Morris-Jumel MansionElie Stevenson | Katherine Lee

History• Built in 1765, Morris-Jumel Mansion is Manhattan’s oldest house,

built as a country home for British Colonel, Roger Morris and his wife Mary Philipse

• George Washington took up the house as his headquarters in September and October of 1776, taking advantage of the strategic views of Harlem, the Bronx, Manhattan, the Hudson, the southern harbor, and New Jersey

• In 1810 the house was purchased by a wine importer, Stephen Jumel, and his wife Eliza, who went on to marry US VP, Aaron Burr, upon the untimely death of Stephen Jumel in 1832

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The neighborhood

• Washington Heights• Currently predominately Latin American

immigrants– Dominican– Puerto Rican

• Largely Spanish speaking• Lots of families

The interpretation

• Previously the house was interpreted primarily as the Morris mansion, focusing on the house’s role during the colonial era

• Currently, the house is interpreted in three distinct time periods:– The Morris Period– The Jumel Period– The Museum Period (post 1904)

The audience

Two Target audience groups:– Children/Schools

• Teachers• Classes

– Adults/Public Programs• Community members, new and old• Adults from a broader community

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Goals• Connect to the local community

– Get adults/parents interested– Make the museum Spanish friendly– Present low or no-cost programming to bring

in individuals from the community• PR outreach

– Get the name out– Provide appropriate educational and cultural

programming without excessive budget strain

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Possible role of technology

• Cell-phone based guided tour of the house• Digitized books• Touch screens with properly curated and

documented collection artifacts

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Gallery

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