A Visit to Hamilton's House - Hamilton Grange NM

Did you know Hamilton lived in Harlem?  I don't think many people did, until Hamilton the Musical, encouraged them to pay attention.  Hamilton Grange National Memorial was Alexander Hamilton's "country" home in Harlem.  He bought land and built the house for his family to escape the Yellow Fever epidemics that plagued lower Manhattan.  The house has been moved twice and is now maintained by The National Park Service. 

Located on W. 141st St. in St. Nicholas Park and very close to The City College of NY, the house is open Wednesday-Sunday and offers guided tours each day along with a self-guided option in the afternoon.  Their website says they can be very busy, and to call ahead for tours.  On a rainy December morning, we had no problem, walking in right at 11am and joining the tour.

The ranger took us upstairs to the first floor to begin the tour, and started in the foyer, where guests would have entered the house.  The front stairway had been removed while they were repairing the front of the house.  We toured the study, dining room, and parlor on the first floor, but the second floor is not open for tours.  The tour included lots of interesting stories and about Hamilton and his family and was very interesting.

Along with the tour, there's an informational video and a small display in the visitor's center.

I think it's pretty amazing that the house still exists at all.  After Hamilton's death, some friends helped Eliza buy the house, so that she and her children would have a place to live.  And then the house was saved from demolition and moved because it was in the middle of the future W. 143rd St. and then moved again by the NPS in 2008.