George Washington Relocation

Small enough to care,
BIG enough to get the job done.

Anchor Moving & Storage relocates George Washington

01Introduction:

In 2015, The Dey Mansion, located in Wayne, NJ was to be renovated in order to showcase the historic artwork and furniture previously used by Americas First President, George Washington. This mansion is where President Washington spent most of his time during the Revolutionary War along with other monumental Generals. These quarters were kept exactly how Washington left it with an abundance of artwork and antiques for display. The city of Wayne, NJ now owns the Dey Mansion and requested Anchor Moving & Storage to safely remove all contents inside to preserve them at their Moorestown, NJ storage facility until the renovations were complete.

Background:

The Dey Mansion was built in 1740 by Dirck Dey then was completed and housed by his son, Theunis, his wife, and their 10 children. In 1780, the British invaded New Jersey continuously which led George Washington to bivouac the Dey property with his troops. Washington bunkered inside the mansion with personal guards while thousands of Army troops camped in tents surrounding the property. He utilized the southeast room as an office where he wrote over 300 letters that were later published into a novel. During Washington’s time away from the mansion, Benedict Arnold was charged with treason and hung. With fear the British would seek revenge, Washington moved back into the Dey Mansion with advisors such as Alexander Hamilton, Robert H. Harrison, and David Humphreys for the remainder of the year. In 1934, the property was opened for visitors and entered into the New Jersey Register of Historic Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places. In 1987, the mansion opened as a museum for the public and has been newly restored in 2016.

13Situation:

Being a “Circle of Excellence” accredited mover, Anchor Moving & Storage was requested by the town council of Wayne, NJ to pack, relocate, store, and unpack the contents of the Dey Mansion at their Moorestown storage facility while the building was to be renovated. The mansion needed to be emptied for completion of a new roof, heat, and central air installation.

Material Composition: Antique household furniture including beds, desks, chairs, tables, bookcases, bureaus, armoires, grandfather clocks, and original paintings. Their were also some other unique pieces that required specialized labor and knowledge such as an oversized working loom, rope beds, spinning wheels, grandfather clocks, and a “dog treadmill” which was used to power washing machines and churn butter.

Quantity:

Anchor Moving and Storage crew carefully loaded 18 padded vaults of furniture, three oversized grandfather clocks, and twelve paintings. The storage vaults were loaded directly at residence to minimize any additional and unnecessary handling. Doing so helped to decrease labor costs and risk of damage.

Overview:

On December 23rd, 2014 Anchor M&S began wrapping furniture inside the mansion to be later moved into 18 storage vaults. Two large antique and fragile armoires were hoisted over the balcony of the mansion creating an interesting logistical challenge. The loading process of the move was completed through the first week of January 2015 when all crates, clocks, and paintings were relocated to Anchor Moving & Storages’ military approved warehouse storage facility. This colossal project included responsibility to preserve paintings valued as much as $200,000 /each. The total value of the contents of the home had to be insured for over $2 million. Anchor Moving & Storage also provided custom crating services to ensure preservation of 12 original paintings where they were then transported and stored in a climate and humidity controlled facility. In February 2016, upon completion of the renovation, Anchor’s staff successfully delivered the crated storage vaults with the former Presidents’ belongings to the mansion where they are now open to the public to visit

Key Concerns:

This move was especially detailed because of the historic value and longevity of the fragile/brittle furniture being moved.

To schedule a visit to the museum, you can visit: http://passaiccountynj.org/facilities/facility/details/25

Photos from inside the Dey Mansion:

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