The House is amazingly well-preserved and you can't help but feel like you've stepped back in time!
Jewelry & Personal Accessories
Jewelry & Personal Accessories
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Portable deskEarly 19th century A laptop before laptops were cool! This portable, foldering writing desk is thought to have belonged to Judge Elijah Miller in August, 1818, the father William H. Seward's wife, Frances Adeline Miller, according to a note written in the bottom of the case. Decorated in... |
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Turkish Nargilehc. 1840 Turkish Hookah Pipe. Comprised of pipe and smoking fixture. Red glass with enamel and gold decoration. Smoking fixture is gilt bronze. Brought from Constantinople in 1840. Seward received this on his 1869 trip to the Middle East. |
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Keys, keys, and more keys!These keys, on display in the servant's stairway, represent only a portion in the Seward House Museum collection! |
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Walking Canes and Sticksc. 1825 - 1865 Located in the stairway are eighteen walking canes and sticks. Canes owned by Judge Elijah Miller and Sec. Wm. H. Seward. Mostly wooden sticks with various heads - gold, ivory, wood. Engraving on some - "Ed to Wm" - "E. Miller" - "To a Patriot from a Friend, 1854... |
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German Paper Theaterc. 1858 Owned by Frances A. Seward, daughter of Secretary William. H. Seward, an 1858 Christmas gift from mother Frances to Fanny. German theater - Wooden board for stage floor with holes for pegs in stage sets. 18 men, 5 women (colored cardboard on wooden blocks with wires... |
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Boston Tea Party Teac. 1840 Glass bottle containing dry tea. Tea taken from Boston Harbor in 1773 during the Boston Tea Party and given to Secretary William. H. Seward. |
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Ornate Gilt Epauletsc. 1838 Pair of ornate gilt epaulets worn by Sec. Wm. H. Seward when Governor of New York 1838-1842. Three silver stars embroidered on gold epaullette plus gilt button with eagle. Heavy, coiled gilt wire fringe and yellow silk lining. |
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State Department Canec. 1861 A gift to William Henry Seward when he was Secretary of State from a Mr. Cox. This cane, on display in the Diplomat Gallery, was a gift to William Henry Seward when he was Secretary of State from a Mr. Cox. It is made of mahogany with a highly polished marble handle and a brass... |
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Lock of William Seward’s Hairc. 1872 In a small envelop labled "father's hair" contains a lock of Secretary of State, William Henry Seward’s hair. This was acquired when the family trimmed it shortly after Seward’s passing. It was fairly common for family members to keep a lock of hair from deceased family members as... |
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Confederate Moneyc. 1860s These particular bills, currently kept in storage, were issued by the Confederate States in 1862 and 1864. We have an example of the 50 cent, 2 dollar, 5 dollar, 10 dollar, 20 dollar, and 50 dollar notes. Secretary Seward’s sons, Augustus and Will Jr, were both Union soldiers... |
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Lots of Railway Passes!19th Century About 700 railroad passes, kept in storage, date from between 1864 and 1910 and belonged primarily (but not entirely) to General William H. Seward, Jr. In 1872, there was the Adirondack Company Railroad, Allegheny Valley Railroad, Atlantic & Great Western Railroad,... |
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Japanese Delegation Fanc. 1867 A gift from the Japanese delegation to Ana Seward for her spectacular dinner hosting abilities at William Seward's Washington D.C. home on Lafayette Square. This fan is depicted in an Emanuel Leutze portrait of Seward's daughter-in-law and hostess, Anna. |
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Golden Spike Ringc. 1869 This double seal ring, on display in the Diplomatic Gallery, made from golden spike driven into the Pacific railroad. The railroad was completed May 10, 1869. The ring set contains moss agate from Nevada and gold quartz from Colorado, two states whose connection completed the... |
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The Bloody Sheet from Seward's Assassination Attemptc. 1865 From Seward's bed on the night of the assassination attempt. Strip of a linen bedsheet showing knife slashes and dried blood droplets. Sheet cut by knife of the assassin on the night of April 14, 1865. |
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Wood Brothers Carriagec. 1860 Manufactured by Wood Brothers and Co. from NYC. The Seward crest on the doors indicates this carriage was among the most elaborate and expensive for the time. It has two rows of facing seats, a detached seat for the coachman and an extension top. Black and red trim painted on... |
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Prince Edward & Princess Alexandra's Wedding Cakec. 1863 More than a cenutry old! This tin box containing a piece of wedding cake from March 10, 1863. From the Prince and Princess of Wales' wedding sent to Frances Seward, wife of Sec. Seward, by Mrs. Adams. Charles Francis Adams was the United States minister to England. Included is a... |
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Uncle Tom's Cabin Puzzlec. 1855 A puzzle board and container depicting the Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This pasteboard box is shaped like a cabin and features windows, and door on the front and sides. Faces peer from the windows and a figure leans from the door. One section of the roof is... |
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Cuban Cigar HumidorObtained by William H. Seward during his trip to Cuba in 1869. Height - 5in Width - 10.25in Depth - 7.5in |
