Philipse Manor Hall Blog

Did Americans celebrate Valentine's Day in the 18th Century? Well, sort of! Dating back to the Romans mid-February was a time for fertility and romance, and during the Medieval period of the Feast of St. Valentine took on new meaning.

If you’re familiar with Westchester historic sites, you’ve probably heard of our friends at Philipsburg Manor. Located in Sleepy Hollow, NY, Philipsburg Manor was known in the period as the “Upper Mills,” to differentiate it from the “Lower Mills” in Yonkers, where Philipse Manor Hall is located...

When the Dutch colony of New Netherland was formed in 1614, there were already Jews living in the New World. Learn about early Jewish colonists, including the Gomez, Levy, and Hays families and their connections to the Philipses.

Did the Philipses celebrate Thanksgiving? Not like we do today. Thanksgiving as we know it is largely an invention of the 19th century. But the foods we associate with Thanksgiving today were not unfamiliar to the Philipses or other families in Colonial New York.

Welcome to Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site's Virtual Wing and Blog! The Virtual Wing was created as part of the brand new "Our Whole History" exhibit, connecting the century of Philipse family history at this site to the confluence of cultures in Colonial New York, Westchester County, and at