MID HUDSON

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site

https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/17/details.aspx

84 Liberty Street

Newburgh, NY 12551-1476

Hours: mid-April to October, Wednesday through Saturday, 11 AM – 5 PM; Sunday, 1 PM - 5 PM; November to mid-April, Fridays and Saturdays 11 AM - 3 PM

Phone: (845) 562-1195

 

Historical Description:

The Washington's Headquarters' property was originally home to Jonathan and Tryntje Hasbrouck before it was occupied by General George Washington from April 1782 August 1783. The widowed Tryntje Hasbrouck rented out the house to General Washington, and from here he managed the affairs of the Main Army until the end of the war. Washington was the creator of the Badge of Military Merit, the forerunner of the Purple Heart, presented here to three enlisted soldiers in 1783. From here, he issued his order on April 19, 1783, for a "cessation of hostilities," bringing to a close to eight years of hostilities with the British.

 

The Site:

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site, the first publicly operated historic site in the nation, is located in Newburgh. The headquarters is situated within 445-acres of historic land in Newburgh's East End Historic District. Also on the site is Museum Building, built in 1910, where muskets, personal items of the Washingtons, a section of the West Point boom, and one of the original Badges of Military Merit are on exhibit. Architect John Duncan's Tower of Victory, built in 1887-88 to commemorate the end of the War of Independence and the peace that followed, rises above the Hudson River to its east.

Research Patron: Barnabas McHenry