Hamilton Grange National Monument
Alexander Hamilton built this Federal-style house in 1801 as a country retreat, back when this part of Northern Manhattan was still farmland. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer commanding views from the hilltop location.
The neat row houses on the streets around the house were built in the early 20th century on land Hamilton once owned.
George Washington camped out here briefly, using the house at his headquarters during the Revolutionary War.
Washington used the mansion again a few years later for the very first presidential cabinet meeting, which included both Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and lifelong rival Aaron Burr.
Park Rangers give hourly tours, but because of Hamilton’s new superstar status, reservations are absolutely required.
If you just show up, you are unlikely to get inside, even to visit the gift shop. But the surrounding park is lovely.
- Hamilton Grange National Memorial is at 141st St. and Convent Ave., just north of CUNY.
SEE ALSO
Where else to see Hamilton in NYC
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Edgar Allan Poe Cottage
Built in 1812 in what was then the village of Fordham, just off what is now the Grand Concourse, this white clapboard house is typical of the working-class homes in the area at the time.
Poet Edgar Allan Poe, his wife, and mother-in-law, moved into the cottage in 1842 when it was still “the country”.
He hoped the clear country air would help cure Mrs. Poe’s tuberculosis. It didn’t, and she died a few years later.
Poe wrote some of his most famous works here, including “Annabel Lee,” “Eureka” and “The Bells.”
In 1913, the New York Shakespeare Society raised enough funds to save the house from destruction.
Poe Cottage, as its usually called, is especially popular to visit around Halloween.
- The house is part of the Historic House Trust and is administered by the Bronx Historical Society.
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