Two Hundred and Fifty Plus, 4

Buildings and reputations can change over time. The oldest building in Westchester County, New York, (immediately north of the city, abutting the Bronx) is Philipse Manor Hall in the city of Yonkers. Philipse Manor Hall in 2023, courtesy of ajay_suresh. The cannon on the lawn is ridiculous, but I guess harmless. The original house was constructed in 1682 and enlarged twice in the following 90 years. The Philipse family were loyalists during the Revolutionary War who abandoned the house in 1776 to move to England. From 1868 to 1908 the house served as the Yonkers Village Hall and later City Hall; it’s been a museum and historic monument since 1912. Given that we are a week away from Juneteenth, Philipse Manor gives a good entry point to discuss a difficult topic: slavery in the northern colonies (later states). The Philipses had, among other businesses, a large investment in trans-Atlantic slave trading. They also kept a large number of slaves at their working farm and mill complex…