clogs with markings to signify that they were no longer "eligible"Did you know that in the past women never wore short sleeves because exposing one's arm was deemed inappropriate. Who knew the elbow was an erogenous zone?
Dey Mansion rooms...
The front room where General Washington used as his office. It was said that he wrote about 300 letters here.
Washington's so-called "conference room" where the men would gather and discuss war strategies. Hmm...
Guest room. Who slept here? Gilbert du Motier @ Marquis de La Fayette, General Anthony Wayne, Alexander Hamilton, General Nathaniel Greene and Lord Stirling. But, whose night dress is that on the bed?!
Washington's bedroom at the Mansion. He was a tall man of about 6 feet 3 inches, but that bed is rather short for him isn't it? Nah, we were told that back in those days, people didn't lie flat on the bed but slept propped up to prevent illness such as pneumonia. Therefore, a long bed wasn't necessary. I can't imagine Washington's feet dangling from the edges.
The Colonel's bedroom @ the master bedroom. What about the kids? Colonel and Mrs. Dey had 10 children but most were grown-up and lived elsewhere so they had rooms to spare those heavy weights mentioned earlier on.
Up in the attic, we found numbers on the beams, suggesting that the house was an early modular home. Isn't that amazing?! Anyway, the attic is now an exhibition area featuring war artifacts, etc.
This is my favorite - a 13 star colonial flag used in the Battle of Cowpens, 1781. Just imagine a flag that's over 200 years old!
View of Dey Mansion from the back and garden...
Did I mention that it's spring? April showers bring May flowers?! This is the bloom from one of the bushes. Ati-shooo!!!!!!! Damn pollens.
Side Note
Recommended by our tour guide:
HBO's John Adams - this miniseries puts a human face to the men of revolution. What's that phrase -To err is human?
Filming in Dey Mansion - PBS' American Experience: Alexander Hamilton and Middlemarch.
Dey Mansion rooms...
The front room where General Washington used as his office. It was said that he wrote about 300 letters here.
Washington's so-called "conference room" where the men would gather and discuss war strategies. Hmm...
Guest room. Who slept here? Gilbert du Motier @ Marquis de La Fayette, General Anthony Wayne, Alexander Hamilton, General Nathaniel Greene and Lord Stirling. But, whose night dress is that on the bed?!
Washington's bedroom at the Mansion. He was a tall man of about 6 feet 3 inches, but that bed is rather short for him isn't it? Nah, we were told that back in those days, people didn't lie flat on the bed but slept propped up to prevent illness such as pneumonia. Therefore, a long bed wasn't necessary. I can't imagine Washington's feet dangling from the edges.
The Colonel's bedroom @ the master bedroom. What about the kids? Colonel and Mrs. Dey had 10 children but most were grown-up and lived elsewhere so they had rooms to spare those heavy weights mentioned earlier on.Up in the attic, we found numbers on the beams, suggesting that the house was an early modular home. Isn't that amazing?! Anyway, the attic is now an exhibition area featuring war artifacts, etc.
This is my favorite - a 13 star colonial flag used in the Battle of Cowpens, 1781. Just imagine a flag that's over 200 years old!
View of Dey Mansion from the back and garden...
Did I mention that it's spring? April showers bring May flowers?! This is the bloom from one of the bushes. Ati-shooo!!!!!!! Damn pollens.Side Note
Recommended by our tour guide:
HBO's John Adams - this miniseries puts a human face to the men of revolution. What's that phrase -To err is human?
Filming in Dey Mansion - PBS' American Experience: Alexander Hamilton and Middlemarch.
4 comments:
did some of your photos got George Washington ghost onot?
wuching: hey there! no...but my office conference center has many orbs. i think it's more haunted than Dey Mansion!
Interesting..! glad to see you write again..!
mama bok: and thank you for visiting and reading. i need to keep up!
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