Located on the last two acres of the original 320 given to Thomas Paine by New York State in 1784, you will find Thomas Paine's second cottage (rebuilt after a fire claimed the first one in 1793), and the Sophia Brewster One-Room Schoolhouse. The Thomas Paine Cottage contains a few of the artifacts still in existence that were once owned by Thomas Paine: a simple chair and a cast iron Franklin Stove given to Paine by Benjamin Franklin himself.

Several rooms are set up to reflect what life was like during the Revolutionary War and late 18th Century using original artifacts and reproductions. Other rooms reflect early 19th Century life, such as the upstairs bedchamber with its rope trundle bed, nightstand with candle, spectacles and bible, washstand, and young girl's cross-stitch sampler dated 1804. There also you will see some of our wonderful 19th Century quilts.  

Other exhibits reflect the Huguenot settlement of New Rochelle such as the original 1689 deed to purchase 6,100 acres that became the city of New Rochelle, and a rare breech loading swivel-gun (a small cannon) used in defending the Huguenot city of La Rochelle during the 1628 siege in France.

Permanent and temporary displays feature artifacts and art reflecting our local history during the Civil War, the Black Experience, Women in History, the formation of services like police and fire, the People of the First Man—the Siwanoy Indians—and much more.

A knowledgeable guide will take you on a personal tour of the site's buildings. The guide will answer questions while telling about Thomas Paine's life, colonial life, the Revolutionary War, and a brief history of New Rochelle.