Abijah Morgan House

Introduction

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The Abijah Morgan House, which is the oldest house in Bronxville, New York, was believed to have been built as early as 1788 but was certainly standing by 1811. The home has been the residence to multiple owners. Some distinguished owners include Paulus Hedl, an artisan of uncommon skills, Robert Masterson’s family, the late Judge Syme, and Abijah Morgan, for whom the home is named. Abijah Morgan is a veteran who served as lieutenant and captain during the War of 1812. This is where Jonathan Regiment mustered on the morning of September 13, 1812 under the command of Captain Lawrence Davenport of New Rochelle. This house was added to the Westchester County Inventory of Historic Places for its role in the War of 1812.

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Abijah Morgan house

Backstory and Context

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Abijah Morgan (1783-1869) was the most prominent owner of the Abijah Morgan House. Morgan's official occupation was opperating a marble quarry a few miles away from his home. He worked in the district of Tuckahoe, in an area now known as Marbledale Road, with his partners Francis Kain and, later, Alexander Masterson. Morgan also had several political positions including serving as Assessor and Damage Viewer for the town of Eastchester, Overseer of Highways, Town Supervisor, Commissioner of Highways, and Trustee of Town Property. Most notably, Morgan had an extensive military service record. During the War of 1812 Morgan served first as Ensign and then as Lieutenant and Captain.

On September 13, 1812, when Abijah Morgan and his wife Jane Underhill Morgan were living in the Abijah Morgan House with their two sons, troops were mustered on the property ready to fight the War of 1812. The 64 drafted men were mustered together at the house of Ensign Abijah Morgan, marched from there to the village of Yonkers where they received their equipment from the arsenal. The troops encamped on Dyde’s parade and crossed the ferry at Brooklyn, where the Regiment was organized.

The house is also notable for its architecture. In the earliest official record, from October 25, 1760, the farmhouse was a one story with an attic. There was a secret staircase behind a panel in the fireplace wall that connected the two floors. By the 18th century the west portion was added, with the east portion being added twenty to thirty years later. In 1935, architect Lewis Bowman designed an addition to the house.

Sources

Silverman, Francine. "Abijah Morgan house breathes history." In Person (Bronxville) October 27th 1988. .A1.
Albee, Allison. Westchester County Historical Society . The Quarterly Bulletin. Published October 1st 1954.
Abijah Morgan House, The Bronxville Historical Conservancy. January 1st 1999. Accessed December 20th 2020. https://bronxvillehistoricalconservancy.org/events/abijah-morgan-house/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Bronxville Historical Conservancy