Every September, we look back and take stock of what we have accomplished in the past year. On behalf of our organization, the Jay Heritage Center (JHC), and our dedicated Board of Trustees, staff, volunteers and corporate funders, we present an overview of programs, site improvements and restoration projects of the past year made possible by our supporters, partner organizations and government officials.
Of particular note, JHC has already exceeded its $250,000-over-10-years commitment to NY State Parks and Westchester County in just under 2 years – 8 years ahead of schedule! Since the November 2023 renewal of our three-party operating agreement, JHC has raised and spent over $900,000 on maintenance and improvements to the Jay Estate and made it safer and more welcoming for the public all the while adhering to the standards of the US Department of the Interior and following SEQR. But that doesn’t mean we’re stopping – we have much more to do!
We look forward to even more collaborative successes in the future!
- September – November 2024 – JHC hosted its first fine art exhibit, Rich Soil by Kristine Mays, in the Jay Estate Gardens. The gardens have become a place to host meaningful dialogues about American history and memory. Mays’ wire sculptures expanded upon that intentionality, celebrating and memorializing the spirts of enslaved people at the Jay Estate and elsewhere. The outdoor installation co-sponsored by the American Women of African Heritage (AWAH) was a huge success and paired with programming in concert with Alvin Ailey Dancers, the award-winning poet Iain Haley Pollock and other activities. The free public experience was highlighted in NY State’s Park Blog.
- September 2024 – Elisabeth Haub Environmental Law School Fellows Michael Evans, Shannon Stemper and Sumana Ali impressed an engaged audience on Sunday, September 8 as they presented their legal research in 3 critical areas using the Jay Estate and JHC’s management practices as a framework. Read more here.
- September 2024 – JHC’s annual fundraiser (the Jay Soirée) and friendraiser (Jay Day) were both highly successful and engaged hundreds of new supporters.
- September 2024 – JHC installed new Park Rules and signage on three newly constructed outdoor kiosks.
- October 2024 – The second O’Neill Fellowship Presentation was held on October 6, 2024 and featured presentations by Wena Teng and Zachary Vanderslice, both seniors at Columbia College. In her introductory comments, JHC President, Suzanne Clary explained how the fellowship was established in 2022 in memory of Margaret “Maggie” Nolan O’Neill (Columbia College Class of 2021) by family and friends to advance scholarship in American history and geopolitics while also fostering respectful dialogue of topics relevant to the evolution of our nation, the shaping of its democracy and place in the global arena.
- October 2024 – JHC received a meaningful grant from Alger in recognition of our work addressing inequality and injustice in our country through education. The grant was applied towards programming.
- October 2024 – JHC President Suzanne Clary spoke on a panel about Climate Smart Land Management at the 2024 National Historic Trust for Preservation’s 75th Anniversary Conference in New Orleans. JHC was selected for consistently implementing the best management practices in sustainability, archaeology and environmental review.
- December 2024 – JHC was selected by Bloomberg Connects to be one of only 1100 featured sites on their global arts and culture app. The app is now live and translates the Jay Estate’s cultural and natural attractions into 57 languages for visitors.
- December 2024 – JHC received a grant from Con Edison to fund school trip programs and social justice programs.
- February 2025 – JHC was featured in the cover article about Black History in Westchester Magazine: “Today, the Jay Heritage Center in Rye not only preserves the former home of the founding father but also honors the legacy of the enslaved and free individuals who lived and worked there.”
- February 2025 –American Ancestors Magazine published original research by JHC about the enslaved family of Caesar Valentine who lived, worked and were buried somewhere on the original 400-acre Jay Farm.
- March 2025 –Attended American Revolution 250 gathering in Albany with Senator Shelley Mayer.
- March 2025 – Original research about the founders of Rye’s African American Cemetery and St. Frances AME Zion Church published in the Westchester County Historical Society’s magazine The Westchester Historian. Research connects local Black history to history of the Jay Estate and Boston Post Road Historic District.
- March – Present 2025 – Over 180 volunteers have tended gardens with Horticultural Director Lucia Maestro. Maestro applied for and received significant grants from Lower Hudson Partnership for Invasive Species Management (LHPRISM). Collaborated with Westchester County Parks to manage highly invasive five-leaf aralia straddling the Jay Estate and Marshlands Conservancy to protect habitat. Volunteers included members of the Mamaroneck High School National Honor Society, the Larchmont Temple, the Clark Scholars of Manhattanville and many more.
- April 2025 – In partnership with the African American Men of Westchester (AAMW), JHC announced the inaugural Purdy-Bell Fellow, Chase Gray. Chase was selected to confer with historians both on-site and virtually and research an original 19th century ledger donated by Carol Ubosi that gives a window into the lives of the Charles Purdy Family of Harrison.
- April 2025 – Two Pierrepont family paintings by the noted artist Henry Inman, of Hezekiah Beers Pierrepont and his wife were donated to JHC by Pierrepont descendants. Pierrepont was a key investor in Robert Fulton’s steam ferry service, accurately predicting the suburbanization that would result from connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn in 1814.
- April 2025 – The Jay Estate was selected as one of six best parks and preserves for walking by Westchester Magazine.
- May 2025 – Recommended by NY State Parks Office of Historic Preservation for a grant, JHC completed a $165,000 NY Parks & Trails project installing ADA paths in the Jay Estate Gardens for expanded access.
- June 2025 – JHC hosted three major environmental events including the signing of a new bipartisan Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan (CCMP) to protect Long Island Sound. Attendees included representatives from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Long Island Sound Partnership (LISP), Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), US EPA Planning; Senator Shelley B. Mayer; Assemblyman Steve Otis; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton; CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes; US EPA Administrators Mark Sanborn and Mike Martucci, Congressmen Tom Suozzi, George Latimer and Jim Himes.
- June 2025 – JHC was selected for a $2500 grant by the Heritage Rose Foundation.
- July 2025 – Added new maps by illustrator Nate Padavik to outdoor kiosks for visitor orientation at the Jay Estate and the surrounding Boston Post Road Historic District, Westchester County’s only National Historic Landmark District (NHLD)
- July 2025 – Submitting years of supporting data entries, JHC applied to have the Jay Estate added to the New York State Birding Trail. JHC’s deliberate and patient restoration of habitat has resulted in an increase of sightings of ospreys, bald eagles, herons, hummingbirds, red tailed hawks, indigo buntings and more. One birding fan explained that the Jay Estate is the best place to birdwatch and walk her dog at the same time.
- July – Present – Vegetables harvested from our garden beds are donated to Meals on Main in Port Chester to help address food insecurities of area families.
- July 2025 – This year’s Jay Fellow, Caitlin Solis, was selected to research mutual aid societies in Black Westchester including the True Reformers of Mamaroneck – her findings will be presented later this fall.
- August 2025 – Charity Navigator confirmed JHC’s 4-star rating again. This independent evaluation looks at financial responsibility and much more. Kudos to JHC’s Treasurer Tim Yates and the Executive and Finance Committees.
- September 2025 – JHC was awarded $75,000 from the Catherine “K. K.” Auchincloss Fund for Creativity for children’s architecture and horticulture programs and workshops. Other recipients have included the Baryshnikov Arts Center.
- September 2025 – JHC installed its second fine art exhibit in the Jay Estate Gardens. This exhibition by noted artist Spanish-American artist Jorge Otero-Pailos is titled Analogue Sites and is on view through November 1. Timed to open for Hispanic Heritage Month, it celebrates John Jay’s legacy as a diplomat and nation builder.
- September 2024-2025 – Visitation has grown to almost 40,000 visitors per year. This includes hundreds of lower school and middle school children and summer campers from Rye, Port Chester, Mamaroneck and New Rochelle.
- Notable speakers included Joanne Freeman, Lindsay Chervinsky, Andrew Revkin, Julie Seely, Joseph McGill Jr., Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey and Tracey Baptiste.
- JHC welcomed 3 new Trustees – Nate Bagnaschi, Katherine Ernest and Johanna Schwab – and 3 new Advisory Board Members – Liz Clasquin Alessi, Carol Smith Ubosi and George Harmon.
- September 2025 – JHC’s annual fundraiser (the Jay Soirée, a few photos below) and friendraiser (Jay Day) were both highly successful and engaged hundreds of new supporters. Expanded offerings at Jay Day included carriage rides through the meadow and an artisans marketplace with 18 vendors.
WACHENHEIM CENTER CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Construction at the Wachenheim Center has commenced and the building will be closed through 2026. Staff offices have been moved to the Jay Mansion. JHC continues to coordinate with award-winning architects from Beyer Blinder Belle to help guide decisions. In Phase I, the team of 53 Restorations have begun stripping years of soot and blackened shellac from the mahogany ceilings of the Wachenheim Center, revealing the original color which is a deep auburn. They have milled replacement cornice trim where damage occurred over the years. They have also freed two pairs of interior pocket doors which will be restored to working order and allow flexibility to hold two separate events simultaneously in one space.
