A Brief Visit to Dey Mansion, Wayne, NJ

Yesterday, very early in the morning (just after getting off from my overnight shift, in fact), I was passing by Wayne, New Jersey, when I saw a banner for "Historic Dey Mansion," which they also referred to as "Washington's Headquarters." Having some free time on my hands, and with the temperatures still pleasantly cool at that early morning hour (it was not yet seven in the morning on a day that was supposed to be an absolute scorcher), it seemed like it would be a good idea to pay a visit. 

Indeed, from July 1 - 29th of 1780, and again from October 9th thru November 27th of the same year, George Washington had his headquarters here. The building indeed looks like an old mansion from Colonial times, complete with s small formal gardens just outside. There is a golf course right next to the place, which I have admittedly mixed feelings about. Still, at least that means that the surroundings are green and appear more or less rural and even pastoral, at least at first glance. In other words, it actually enhances the sense of stepping back in time, to catch a glimpse of those Colonial times, when Washington and the army of American rebels were still righting for independence from Great Britain. 

It was beautiful there. And it also made me wonder why I never took my son here. That is something I hope to remedy in the not to distant future. That said, I did take him to Washington's Headquarters in Morristown, not too far away, and probably more famous. Probably larger, too. Dey Mansion - so named because it belonged to Colonel Theunis Dey, is not a National Park like the one in Morristown. However, it has made it onto both the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

There is something to be said about Dey Mansion, and the buildings and grounds surrounding it, which indeed to help to make this feel really like you are catching a rare glimpse of what the country might have looked like almost two and a half centuries ago now.

So I took these pictures below, while the place was mostly empty. In fact, I was the only one there for perhaps a good half an hour, and then, there was only one other person. The pictures came out nicely, especially the ones which were taken while there was still early morning fog (in my opinion). So I thought that they would be worth sharing here. Enjoy!