John Jay Homestead

During 27 years of service to his state and nation, John Jay looked forward to the day when he would retire with his wife and family to "the house on my farm in Westchester County ..."

The land his farm occupied was purchased from the Indian Sachem, Katonah, in 1703, by Jay's maternal grandfather, Jacobus Van Cortlandt. By 1782, John had acquired, by inheritance and purchase, 900 acres of this tract.

Of all the Founding Fathers, no other filled so many high offices. John Jay served the nation as President of the Continental Congress, was Minister to Spain during the Revolution and Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation. He was author and key negotiator, with Benjamin Franklin and john Adams, of the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolution, and was appointed first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by President George Washington.

Friends of John Jay Homestead: The Friends group was organized in 1977 to provide a source of private funding for projects at the Homestead. The Friends have sponsored numerous events and educational programs, supported preservation projects such as the restoration of the school house and potting sheds, purchased reproduction fabrics and carpets and provided for the development of a site herb garden. Membership is open to all who are interested in the preservation of the site.