Story
The King Manor Museum
King Manor takes its name from Rufus King, a member of the Continental Congress, a framer and signer of the Constitution, one of the first senators from New York State, the ambassador to Great Britain under four presidents and an outspoken opponent of slavery
King Manor
In 1820, he delivered two of the most radical speeches heard in the Senate before the Civil War. His opposition to the admission of Missouri as a slave state marked the apogee of his long antislavery career.
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King Manor
In 1805, Rufus King and his wife purchased 90 acres of land and this 18th-Century farmhouse. They immediately expanded the House; the landscaped estate and working farm grew to 122 acres.
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King Manor
After King’s death in 1827, his eldest son, John Alsop King, continued to operate the farm and made further improvements to the House.
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King Manor
John followed his father’s footsteps into politics, serving as a congressman and governor of the State of New York.
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King Manor
The House remained in the King family until 1896, and opened as a museum in 1900.
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King Manor
Today, the Museum’s programs focus on the roles of Rufus and John Alsop King in the early antislavery movement, and life and work at King Manor in the 19th-Century.
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King Manor
King Manor Museum is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, operated by the King Manor Association of L.I., Inc., and is a member of the Historic House Trust.
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