Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Hours of Operation

• House tours 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM & 4:00 PM, from the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend to the Sunday of the Labor Day weekend, Wednesday to Saturday and Sunday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. 
  
  
  Other times by appointment.

Fees & Rates

• School & Group Tours
• $5.00 per person

The tour is about a house, a magnificent one, that through human agency and the favor of fate has withstood the ravages of over two and a half centuries. Within the walls of this old stone house, built in 1754, scheming Continental army officers, in early 1783, initiated the Newburgh Conspiracy, a direct challenge to the authority of the Continental Congress. Communicated through two anonymous letters, the plotters threatened military force to obtain their promised pension and back pay. From December 1780 – July 1781 General Henry Knox orchestrated the gathering, repair and training on the artillery used decisively at the siege of Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. From here in the summer of 1779 General Nathanael Greene and Knox helped General George Washington organize the successful attack against the British position at Stony Point, along the Hudson River, 25 miles to the south. While figuring prominently in the history of the American Revolution, this property was also a fondly remembered home for several families. The first occupants, the Ellisons, were caught between loyalty to a distant sovereign under whose reign they prospered and aggressive fellow countryman who sought to cast off the royal yoke, so they steered a middle course. Their ambiguous stance was quickly forgotten as descendants proudly maintained the house as closely as possible to the time when the Continental army generals were in residence. Sensitive to this historical significance, subsequent owners preserved the original architectural elements, making it one of the most intact 18th century structures. The current proprietors: the people of the State of New York, invite you to explore the Ellison house - Knox's Headquarters.

Celebrate Christmas at Knox's Headquarters

See this house decorated for the season in the 18th century manner, further ornamented by costumed staff and volunteers. Call (845) 562-7141 for dates and times

School Tour

Through the Ranks: A Visit to Knox's Headquarters and New Windsor Cantonment, the Final Winter Encampment of Washington's Army 1782-83

We invite you to step back in time, to the 1782-83 encampment of General George Washington's Continental Army! Your visit begins at Knox's Headquarters, where army officers resided as guests of the prosperous Ellison family. Next, you will travel to the New Windsor Cantonment, where over 7,000 soldiers and 500 of their family members lived during the final winter of the Revolutionary War.

You will tour the elegant 1754 Ellison country mansion, furnished to reflect the prosperity of John and Catherine Ellison who lived in it during the Revolutionary War. Certain rooms in the house were used by Continental Artillery commander General Henry Knox and later by commandant of the New Windsor Cantonment General Horatio Gates. Students will also learn about commerce in the Hudson Valley through the milling operations of the Ellison family and their extensive trade with the Caribbean and Europe.

At the New Windsor Cantonment, the focus is on the daily life of the soldiers and civilians who were part of the Northern Continental Army at New Windsor in 1782 -83. Specific topics include shelter, food, clothing, health concerns, discipline and military training. Students will see demonstrations of blacksmithing, wood-hewing and the firing of a musket.

By visiting both sites, your students will experience the Continental Army "through the ranks" from powerful generals to humble privates. Your students will return to the classroom with a comprehensive view of military and civilian life in the Hudson Valley during the Revolution.

The sites are only two miles apart. The tour begins at Knox's Headquarters at 10:00 AM. Following the tour at approximately 11:15 AM, the students board their bus and move to the New Windsor Cantonment. Students eat their lunch in our picnic grounds or in our building in case of inclement weather. The tour of the New Windsor Cantonment runs from 11:45 AM to 1:30 PM. Times are flexible. The cost includes both sites.