Early American Interior Decorating at the Morris-Jumel Mansion
Despite living in Washington Heights for five years, I visited its most famous house for the first time today. Located on 160th St. just a few blocks away from the 1 train, the Morris-Jumel Mansion is an eighteenth-century stately home that is considered the oldest house in Manhattan. It survived the Revolutionary War, being occupied by both sides, and it hosted such great figures as George Washington, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.
Though this association with the founding fathers might be enough to entice fans of American history, the mansion is more intriguing for its association with two more salacious figures, Eliza Jumel and Aaron Burr. Eliza Jumel lived in the mansion with her first husband, Stephen Jumel, but after she was rejected by New York society, he took her back to his native France (the New York elite tends to frown on men who marry their low-born mistresses). Eliza was an excellent social climber -- the daughter of a sailor and a prostitute who became a prostitute herself, she ended up mingling with the French court and living a lavish lifestyle that nearly bankrupted her husband.
As a widow, she returned to New York and the mansion and married Aaron Burr in its front parlor. Burr was Jefferson’s first vice-president, but the rest of us tend to remember him as the killer of Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Eliza once again bucked convention by having the audacity to divorce Burr when he started spending her money without her permission. She even hired Alexander Hamilton’s son to represent her.
Sadly, the mansion doesn’t reveal much of this history. There’s some information scattered around the building about its residents and famous visitors, but really the highlight of this site are the sumptuous nineteenth-century interiors (after all, Eliza had lavish taste and imported her furnishings from France). The bedrooms of Aaron Burr and Eliza Jumel are both beautifully arranged, with well-maintained furniture and vividly restored curtains and wallpaper. A downstairs parlor includes no furniture, but is papered with a lovely bird and plant print.
I wouldn’t say that the mansion is a must-see for all New York tourists, but if you’re in the area or are in the mood to explore some beautiful nineteenth-century rooms and imagine the lives of two notorious Americans, then it’s definitely worth a visit. Plus, you can then brag that you’ve been to the oldest house in Manhattan!
