Alexander Macomb was an Irish-born American merchant and land speculator. He built the four-story city house on the west side of Broadway in 1786&ndash;1788. Macomb leased it to the French Minister Plenipotentiary, the Comte de Moustier, who occupied it until his return to Paris in early 1790.'It was one of a block of three houses erected in 1787 and was four stories and an attic high, with a width of fifty-six feet. From the rear of the main rooms glass doors opened onto a balcony giving an uninterrupted view of the Hudson River. On entering, one found a large hall with a continuous flight of stairs to the top of the house. On each side of the hall were spacious, high-ceilinged rooms, used for the levees and dinners and always referred to by Washington as "public rooms."'

President Washington purchased furniture, mirrors and draperies from the departing Minister with his own money, including American-made furniture in the French style. Some of these items survive at Mount Vernon and elsewhere.The presidential household functioned with a staff of about 20, composed of wage workers, indentured servants and enslaved servants. Slavery was legal in New York, and Washington brought 7 enslaved Africans from Mount Vernon to work in his presidential household.

In 1821, the Macomb House was converted into Bunker's Mansion House Hotel: "Bunker's Mansion House, a famous hotel, was situated at No. 39 Broadway, and was a large double-brick house, erected in 1786 by General Alexander Macomb as a residence for himself. It was a most comfortable and well-conducted hotel, and was patronized largely by Southern families. Bunker, who was noted for his affability to his customers, grew rich rapidly, and eventually sold the property and retired from business."In 1861, Daniel Huntington painted a fanciful depiction of the interior. "Mr. Huntington has in his famous painting of the Republican Court made the Macomb home on Broadway the background of his picture. This was a much more commodious house, to which the President and his family removed in the spring of 1790."

 In 1939, the Daughters of the Revolution erected a bronze plaque at 39 Broadway. 

 At 39&ndash;41 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, New York City, served as the second U.S. Presidential Mansion. President George Washington occupied it from February 23 to August 30, 1790, during New York City's two-year term as the national capital. 

&lt;p&gt;"Site of second presidential mansion occupied by General George Washington, February 23 to August 30, 1790_LOC&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This tablet placed by Colonial Chapter (N.Y.) Daughters of the Revolution, 1939"&lt;/p&gt; 

 George Washington occupied the Alexander Macomb House until the capital was finally moved to Philadelphia.  

2nd Presidential Mansion

The tab comes from a farewell party Washington's troops threw him in 1787, just days before he and the rest of the crew signed off on the Constitution. The celebration was held at Philly's historic City Tavern. They celebrated the signing of the Constitution and Washington being elected as the first president of the newly independent country by racking up a $17,253 tab. The receipt for the night was saved in the First Troop Cavalry archives. The party had roughly 55 guests, which included troops, politicians, friends, and family &mdash; along with 16 more people who were working that night, including musicians, servers, and hosts. Here's what George and 54 of his closest friends consumed in one crazy night:54 bottles of Madeira 60 bottles of claret 22 bottles of porter 12 bottles of beer 8 bottles of hard cider 8 bottles of Old Stock (a.k.a. colonial whiskey) 7 large bowls of spiked punchThe bill also includes a tab for many broken glasses, which, adjusted for inflation, equals about $300 worth of reimbursements. The final bill came out to &pound;89 and 4 schillings &mdash; or roughly $17,253 in 2018 dollars.

City Tavern Restaurant

Washington's ran up a £89 tab at his Farewell Dinner

 George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States. He delivered his first inaugural address to a joint session of Congress, assembled in Federal Hall in the nation's new capital, New York City. 

Federal Hall National Memorial

1st Presidential Inauguration

George Washington's second inaugural address remains the shortest ever delivered, at just 135 words.Fellow Citizens: I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its Chief Magistrate. When the occasion proper for it shall arrive, I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of united America. Previous to the execution of any official act of the President the Constitution requires an oath of office. This oath I am now about to take, and in your presence: That if it shall be found during my administration of the Government I have in any instance violated willingly or knowingly the injunctions thereof, I may (besides incurring constitutional punishment) be subject to the upbraidings of all who are now witnesses of the present solemn ceremony.

 The inauguration marked the commencement of the second four-year term of George Washington as president and of John Adams as vice president. The presidential oath of office was administered to George Washington by Associate Justice William Cushing. This was the first inauguration to take place in Philadelphia (then the nation's capital), and took place exactly four years after the new federal government began operations under the U.S. Constitution. 

 Senate Chamber

2nd Presidential Inauguration

George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, which occurred on the night of December 25&ndash;26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a surprise attack organized by George Washington against Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey, on the morning of December 26. Planned in partial secrecy, Washington led a column of Continental Army troops across the icy Delaware River in a logistically challenging and dangerous operation. Other planned crossings in support of the operation were either called off or ineffective, but this did not prevent Washington from surprising and defeating the troops of Johann Rall quartered in Trenton. Following the battle in Trenton, the army crossed the river again back to Pennsylvania, this time laden with prisoners and military stores taken as a result of the battle. Washington's army then crossed the river a third time at the end of the year, under conditions made more difficult by the uncertain thickness of the ice on the river. They defeated British reinforcements under Lord Cornwallis at Trenton on January 2, 1777, and defeated his rear guard at Princeton on January 3, before retreating to winter quarters in Morristown, New Jersey. The unincorporated communities of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, and Washington Crossing, New Jersey, are named in honor of this event.

Washington crosses the Delaware River

The owner, Samuel Osgood, was a Massachusetts politician and lawyer, who settled in New York City. He married Maria Bowne Franklin, widow of Walter Franklin, the merchant who had built the house in 1770.The Samuel Osgood Papers, at the New York Historical Society, list purchases made to prepare the mansion for Washington occupancy. 'I went the morning before the General's arrival to look at it. The best of furniture in every room, and the greatest quantity of plate and china I ever saw; the whole of the first and second stories is papered and the floors covered with the richest kinds of Turkey and Wilton carpets. There is scarcely anything talked about now but General Washington and the Palace.'

Served as the first U.S. Presidential Mansion. It housed George Washington, his family, and household staff, from April 23, 1789, to February 23, 1790, during New York City's two-year term as the national capital. Congress rented it for Washington's use, and the President-Elect moved in a week before his April 30, 1789, inauguration as first President of the United States. In addition to living quarters, the Osgood House contained the President's private office (the equivalent of the Oval Office) and the public business office (the equivalent of the West Wing), making it the first seat of the executive branch of the federal government.The house was rented for one year at an annual rent of $845, but the president vacated it after ten months when a larger residence became available.Steward Samuel Fraunces, former owner of nearby Fraunces Tavern, managed a household staff of about 20: wage workers, indentured servants, and enslaved servants. Slavery was legal in New York, and Washington brought seven enslaved Africans from Mount Vernon to work in his presidential household.Soon after his inauguration, Washington became seriously ill with a tumor on his thigh (possibly caused by anthrax poisoning). Cherry Street was cordoned off to prevent his being disturbed.The Samuel Osgood Papers, at the New York Historical Society, list purchases made to prepare the mansion for Washington occupancy.

 The Osgood House was demolished in 1856. In 1899, the Daughters of the American Revolution marked its location with a bronze plaque, where Pearl Street crosses under the Brooklyn Bridge approach. 

 Also known as the Walter Franklin House, it was an eighteenth-century mansion at the northeast corner of what was Pearl and Cherry (today Dover) streets in what is now Civic Center, Manhattan, New York City. 

No. 1 Cherry St., Franklin Sq., under Brooklyn Bridge 

1st Presidential Mansion

The President, Directors and Company of the Bank of the United States, commonly known as the First Bank of the United States, was a national bank, chartered for a term of twenty years, by the United States Congress on February 25, 1791. It followed the Bank of North America, the nation's first de facto national bank. However, neither served the functions of a modern central bank: They did not set monetary policy, regulate private banks, hold their excess reserves, or act as a lender of last resort.They were national insofar as they were allowed to have branches in multiple states and lend money to the US government. Other banks in the US were each chartered by, and only allowed to have branches in, a single state. Establishment of the Bank of the United States was part of a three-part expansion of federal fiscal and monetary power, along with a federal mint and excise taxes, championed by Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton believed a national bank was necessary to stabilize and improve the nation's credit, and to improve handling of the financial business of the United States government under the newly enacted Constitution. The First Bank building, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, within Independence National Historical Park, was completed in 1797, and is a National Historic Landmark for its historic and architectural significance.

First Bank of the United States, Independence National Historical Park

The 1st Bank of the United States

An action of the American Revolutionary War at the western edge of Long Island in the present-day Brooklyn, New York. The British defeated the Americans and gained access to the strategically important Port of New York, which they held for the rest of the war. It was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, and in troop deployment and combat, it was the biggest battle of the war.

Battle of Long Island

 Kaplan discusses the Battle of Long Island, the disastrous American army defeat and their escape across the East River to Manhattan. New York City remains British until the end of the war, and NYC is struck by a fire on September 21, 1776. 

Everything was ready for the administration of the oath of office to the President of the new government, when it was discovered that a Holy Bible had not been provided on which the President-Elect could swear allegiance to the Constitution. Jacob Morton, who was Marshal of the parade, was standing close by. Seeing the dilemma they were in, he remarked that he could get the altar Bible of St. John`s Lodge where he was the Master, which met at the Old Coffee House on the corner of Water and Wall Streets. Chancellor Livingston begged him to do so. The Bible was brought, and the ceremony proceeded.

They may have taken more than a little artistic license with this scene a century later; Alexander Hamilton, for instance, was reported to have actually been viewing the ceremony from the window of his residence across the street at 33 Wall Street according to Edward Robb Ellis in the Epic of New York City.

George Washington Inaugural Bible

 Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally since 1789, with the first proclamation by President George Washington after a request by Congress. The Continental Congress, the legislative body that governed the United States from 1774 to 1789, issued several "national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving", a practice that was continued by presidents Washington and Adams under the Constitution, and has manifested itself in the established American observances of Thanksgiving and the National Day of Prayer today. As President, on October 3, 1789, George Washington made the proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America. On the day of thanksgiving, Washington attended services at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City, and donated beer and food to imprisoned debtors in the city. 

 In his proclamation, Washington declared that the necessity for such a day sprung from the Almighty&amp;rsquo;s care of Americans prior to the Revolution, assistance to them in achieving independence, and help in establishing the constitutional government. Not ignoring the authority of state governments, Washington distributed his proclamation to the governors, requesting that they announce and observe the day within their states. Newspapers throughout the country subsequently published the proclamation and public celebrations were held. Washington himself marked the day by attending services at St. Paul's Chapel in&amp;nbsp;New York City, and by donating beer and food to imprisoned debtors in the city.  

First Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day

After the British evacuated New York on November 25, Governor George Clinton hosted a party at the Tavern in honor of the British Evacuation of New York City and George Washington. Nine days after the last of the British troops left American soil, to thank them for their service and bid them an emotional farewell before returning home. The only first-hand account of the Farewell comes from The Memoirs of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, which Fraunces Tavern Museum has on display. He embraced each of the officers and said: With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you: I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy, as your former ones have been glorious and honorable.

&lt;p&gt;On December 4, 1783, nine days after the last British soldiers left American soil, George Washington invited the officers of the Continental Army to join him in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern to bid them farewell. The best-known account of this emotional parting comes from the Memoirs of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, written in 1830 and now in the collection of Fraunces Tavern Museum.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;George Washington shaking hands with an officer, among other officers of the Continental Army, as he bids them farewell in 1783, at the end of the American Revolution.&lt;/p&gt; 

Fraunces Tavern

Washington's farewell dinner at Fraunces Tavern

A sung-and-rapped-through musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The show draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&amp;B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers and other historical figures. Miranda described Hamilton as about "America then, as told by America now."From its opening, Hamilton received critical acclaim. It premiered Off-Broadway on February 17, 2015, at the Public Theater, with Miranda playing the role of Alexander Hamilton, where its several-month engagement was sold out. The musical won eight Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical. It then transferred to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, opening on August 6, 2015, where it received uniformly positive reviews and high box office sales. At the 70th Tony Awards, Hamilton received a record-breaking 16 nominations and won 11 awards, including Best Musical. It received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Public Theater

Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre)

Hamilton: An American Musical Opens

 Around 1699, de Peyster donated part of his garden for the construction of a new city hall. That building was later renamed Federal Hall, which briefly served as the first capitol of the United States, and the site of the first inauguration of George Washington as president. It was replaced in 1842 with the Greek Renaissance structure that stands there today. 

Federal Hall that you see today is actually the third building on this site. Originally, the building was New York`s second City Hall.George Washington gave the renovation project to Pierre L`Enfant who was then a young engineer on his staff as his first architectural commission. Washington was inaugurated on its balcony in 1789; the statue in front was installed for the 100-year commemoration.When the capital was moved to Washington DC, this building was constructed as the US Customs House in 1842 until that function was moved about 20 years later. The Treasury Department then used it to store some of the country`s gold and silver bullions until the Federal Reserve Bank was built.Around 1699, de Peyster donated part of his garden for the construction of a new city hall. That building was later renamed Federal Hall.&nbsp;

opens an engineering and architecture firm;&amp;nbsp; General Washington provides public commissions including the renovation of Federal Hall and the city plan for the nation&amp;rsquo;s new capital&amp;nbsp;  

The dome was originally intended to be coffered, as is common in classical architecture. Instead, a series of zigzag panels taper toward the central skylight,   contrasting with the geometric order of the rest of the interior. The panels are adorned with an Anthemion (palm leaf) motif, a common ornamental feature of Greek architecture borrowed from Egypt. Note also the ring of stone rosettes circling the skylight.   

The gilded iron balcony is among the most beautiful and intricate features of the rotunda interior. The lower portion (called the "skirt") is embellished with the same Anthemion motif as the dome. The female figure seen to the right in the above photo is called a caryatid, another common feature of Greek architecture that is decorative but also acts as structural support for the railing above. The remainder of the railing features a floral design  

The Sub-Treasury desks were arranged around the rotunda of the building.  

The original design called for a&amp;nbsp;colonnade&amp;nbsp;of eight columns facing Wall and Pine Streets, square&amp;nbsp;pilasters&amp;nbsp;on Nassau Street, a massive&amp;nbsp;coffered&amp;nbsp;dome protruding above the roof, and a cruciform floor plan.  

Consequently, a group called Federal Hall Memorial Associates was formed in 1939, raising money to prevent the building's demolition.&amp;nbsp;The building was designated as&amp;nbsp;Federal Hall Memorial National Historic Site&amp;nbsp;on May 26, 1939.  

 'On this site the United State in Congress Assembled on the 13th day of July in the Year of Our Lord 1787 and of their sovereignty and Independence the twelfth, enacted an Ordinance for the government of the territory north west of the River Ohio, by which it was dedicated forever to freedom. Under another Ordinance, passed here by the same body on the 27th day of the same month, Manasseh Cutler, acting for "The Ohio Company of Associates" an organization of soldiers of the Revolutionary Army, purchased from the Board of Treasury for settlement a portion of the waste and vacant land of the territory. On April 7th 1788 Rufus Putnam heading a party of forty eight began the first settlement at Marietta and on July 15th Arthur St. Clair as first Governor established civil government in the territory. From these beginnings sprang the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.'  

&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow-citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for brethren who have served in the field; and finally that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;mdash;Washington&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;Earnest Prayer&amp;rdquo; was written by him at Newburgh, New York, at the close of the Revolutionary War, and appeared in the Circular Letter Addressed to the Governors of all the States on the Disbanding of the Army, June 14, 1783 &lt;/p&gt; 

George Washington Statue, sculpture Henry Kirke Brown, assisted by John Quincy Adams Ward, July 4, 1856.

Union Square Timeline Medallion 11

Bartholdi sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, cast his Marquis de Lafayette statue in 1873. It was dedicated on July 4, 1876. Originally set facing the Washington statue, the work depicts Lafayette pledging his sword to the General.

Union Square Timeline Medallion 20

The July 9, 1776 reading of the Declaration of Independence in "the Fields," or City Hall Park by George Washington, incited a lively demonstration of support. A crowd proceeded down Broadway to Bowling Green Park and toppled the gilded equestrian statue of George III. The finials/ornaments at the top of the fence posts were also cut off. According to folklore, the statue was chopped up and shipped to a Connecticut foundry under the direction of Oliver Wolcott to be made into 42,088 patriot bullets at 20 bullets per pound (2,104.4 pounds). The statue's head was to have been paraded about town on pike-staffs but was recovered by Loyalists and sent to England. The King George III statue had been commissioned in 1766, along with a statue of William Pitt, from the prominent London sculptor Joseph Wilton, as a celebration of victory after the Seven Years' War. With the rapid deterioration of relations with Britain after 1770, the statue became a magnet for the Bowling Green protests. In 1773, the city passed an anti-graffiti and anti-desecration law to counter vandalism against the monument, and a protective cast-iron fence was built along the perimeter of the park; the fence is still extant, making it the city's oldest fence.The William Pitt Statue was toppled by the British in retaliation for the destruction of King George III's statue.

George III Statue toppled

This sculpture depicts the moment after President Washington took the oath of office, which he did at Federal Hall on Wall Street in 1789. The pedestal was designed by Richard Morris Hunt.

Overlooking the crowds filling Broad Street up to Wall Street.  

George Washington at Federal Hall

 November 25 marks the day in 1783 when the British Army departed from New York City on Manhattan Island, after the end of the American Revolutionary War. In their wake, General George Washington triumphantly led the Continental Army from his headquarters north of the city across the Harlem River, and south through Manhattan to the Battery at its southern tip. 

 On November 25, 1783, British troops left New York City &amp;ndash; the last American city to be occupied. This day would later be referred to as Evacuation Day. George Washington led his Continental Army in a parade from Bull&amp;rsquo;s Head Tavern in the Bowery to Cape&amp;rsquo;s Tavern on Broadway and Wall Street. New York Governor George Clinton&amp;rsquo;s Evacuation Day celebration was held at Fraunces Tavern. During the week of Evacuation Day, George Washington was in the City, and he made use of the Tavern by dining in and ordering take-out.  

Broadway &, Whitehall St, New York, 10004

Evacuation Day

 At Bowling Green, Kaplan talks about Evacuation Day, the departure of the British from New York City, and Charging Bull, a popular statue representing the spirit of Wall Street and American capitalism. 

 A marsh. A cemetery. A parade ground. A gathering spot for avant-garde artists. A battleground for chess enthusiasts. A playground for canines and children. Washington Square Park has served various roles for its community throughout the years, adapting to meet its needs. Well-known for its arch, honoring George Washington, the man for whom the park is named, and its fountain, the arch's elder by 43 years and a popular meeting spot, Washington Square Park also houses several other monuments and facilities. 

Washington Square Park

Colonel John Nixon read the document outside of Independence Hall.

The next day a copy of the was delivered to George Washington's headquarters at One Broadway.&nbsp;At 6pm that evening Washington ordered several of the city brigades to gather on the Common for a public reading of the declaration.&nbsp; “The General hopes this important event will serve as fresh incentive to every officer and soldier to act with fidelity and courage as knowing that now the peace and safety of his country depends (under God) solely on the success of our arms.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Public readings of the Declaration began as soon as they were printed.&nbsp;

Independence Hall

Plaque on plinth On right side of driveway at Broadway entrance to City Hall

'The Fields' now called the Common

First Reading of the Declaration of Independence

After Evacuation Day, November 25, 1783, the site of Fort George was viewed as the "social center of New York", prime real estate for grand residences. On July 13, 1789, the New York State legislature passed a resolution that the site of Fort George should be used to build a "proper House ... for the residence and accommodation of the President of the United States."A Georgian-style mansion at the foot of Broadway, south of Bowling Green, on the site previously occupied by Fort George in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1790 by the state of New York, it was intended to be the executive mansion for President George Washington, but he never occupied it. Before it was completed, the federal government moved temporarily to Philadelphia; then permanently to Washington, D.C. It then became the state governor`s residence and was used by George Clinton and John Jay. Later it was leased to John Avery and was known as the Elysian Boarding House. After the passage of the Customs Administration Act in 1799, it was converted into the Custom House in New York. Parts of the building were later leased to the American Academy of Arts, who then offered space to the New-York Historical Society in 1809. In 1813, the property was sold to the city. In 1815, the land was sold to the public and the building demolished.

Government House

The Great Meeting was a demonstration of 150,000 supporters of the Union cause. The flag that was fired upon at Fort Sumter was placed on the Washington statue. 

Union Square Timeline Medallion 13

This is one of the most important documents in US financial history. Known as the “Washington Bond,” this 1792 certificate is from the first Federal bond issue and represents the birth of the US national debt. Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, conceived the plan to assume the Revolutionary War state debts by the Federal Government. We fought the war to establish a nation, not 13 individual states. &nbsp;The new nation required sound public credit, and this was a step to that objective. This particular bond was issued to—and signed by—President George Washington. It represents his Virginia state debt, which was assumed. By accepting the new Federal debt, our first President showed his faith in Hamilton`s plan for the newly-created finance system. Many historians believe this bond also includes the first use of the dollar sign on a US federal document, which you can see on the bottom left of the certificate with the price of $185.95.

The Washington Bond

 declared Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. 

Requested that the Declaration be read to his soldiers

 It was intended to be the executive mansion for the President, but he never occupied it. 

The George Washington Statue was the center of the Great Meeting

 George Washington was an American political leader, military general, statesman, and Founding Father of the United States, who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Washington led the Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War, and presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the Constitution of the United States and a federal government for the United States 

George Washington before the Battle of Trenton

A study for a larger, fullsize canvas at Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut

Washington sat for the first of 7 portraits from which Peale eventually created 60 paintings.

President Washington proclaimed a Thanksgiving Day to be observed on Thursday, February 19.