Federal Hall National Memorial

Forgive us for not celebrating Eat Brussels Sprouts Day, but we needed to give PEAS a chance! 🫛

George Washington enjoyed fresh green peas, a favorite spring vegetable. He even noted them in his diary on May 25, 1785, that he “Had Peas for the [first] time in the season at Dinner.” In fact, fresh peas played a central role in an attempt on Washington’s life while he was here in New York City!

In June 1776, rumors swirled in New York City about plots against the life of George Washington as he and 20,000 men of the northern Continental Army were in New York preparing for an expected attack the British. New York's Royal Governor, William Tryon, with the help of the Mayor of NY, David Mathews, hatched a plot to organize NYC Loyalists to revolt against the Patriots, and murder General Washington.

Thomas Hickey was a trusted member of the Life Guard, Washington’s personal bodyguards, and he used this access to place arsenic in the General’s dish of fresh green peas while he dined at Fraunces Tavern. Accounts vary, but one version asserts that Samuel Fraunces, owner of the Tavern, thwarted the plot by notifying Washington that his peas were laced with arsenic. On June 15, Hickey along with other conspirators were imprisoned for acting on a plot described by the Virginia Gazette as “a most diabolical plot to assassinate the general at York….” Hickey was executed for his crime.

George Washington gave his first annual address to Congress on January 8th, 1790 at Federal Hall. Required by the Constitution (Article II Section 3), the State of the Union address is intended to "... give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient...."

Washington closed his address with these words:

"The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed, and I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you in the pleasing though arduous task of insuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government."

On January 25, 2026, Federal Hall National Memorial will be closed due to inclement weather. The site will reopen on Wednesday, January 28th for normal operations.

Image: Fearless Girl statue braves the snow, with Federal Hall National Memorial in the background. NPS Photo

We're looking for citizen archivist volunteers!

As part of our commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the War for Independence, the National Park Service is collaborating with the National Archives on a special project to transcribe more than 80,000 pension records of American Revolution soldiers and their families—handwritten stories of their service and their lives. There is enormous potential for these records to reveal rich, nuanced, and inclusive stories about the Revolution.

The National Park Service is teaming up with the National Archives to recruit citizen volunteer archivists to transcribe these records so that we can uncover their true complexity and get a fuller understanding of the people involved in the everyday work of founding our nation.

For more information visit
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/americanrevolution/index.htm

Join us at Federal Hall National Memorial to celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We will be featuring films from the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial all day on Monday January 19, 2026.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a tireless advocate for racial equality, working classes, and the oppressed around the world. Commonly called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or MLK Day, the third Monday of January is a federal holiday to honor his life and legacy. Places where he made history and of the greater Civil Rights Movement he influenced are preserved in many national parks and in local communities around the country.

Find volunteer opportunities inspired by this day of service or visit a park to learn more about the history of Dr. King and the pursuit of civil rights in America.

In 1751, George Washington went to Barbados with his half-brother Lawrence Washington. While there, he caught smallpox. On November 17, George Washington stated he "…was strongly attacked with the small Pox." Smallpox caused many symptoms that included high fever, severe headaches, and pains in the body. After recovering from the disease, George Washington was now immune.

During the American Revolution, there was a smallpox epidemic lasting from 1775 to 1782. Although George Washington was immune from the virus, his troops were in danger from the disease. This experience gave him the idea of having an inoculation program during the war. In the winter of 1777, George Washington faced a growing smallpox threat among his troops. He wrote to Dr. Shippen on January 6, 1777: “Finding the small pox to be spreading much and fearing that no precaution can prevent it from running thro’ the whole of our Army, I have determined that the Troops shall be inoculated.”

Deciding to inoculate all soldiers who had not previously contracted the disease, Washington ordered Dr. Shippen to carry out the procedure. This extensive inoculation process had to remain secret to avoid giving the British any advantage as the troops recovered from their exposure. By the spring of 1778, the ranks of Washington’s troops increased with smallpox-immune recruits ready to take the fight to the British.

OTD: On January 11th, 1785, the old City Hall building on Wall Street welcomed the Confederation Congress. Before being dissolved in March 1789, the Confederation Congress selected New York City to be the first capital of the United States under the new Constitution.

New York City was the first capital for approximately 18 months, before it moved to Philadelphia in 1790.

Hamilton's First Report on the Public Credit delivered at Federal Hall, January 9, 1790.

Near the close of the first session of the 1st Congress in September 1789, the legislature directed the new Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, to prepare a report on credit, as the matter of establishing public credit was unresolved.

Alexander Hamilton's first report on public credit, presented to Congress on January 9, 1790, at Federal Hall, laid out his plan for addressing the financial challenges facing the new nation. Hamilton proposed the federal assumption of state debts incurred during the American Revolution, the establishment of a national bank to manage the country's finances, and the promotion of government credit to encourage economic growth.

The adoption of Hamilton's report converted what had been virtually worthless federal and state certificates of indebtedness into to $60 million of funded government securities. His recommendations ensured the financial stability of the United States, fostered trust in the nation's creditworthiness, and stimulated economic development.

Image: Portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, 1806. National Portrait Gallery

The George Washington Bridge is a vital connection between New York and New Jersey. Opened in 1931, nearly 104 million vehicles cross the bridge annually, making it the busiest motor vehicle bridge in the world. It spans the Hudson River between Washington Heights in New York City, and Fort Lee, New Jersey.

These were two fortified positions used by General Washington against British efforts to occupy New York City in 1776. The bridge stands at the approximate location of the evacuation route Washington took to ferry his troops across to safety.

Image:
George Washington Bridge. New York City. Arthur Rothstein, photographer. December 1941

Happy New Year! 🥳

New York City is famous for its New Year’s celebrations. But before the festivities were at Times Square, the party was in lower Manhattan!

Starting in the Dutch colonial period, New Year’s Day was marked by the tradition of “calling” on friends and acquaintances with a visit. During his first term as president, George Washington spent January 1, 1790, in New York City receiving visitors at his presidential residence at 1 Cherry Street. In attendance was Abigail Adams, who wrote to her sister about this “… old Dutch custom of treating their Friends upon the return of every New Year.”

Image:
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1878). New-Year’s-Day in New Amsterdam. Courtesy of NYPL Digital Collections

The balcony stone and railing from the original Federal Hall were kept at Bellevue Hospital until 1889, when they returned to the site. They were displayed in different locations in the building. These two photographs show them in the center of the rotunda during the 1970’s.

Opened to the public as a museum in 1972, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated Federal Hall as a landmark in May of 1975, ahead of the bicentennial the following year.

December 25, 1789, was the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Unlike modern times, our first Congress was in session that day. Considered an “English” holiday in the new American nation, it was not officially observed in the United States until June 26, 1870.

Christmas in New York City was first influenced by Dutch traditions, as it was first a Dutch colony founded in 1625. A popular December holiday character, called Sinterklaas, was a part of the Dutch gift giving tradition marked by gifts given to children by St. Nicolas. Non-Dutch families adopted the tradition, merging Christmas and Sinterklaas traditions into one holiday.

Image: "Christmas eve in colonial days" New York etching 1892