The ever-active Trips Committee, under the leadership of Jan Myers, recently announced a new and exciting trip. On Wednesday, November 6, a group will visit the John Jay Homestead in Katonah.
Westchester’s only “Founding Father,” John Jay (1745-1829) retired in 1801 to a quiet life as a gentleman farmer on a 750-acre farm in the rural Town of Bedford. Best known as the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and co-author of the Federalist Papers with Hamilton and Madison supporting ratification of the Constitution, he was also President of the Continental Congress, author of the Jay Treaty with Great Britain, and Governor of New York.
The 1787 farmhouse, built for the farm manager, was enlarged over the years. Today twelve period rooms have been restored to their appearance in the 1820s and furnished with decorative art and furniture owned by Jay and his family. The 1801 Carriage Barn is the Visitor Center and provides a 12-minute video, interactive displays and Gift Shop.
Sign-up for the trip, as usual, is in the Trips Book located in the Activities Alcove.