Johnson Hall State Historic Site

With help from Guy Johnson, Sir William’s son-in-law, the staff of Johnson Hall wish the best for you this holiday season! I most Cordially (for myself and Polly) wish you the Compliments of the Season, and that you may have agreeable returns of it, as your health and felicity shall always remain dear to me beyond expression... 1 1 Guy Johnson to Sir William Johnson, January 2, 1771, in The Papers of Sir William Johnson Volume 7, 1066. Albany: The University of the State of New York, 1931.

Thanksgiving, a day of reflection and gratitude. 2020 took a turn that our staff at Johnson Hall did not anticipate or plan for, but the unexpected has made us even more grateful. We are thankful for technology which enabled us to share interpretive posts and connect with our followers in a time of social distancing. We are thankful to have welcomed visitors back to our site, albeit in smaller numbers and a shortened season. We are thankful for documentation and stories of the past, reminding us that others have weathered the sorrows and unknowns of life, urging us to continue forward. And we are thankful for those who have collected and are collecting accounts of the year 2020, to document our issues and experiences for future generations.

#OTD in 1765, King George III formally bestowed the title of knighthood upon John Johnson. A month prior a packet boat set sail from New York with John and Lord Adam Gordon aboard. On November 18th John stepped foot on the shores of England for the first time. Only four days later, John was received by the king at court. John regaled the tale to George Croghan, "-the Gracious reception I met with from My Royal Master was beyond my expectation...When I was presented His Majest...y was most graciously pleased to knight me-"1 As Sir William's first born son, John was in line to receive the privileges of baronetcy including knighthood. Granted in 1755, following the Battle of Lake George, the baronetcy read, "We our Heirs and Successors will Create and Make the first born son or Heir Male apparent begotten of the body of the said William Johnson and of the bodies of his Heirs Male aforesaid and every one of them a Knight as soon as he shall attain the age of one and twenty years..."2 Transatlantic distance delayed the ceremonial process from taking place in 1761, but at the age of twenty four, Sir John left court as a knight. Image: Portrait of Sir John Johnson, painted by John Mare, 1772. 1 John Johnson to George Croghan, December 14th, 1763, in The Papers of Sir William Johnson, Volume 11, page 979. Albany: The University of the State of New York, 1953. 2"Johnson's Patent of Hereditary Dignity" in The Papers of Sir William Johnson, Volume 2, page 384. Albany: The University of the State of New York, 1922.

Office Manager Jenny shares how her favorite thing at Johnson Hall connects her to the past and another historic site on this #favoritethingsfriday! "When I came on staff here at Johnson Hall last December, I looked forward to being reunited with an old friend with whom I had often consulted during my years at Fort Ontario and one of my favorite things-the Johnson Papers! I first became familiar with the Johnson Papers back in the days when someone possessing a complete book ...set was the envy of history minded people everywhere. Although they are now readily available online, complete with convenient word search engines, to me there is still something about taking a volume off the shelf and paging through leaf after leaf of primary documentation-especially when working on the very grounds where many of those letters, ledgers, and journal entries were originally penned!" See more

Today’s #favoritethingsfriday is brought to you by Historic Interpreter Audrey, From a purely aesthetic standpoint, nothing quite beats out Sir William and Molly Brant’s room for me. I love the rich color of the verdigris paint, and how the natural light changes its hue throughout the day. The Sayward Gothic pattern wallpaper, by Adelphi Paper Hangings, also gives the room elegance. Along with the furnishings, the room gives me cozy-sophistication vibes, which I appreciate and enjoy.

Happy Friday everyone! We wanted to begin a new series with you called Favorite Things Friday. In this series our staff will share some of their favorite aspects and objects within Johnson Hall. First up, Scott describes his favorite spot on the second floor, In the room above Sir William and Molly Brant’s room, there’s a writing desk between the windows facing the courtyard. I’m a writer and I keep a journal of every day I work at the Hall. The room is well lit even on a cloudy day. There’s just the right amount of sunlight in the afternoon for a writer to complete his daily journal when the day is done.