The site of the Boston Post Road Historic District is the only National Historic Landmark District in Westchester. It has been historically significant since 8,000 BCE when the Wisconsin glacier receded from the area and exposed three knolls that formed the Long Island Sound. The glacial recession led to Paleo-Indian activity, as evidenced by Steatite vessel fragments and Vinette I pottery found during archaeological explorations of the area.European settlers first arrived in the Rye area in the 1600s, where they interacted with the Siwanoy people, who inhabited the land which they called Apwamis. Every autumn in the woods, the natives burnt portions of the woods to concentrate the local wildlife for hunting and foraging purpose, as the forests were flush with grapes, walnuts, chestnuts, oaks, and beech. The natives also hunted clam and oyster and left behind middens as evidence.Hunting and gathering in Apwamis ceased on November 8th, 1661, when John Budd purchased Apwamis at the price of 80 pounds sterling from Chief Shenorock and renamed the area Budd’s Neck. In 1669, Budd died and divided the land between his sons Joseph and John. In 1672, Richard Lounsberry purchased land on Budd’s Neck. The same year, King Charles II designated the Post Road, the first on the highway on continent. The road was originally constructed five rods wide in order to provide for efficient animal driving to the markets. In 1673, the road had its first post rider couriering mail between New York and Boston, and the recipient of the mail paid the postage on it depending on the distance traveled. In 1690, Lounsberry passed to Richard Lounsberry’s wife and eldest sons. Later in 1729, his grandson Isaac would inherit the land. By 1760, Lounsberry Farms was owned by Daniel Purdy, who passed it on to his son.Joseph Budd (son of original John Budd?), who was known as “Captain Budd,” obtained a patent for the land on Budd’s Neck in 1720. The land was inherited by his son John, who sold it on March 26th, 1745, to Peter Jay, who renamed it The Locusts. He and his family moved to the property in March of 1746 because he did wanted to protect his two children, blinded as a result of smallpox from “the dangers and confusions of the city life.” The Post Road had mile tombstone markers added in 1753 in a system devised by Ben Franklin. The 24th mile marker from New York City was placed right in front of the Jay House. Later, in 1772, the first stagecoach between New York and Boston ran along the post road.In 1776, due to British presence in the area, the Jay family evacuated The Locusts and fled to Fishkill, NY. Peter and Mary, however, would die before they were able to return to the Locusts. Peter Jay’s son, known as Blind Peter, inherited the property in 1783 and utilized it for farming and horse breeding. That same year, George Washington toured the Post Road on his inaugural tour, stating in his diary that the condition of the road was both “pretty good” and “very bad”.The 19th Century would bring the most change to the Boston Post Road Historic District. After Blind Peter’s death in 1813, John Jay inherited the property and had his eldest son administer it. Two years later in 1815, John Jay established the Jay Cemetery, which is the oldest functioning private cemetery in New York State. On September 16th, 1822, John Jay conveyed the property to Peter Augustus Jay; John would later die seven years later in 1829. In 1838, Peter Jay built the Greek Revival house that exists on the property today. The new home was renamed Alansten. In 1843, Peter Augustus Jay died and conveyed the property to Dr. John Clarkson Jay. In 1891, John Clarkson Jay died, with his family electing to rent out the Jay House until they later sold it in 1904 for $300,000.In 1831, Edward Lamb Parsons purchased the neighboring Lounsberry Farms for a sum of $5,500. In 1836 Parsons enlarged an existing house into a high style Greek Revival home. A year after completion, Edward died suddenly on his return from a business trip in England. Lounsbury has remained in the Parsons family almost without interruption to the present day. In 1854, Whitby was built by William Chapman in a Gothic Revival design made by the notable architect Alexander Jackson Davis. Chapman held the property until the 1870s when it was sold to Joseph Park, the co-founder of Park &amp; Tilford Grocers. In 1920, Whitby was sold, and the house was incorporated into the private Rye Country Club. In 1965, Rye Country Club and Whitby were acquired by the City of Rye and converted into a public golf course which is still in use today.After purchasing the Jay estate in 1906, Warner Van Norden added a Carriage House and a barn for zebras on the property. He also imported rare Grevey Zebras. He sold Jay Estate in 1911 to Edgar Palmer who conveyed the estate to his daughter, Zilph Devereux. In 1966 and 1967, Zilph Devereux donated the Jay Estate and 23 acres of land around it to the United Methodist Church on the condition that they are not to be developed. She gave an additional 120 acres to Westchester County for conservation efforts, which is now the Marshlands Conservancy. The remaining 14 acres of her land was sold to developers, which turned into 22 residencies. In 1973 the fate of the Jay Estate was in question when Diane Millstein’s development company acquired it and sparked an effort to save the estate from redevelopment. This effort resulted in The Boston Post Road Historic District being listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Despite this, Millstein’s development company purchased Jay Estate for $1.075 million in 1983. After many negotiations, Westchester County purchased the Jay Property for $11.5 million in 1992, creating the Jay Heritage Center which included the Jay House, the Carriage House, and one and a half acres of land.In 1987, Fanny Parsons donated Lounsberry to the city of Rye on her death, but the city was unable to find a non-profit willing to manage the property, so they sold it David Parsons the grandson of Edward Parsons. In 1993, the Boston Post Road Historic District designation was elevated to a National Historic Landmark, which is given to the most important historic sites in the United States.  This entry was revised by Dylan Pirone on Sept. 30th, 2021

The only National Historic Landmark District in Westchester County, the Boston Post Road Historic District includes three 19th-century mansions (Jay Heritage Center, Lounsbury and Whitby) and Marshlands Conservancy. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, it was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1993.

Edward Lamb Parsons purchased property on the Post Road in 1831 to construct his family home which he named Lounsberry. The house was designed in the Greek Revival style with an entrance portico with Ionic capitals. The first floor contains 9x9 double-hung windows flanked by Black shutters. On the second floor there are 6x6 windows also with Black shutters, and a third story entablature on top. Several additions have been made to the building since its original construction date of 1838, with most being done during the ownership of James Hewitt Parsons.These additions made by James included a pantry and conservatory in 1867, a one-story service wing sometime before 1869, an addition to the conservatory in 1879 that added a second story, and the library wing in 1890. Also on site are: a one-story gardener’s cottage constructed in 1874, a carriage house and stable built in 1859, an outbuilding which has been utilized as storage since 1870, the poultry and wood house outbuilding, constructed in 1858, and a greenhouse, which was the second to be constructed on the property in 1946, replacing its predecessor.The name of the estate derives from one of Rye's earliest settlers, Richard Lounsberry, who settled the area as early as 1672. The Lounsberry land passed through his will in 1690 to his wife and eldest sons, then to his grandson Issac in 1729. Around the year 1760, the Lounsberry farm was owned by Daniel Purdy, then passed down to his son. The property changed hands to the Delancey family, who later sold it to the Chadwick family, and then to the Parsons family. Edward Lamb Parsons bought the 37-acre property for $5,500 around May or June 1831, with a further purchase of 16.5 acres at $2,175 on Turnpike Road in April 1836. The home was constructed by 1838, however Edward died suddenly in 1839 upon returning from a business trip in England. The Parsons family held the property until 1850, selling it to the Talbot family, who would later sell it back to James Hewitt Parsons for $17,500.Some notable members of the Parsons family included John Edward Parsons, who graduated New York University in 1848 and became a lawyer. He worked as a lawyer for 60 years and helped to found and administer the New York City Bar Association. After his death in 1915, Herbert Parsons inherited Lounsberry; he was a New York City district representative for the Republican Party from 1905-1911. After his death in 1925, his brother John II and his wife Fanny resided on the property. Fanny later donated the property to both the county and the city of Rye at her death in 1987. The City of Rye was unable to find a suitable non-profit to convert the property into a museum, so they sold it to David Parsons, the great grandson of Edward.

Located within the Boston Post Road Historic District, Lounsberry is one of two neighboring houses designed in the Greek Revival style. Built for Edward Lamb Parsons in 1838, the residence has continued to serve as the home of the Parsons family for generations. One of the primary features of the Lounsberry house is the giant-order columned portico with capitals in the Ionic order, a staple of the Greek Revival style. On the facade of the house are lower and upper story windows divided by pilasters with Black shutters on a light gray exterior. The Boston Post Road Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in 1982.

Lounsberry

Whitby Castle is located in the Boston Post Road Historic District. The home was completed in 1854 by William P. Chapman, who was a stock and commodity broker in New York City. Chapman had seen his neighbors Greek Revival houses so he hired architect, Alexander Jackson Davis to design him a home in the Gothic Revival style.Compared to the other houses in the Boston Post Road Historic District, Whitby is a stark contrast to the Greek Revival style seen in Lounsberry. To quote Gray Williams from his book Picturing our Past, "The house, completed in 1854, contrasted dramatically with the neoclassical mansions next to it. It was constructed of dark local stone, and its trim was painted in rich earth tones. Instead of a tall, pillared front entrance, it had a single-story, arched porte-cochère. Most conspicuously both its structure and its ornament were drawn from medieval England, not from Ancient Greece." Along with these aesthetic differences, Whitby was designed with a tall tower typical of the Gothic Revival style.In the 1870s Chapman sold the 40 acre Whitby estate to Joseph Park. By 1920, Whitby had been adapted as the City of Rye Golf Club. The Golf Club includes a Caretakers House, Pool House, golf cart garage, and a maintenance building.There are several examples of architect Alexander Jackson Davis works in Westchester County. In 1838, Davis designed Lyndhurst in Tarrytown for the Mayor of New York, William Paulding, also in the Gothic Revival style. Davis also worked in many other styles including classical and Italianate, and there are examples of his work throughout the United States.

Whitby Castle, located in Rye, New York, was completed in 1854. The home was originally built for William P. Chapman, who was a stock and commodity broker in New York City. Whitby was designed by noted 19th century architect, Alexander Jackson Davis. Whitby received its name after the ruined medieval abbey in North Yorkshire, England.

Whitby Castle from the front of the building

Whitby

Bordering the Long Island Sound near the Parsons Estate and United Methodist Center is the Marshlands Conservancy, which has existed as a nature preserve since 1967. The property’s main features consist of open grasslands, tidal wetlands, and woodlands that host evergreen and deciduous trees of varying species. Besides flora, the conservancy serves as a residence to fauna on the shoreline, which is rich in marine life. The only building on campus is a small one-room block building that serves as the visitor’s center. This building hosts exhibits or holds audiences for programs with the staff naturalist. The marshlands are home to many species of birds, such as the yellow-crowned night heron. This bird only has two known colonies in New York State. Other species habiting in the marshlands are green-backed heron, Canada geese, mallards, and other species, which use the grounds as a migratory stop throughout the year.The Marshlands Conservancy and the surrounding area also contain evidence of pre-historic habitation, as well as Paleo-Indian activity, discovered through archeology within the district. These discoveries can be dated to the retreat of the Wisconsin glaciers from the area between 12,000 and 8,000 BCE that led to both environmental instability and the arrival of the Paleo-Indian population. Steatite vessel fragments and Vinette I pottery were found.The Conservancy was formed in 1967, when Zilph Palmer Devereux donated 120 acres to Westchester County in November of 1966. She made this donation under several conditions: that the land would be retained by the county and only used as a nature preserve for 50 years; that it would be properly maintained by the county; that access would be permanently restricted to Westchester County residents so long as the land was designated a preserve (though appropriate arrangements for non-County residents/persons and/or groups interested in conservation could also be made); and that no marina or bridge would not be allowed to operate for 25 years within a half-mile radius from the eastern or western lines of the property. In December of 1977, Fanny Wickes Parsons made the second smaller donation of 17 acres under the same provisions as Devereux’s donation.

Located in Rye, NY, the Marshlands Conservancy is a sharp contrast to the other historic sites within the Boston Post Road Historic District. The district contains two architectural jewels: Lounsberry, the Parsons estate, and the Jay Estate. Despite the lack of architectural features, the 147-acre nature preserve has important historical significance, as well as, natural amenities such as walking trails and many different varieties of birds and other fauna and flora. The Conservancy, now administered by Westchester County Parks, owes its existence to two donations by Zilph Palmer Devereux (120 acres), and Fanny Wickes Parsons (17 acres).

Marshlands Conservancy

The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) in Rye, New York, dedicated to one of America’s Founding Fathers, is managed by an non profit organization that was incorporated in 1990. The JHC serves as the steward of the 23-acre Jay Estate, home to John Jay, the first Chief Justice and second Governor of New York, for the first 15 years of his life. A part of the Boston Road Historical District, the site is considered to be the cornerstone of the historic district.  After purchasing the property in Rye, Peter Jay, the father of John Jay, built the house in 1745. Son John Jay, living in Bedford at the time, inherited the house from his brother Peter Jr., in 1810. Peter Augustus Jay, the eldest son of John, would then inherit the property. He proceeded to tear down the original house and build the current mansion as his summer home at a cost of $14,700 in 1836-38. It was an impressive home that was symbolic of the owners increasing wealth and power. In 1904, the property would leave the Jay family's possession. The land would be bought and sold numerous times. Beginning in 1979, threats of development left the property's future unknown. Among the plans discussed was one that called for razing everything to make way for 32 new houses. Another proposal envisioned keeping the historic buildings intact and erecting 66 condominiums. In 1986, the Jay Coalition, a precursor to the Jay Heritage Center, was born. Aided by government officials, they forged an agreement to buy and save the site. Today, 21.5 acres are held jointly as protected parkland by the state and Westchester County, while 1.5 acres and the historic buildings are owned by the Center, which has stewardship over the full property. The Jay Heritage Center is also responsible for historic preservation, environmental stewardship, archaeology, archives, and research of the area. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, it would later be elevated to the status of a National Historic Landmark in 1993.

The Jay Heritage Center is a non-profit group dedicated to preserving the memory and childhood home of John Jay, a Founding Father, in Rye, New York.

From Jay’s birth in 1745, until he enrolled at King’s College at 15, his home in Rye served as the catalyst for his later success in politics and law, notably serving as the first Chief Justice and second Governor of New York.

The Jay Heritage Center is also responsible for historic preservation, environmental stewardship, archaeology, archives, and research.

Regarded as the centerpiece of the Boston Road Historical District, it joined its other historical locations within the district when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The District would then be elevated to the status of a National Historic Landmark in 1993.

Jay Heritage Center

District Plaque, Present at Jay Heritage Center

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