Our non-profit, 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.

Fine Art Exhibit by Kristine Mays Open Now Through November

Over 100 Attend Rich Soil Opening

Over 100 people attended the opening of Rich Soil by fine art sculptor Kristine Mays in the Jay Estate Gardens. Mays breathes life into wire as she creates human forms that dance, grieve, hope and pray. Her figures help us resurrect the all-important narratives of the women and men whose strength, resilience and measurable contributions to our landscape have often been forgotten. As a member site of New York State’s Path Through History for Civil Rights and Westchester County’s African American Heritage Trail, the Jay Estate is a compelling venue for contemplating our shared American heritage while viewing these ethereal silhouettes. The exhibit is FREE and open through November. READ MORE HERE

Photo of artist with members of the American Women of African Heritage by Kim Crichlow

Jay Day!

SEPTEMBER 29, SUNDAY from 12-4pm

Jay Day is our classic fall family festival! This year enjoy live music from bluegrass band, Citigrass, plus amazing face painters, pony rides and a petting zoo from Bronx Equestrian. Stilt walkers & jugglers will provide super photo ops for the whole family!

Guests can snack on nibbles from food truck vendors like Crazy Taco Mex, Leila’s Crepes, and Jimmy’s Soft Serve ice cream. Observe a rocket show from Mad Science and learn about archaeology with Dr. Eugene Boesch. Hold artifacts in your own hands–from 4,000-year-old projectile points to an 18th century slate pencil used by one of Rye’s earliest students!  Would you like to help with Jay Day as a volunteer ? Email mjslater.jhc@gmail.com

Don’t wait in line! Buy advance tickets here! 

$50 per family; $20 individual

Save the Date! September 22 at 4pm

Jams at at Jay with Urban Coyotes on the Mansion Lawn

REGISTER HERE! Urban Coyotes is a five-piece band drawing on soulful styles from New Orleans to Nashville to New York. Blending electric and acoustic instruments with multi-part harmonies, the Coyotes perform a diverse mix of rock and folk classics as well as original music by singer/songwriter Paul Jensen. Come hear your favorite songs from Tom Petty, Grateful Dead, Radiohead, Zac Brown Band, U2, Coldplay and more!

Our FREE events, including concerts, are part of the reason that Jay Heritage Center won a 2024 Best of Westchester Award! Come see for yourself!

 

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

...and today, it is YOUR park

More about the Jay Estate

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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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