Seasons/Hours:
Grounds are open year round from sunrise to
sunset. The historic house is open for tours on the hour during the times listed below or by appointment. The last tour of the day is one hour prior to closing. April - October:
Tuesdays thru Saturdays (10AM - 4PM) Sundays (11AM - 4PM)
Current Gallery Hours: Fridays (10AM - 12PM) Sundays (12PM - 2PM) Admission is $2.00
School and group visits are by appointment only. Please call the site at 914.232.5651 for more information.
PAST EVENTS
HOMESTEAD COUNTRY FAIR WEEKEND September 17 - 18, 2011
The
Friends of John Jay Homestead wrapped up a weekend-long celebration on
September 17 and 18, hailing it a tremendous success. Local supporters
in the community came out in droves for the Annual Barn Dance and
Homestead Country Fair at the John Jay Homestead.
Festivities
kicked off with the annual Barn Dance, in its 14th year, which
featured a barbecue dinner and mechanical bull rides with a
backdrop of live music by local bands. (Also on tap for the evening's
entertainment - Swimming pig races!) The next day, the homestead hosted
its yearly Country Fair, with a petting zoo, pony rides, sheep and duck
herding, a visit from the Bedford 1779 Regiment Encampment and homemade
apple pie from the pie-baking contest. A big congratulations to winner Anna Lee! Ross
also attributed the event's success to the picture-perfect weather,
volunteers,
local businesses and individuals that backed the events through
sponsorships, donations of in-kind services and items that were needed. The
Friends thank Fair sponsors ArtsWestchester, Lloyd Bedford Cox, Inc., Citibank Bedford Village Financial
Center & Hudson Valley Bank.
Special thanks to: Debbie & Mehdi Alami, Julia & Sy Aryeh, Bennie's Feed Barn, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Celia and Brian Carroll and Family, Alex Hamer, Mary Ann Hawley, John Jay Homestead Site Staff, Katonah Volunteer Fire
Department, Angelina & Monte Lipman, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Mount Kisco Wines & Spirits, Gianna and Chazz Palminteri, Pepsi-Cola of the Hudson Valley, SavATree, Snapple Distributors, Inc., and Turco's North, Inc.
On Friday,
December 3rd at 6:30 p.m., a
reception was held which showcased the Homestead's newest exhibit, Slaves, Slavery and the
Jay Family. Through a series of panels and study of primary sources,
including objects and documents, attendees learned firsthand John Jay's conflicting
attitudes as slave owner and manumission advocate; as well as his son William's
role in the abolition movement.
Also highlighted were the lives of some of the servants and slaves who lived with the Jay
family. Abby. Caesar. Benoit. Clarinda and Zilpha and others, are mentioned in Jay family letters,
revealing something about their personalities and what they cared about. If you missed the opening, come view this exhibit which is a great overview of the role of slavery
in American history. View pictures of the Opening and View pictures of the Exhibit.
To celebrate the room’s reopening, the
Friends hosted a gala event for 90 people. The event began with a house tour
focusing on the decorative arts followed by a
luncheon which featured a panel
discussion during dessert. Panelists included: NY Times writer, Wendy Moonan,
who speake about antiques; Natalie Larsen, the nation’s leading authority on
historic textiles; and Allan Weinreb, John Jay Homestead Site Curator, who spoke
about Nancy Jay. Linda Sherbert, Features Editor of Veranda Magazine, served
as moderator. Learn more about the event and the restoration of Nancy Jay's bedroom.
A clear, cool
evening provided the perfect setting for the inaugural “In the Garden” event,
co-chaired by Amy Gallen and Heather Langham, at John Jay Homestead on Friday,
June 11. Over 130 guests arrived in elegant spring finery, strolling along the
newly restored garden pathways, sampling local foods provided by Jonathan
Pratt. The Sundial Garden, redesigned by Varner Redmon of the Bedford Garden
Club in 2009, looked magnificent, as did the Fountain Garden with its new
plantings and gravel paths. Antique garden furniture, loaned by Phillis and
John Warden, was perfect for the occasion. Guests could easily imagine Jay
family members playing and cavorting in the gardens.
The occasion,
sponsored by Houlihan Lawrence, was an opportunity for Friends of John Jay
Homestead to honor the contributions of all the garden volunteers who work at
the Homestead—including the Bedford Garden Club (BGC), the N.Y. Unit of the
Herb Society of America, Hopp Ground Garden Club and Rusticus. “In the Garden”
gave the garden club members a well-deserved chance to enjoy a delightful and
elegant evening in the formal gardens.
The evening
began with a ceremony dedicating the oak tree, planted in 1994 by the
Conservation Committee of the Bedford Garden Club, to former Friends’ chairman
G. Palmer LeRoy. The oak sapling from the “Bedford Oak” was replanted near the
outside corner of the Formal Gardens, a project overseen by former Friends’
president and chairman Louise Talbot. A plaque commemorating Mr. LeRoy was inset
on a rock next to the rapidly-growing oak tree. Friends’ Chairman S. Mackintosh
Pulsifer spoke to the group about Mr. LeRoy’s many contributions to the Friends
and the Homestead, particularly his talent for handpicking dedicated volunteers
to help support the Homestead and become involved in its preservation.
Luminaries among
the guests included State Assemblyman Robert Castelli from the 89th
District, who awarded citations to representatives from each garden club, and
Dr. Lucy Waletzky, Chair of the NYS Council of Parks. Another notable guest,
who journeyed from Charlottesville, VA, for the occasion, was Libby Mossman,
former Friends’ Landscape & Gardens Chair. Ms. Mossman was instrumental in
making many significant improvements to the landscape, including the
restoration of the ice pond.
Friends’
Vice-president Laurie Lewis spoke to attendees about the dedication of all
garden club members, lauding their contributions. She also praised the Friends’
newest garden partner, InterGenerate, a group that is maintaining the new
Community Teaching Garden, in the foundation of the glass house next to the
Herb Garden.
The
garden–themed silent auction, organized by co-chair Amy Gallen, featured items
donated by Amanzi Tea, Bedford Gourmet, Brendan Kelly Tree Service, Arturo’s
Tavern—Camille and Tony Branca, Bubble & Tweet, Consider the Cook, Tori
& Lloyd Cox, Fine Lines of Katonah, Fountainhead Wines, Mary Ann Hawley,
Honey Bee Farm, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Robin McCormick Jewelry, Mill
River Supply, Mrs. Monogram, Kathy Moreau, Perennial Gardens, SavATree and The
Perennial Chef. In addition, attendees bought “leaves” for the ‘Giving Tree,’
an espaliered apple tree (trained to grow flat against a wall) donated by
Brendan Kelly, to help fund garden projects such as daffodil planting, hedge
trimming, a new garden gate and plants for the Woodland Walk, Ice Pond area and
Fountain Garden.
On November 12, the
John Jay Homestead hosted a capacity crowd for a lecture by Elaine
Weiss, discussing her book Fruits of Victory: the Woman's Land Army of
America in the Great War. As lecture Chair Melissa Vail said in her
introduction, the crowd included descendants of Farmerettes' employers,
descendants of the original Farmerettes, and current Bedford
Farmerettes. They are all strong and autonomous women who work and care
for the land. Members of every garden club that maintains a garden at
the Homestead -- Bedford Garden Club, Hopp Ground Garden Club, the New
York Unit of the Herb Society of America and Rusticus -- attended,
along with members of the Bedford Farmer's Club, and volunteers from
the Bedford Hills Historical Museum and the Bedford Historical Society.
Thanks to funding from all these organizations, the program was free
and open to the public.
Huguenot Exhibit Attracts Jay Descendants and Friends
The opening reception for the Huguenot exhibit, “From Oppression to Freedom: John Jay and his Huguenot Heritage,” took place in the period rooms at John Jay Homestead on Friday, December 4, and was attended by more than 75 history enthusiasts, interested in finding out more about the Jay family’s Huguenot connection.
Many Jay family attendees were pleased to learn more about this aspect of their lineage. Twelve descendants and spouses attended the exhibit opening, including Honorary Chair Alec Cobbe, who traveled from England for the occasion. Mr. Cobbe was instrumental in the Friends’ purchase of the letter of denization written for Auguste Jay and signed by N. Y. Governor Thomas Dongan, which is the oldest Jay family document obtained on American soil. Other objects in the exhibit include an oversized 1724 Book of Common Prayer, an oil portrait of Auguste Jay and other Jay family documents and lithographs.
Local luminaries at the event included Katonah residents Boo and Cecil Grace; former board member Nonie Reich; former Friends’ Chair Louise Talbot; board member W. Kelly Simpson and others. The special guest speaker Count Pierre F. de Ravel d’Esclapon, a lawyer who is currently writing a book about the French in New York, provided an informative historical account of the history of the Huguenots in America, starting with their first settlement on Paris Island, South Carolina. View Count Pierre F. de Ravel d'Esclapon's remarks.
The Friends wish to thank Moet-Hennessey USA for donating the wines and champagne for the event and Morgan Stanley Foundation for their grant in support of education programs at the John Jay Homestead.
Friends - P.O. Box 148, Katonah, NY 10536 - phone: 914.232.8119 - fax: 914.232.5974 - e-mail: friends@johnjayhomestead.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Site - P.O. Box 832 - 400 Jay Street, Katonah, NY 10536 - phone: 914.232.5651 - fax: 914.232.8085 - www.nysparks.com
