The Jay Estate in Rye was home to one of our nation's greatest peacemakers, John Jay...

...and today, it is YOUR park

Our nonprofit, the Jay Heritage Center (JHC) is dedicated to transforming the 23-acre Jay Estate into a vibrant educational campus, hosting innovative and inclusive programs about American History, Historic Preservation, Social Justice, and Environmental Stewardship.

More about who we are and what we do

The Ancestral Home of a Spymaster, Diplomat, Peacemaker, and Nation Builder 

Explore the American Revolution at the Jay Estate

Experience American history at the ancestral home of spymaster, diplomat, peacemaker, and nation builder John Jay and 4 successive generations of his family. Follow the trails that he walked during the Stamp Act as he contemplated his role in the American Revolution. Discover why Jay is considered the first chief of U. S. counterespionage and how he led a spy ring in Westchester while trying your own hand at creating secret messages.

Stand on the same spot where he and his family celebrated the Treaty of Paris and looked out at a new horizon for the country. Learn about Jay’s efforts to abolish slavery in 1777 and the long arc of events that led to abolition. Examine our whole history through the authentic stories of the enslaved women and men who lived, worked and left their imprints at the 18th century farm. Above all, we invite you to learn about the legacy of national service that generations of the Jay family continue to uphold.

SAVE THE DATE FOR FEUDING FOUNDERS!

JHC'S AMERICA 250 LOGO

2026 Is Just the Beginning...

John Jay, chief negotiator of the Treaty of Paris grew up in Rye, New York and returned frequently to this property which was eventually passed down to him and his brothers by their father. It remained a touchstone throughout his “revolutionary years” and active career.

During a war that fractured families and friendships, Jay interacted with hundreds of other men and women. He was a lawyer, spymaster, Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court of Judicature, President of the Continental Congress, and co-author of the Federalist papers. He sought freedom but also denied it to others. As the launch site of Revolutionary Westchester 250 and a premier partner with New York State America 250 celebrations, the Jay Estate is an ideal place to experience the many complex chapters of Jay’s life and examine his continued relevance and legacy today.

It's Women's History Month

Jay Fellow Researches Founding Women of Westchester's True Reformers Movement

And we’re supporting young women with a passion for history. Did you know? Women founded local chapters of some of New York State’s earliest Black mutual aid societies to provide insurance benefits and financial resources for themselves, their husbands and families. We’re super grateful to Jay Fellow Caitlin Solis who has researched Mamaroneck’s local chapter of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, based on a ledger and manuscripts donated to JHC and the Westchester County Archives.

The Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers (1881-1910) was a national organization providing benefit certificates to African American families after an illness or death to supplement the lack of insurance resources. As the organization grew, it later expanded to advocate temperance and moral instruction for youth. At the height of its success, the organization also ran a retirement home and savings bank. Caitlin highlights the Bell family of Mamaroneck with a particular focus on Elmira Ann Purdy Bell, one of the chapter’s founders. READ MORE HERE

 

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Land Acknowledgement

It is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are learning, speaking and gathering on the land of the Wiechquaesgeck (WE-QUEES-GECK), a subdivision of the Munsee people. The Munsee can be identified as speakers of Munsee, a dialect of the Lenape language. Today, the Munsee language is considered critically endangered, only spoken by a handful of elders on the Moraviantown Reserve in Ontario, Canada, each speaker over the age of 70. Lenape, or Leni Lenape was a name prescribed to them by colonists, rather than a label of initial self identification.
The Wiechquaesgeck were the historic owners of Rye, Harrison, and large parts of Westchester County, as they lived between the Hudson and Long Island Sound. Modern nations like the Stockbridge-Munsee, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, and the Delaware Nation trace their ancestry to the Munsee tribes, and continue to keep their history alive. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all. In the coming years, we plan to reintroduce species of fauna and flora indigenous to the Wiechquaesgeck into our gardens as a way to promote greater respect and understanding of their culture.

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