The Van Cortlandt House Museum

The Van Cortlandt House Museum, a city and national landmark built in 1748, is the Bronx's oldest building and a fine example of 18th-century Georgian architecture. The Van Cortlandts quickly established a working plantation here, farming in the fields surrounding their home and operating a grist mill on Van Cortlandt Lake.

During the Revolutionary War, the 2 ½ story fieldstone house was behind British lines, but several military commanders on both sides used the home, including Rochambeau, Lafayette, and Washington. In 1783, George Washington stayed here the night before his triumphant return to New York City to reclaim the land from the departing British.

Malcolm Pinckney

When the area became parkland in 1888, the home fell into disrepair. In 1897, the National Society of Colonial Dames took possession of the property and created the Museum, making it the fourth established house museum in the nation, the second in the state, and the first in the City.