William Floyd Estate

Yesterday, we visited the William Floyd Estate. See here for more details:

http://www.nps.gov/fiis/planyourvisit/williamfloydestate.htm

It is only a couple of minutes bike ride away from the house, and I wake up each morning looking out across the southernmost part of the estate. William Floyd was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence: however, his family owned the estate, and the house, for many generations, until it was donated to the National Parks a few years ago.

The house is a "preservation", rather than a restoration. That means it is being maintained in the same style as when it was donated. It's a very interesting mix of both architecture and furnishings: some of the rooms date from the 1700's, but there's also a diswasher from the 1970's (or maybe a little later). And it's not all about William Floyd, but the whole family, several generations who lived there, farmed there, or who used the house and estate as a summer and holiday haven. The house has 25 rooms of various shapes, sizes, and heights. We were even able to visit the attic, which has proven to be a treasure-trove of items for the house and museum. (The wire bustles hanging from the rafters just one example.)

Yes, there are places in the USA that date from the 17th century--it still surprises me, and I think this is one of the big differences between east and west coasts.

Now I have to visit the Manor of St George, just off the William Floyd Parkway, south of Neighborhood Road.

http://brookhavensouthhaven.org/st_george_manor.htm