Van Cortlandt Manor

For nearly 200 years, the manor was the primary residence of prominent Dutch patriots. The manor house showcased their possessions, symbolized their status, and served as the center of their social, political, and economic world. Later generations of Van Cortlandts preserved their ancestors' documents, clothing, tools, and household furnishings, which now constitute one of the finest collections on the East Coast.

As a result, Historic Hudson Valley is able to help visitors envision the daily lives of the Van Cortlandt family and their hired help, as well as the tenant farmers and enslaved and free Africans who labored on the 2,500-acre estate during the New Nation period of 1780-1820. Although the property is much smaller than it was 200 years ago, Van Cortlandt Manor preserves the essential elements of the original development and illustrates the influence of the natural setting on the layout of early colonial sites.  Click for further reading.