James Beekman

James Beekman (1732-1807) was a New York City merchant.

Mount Pleasant

He is best remembered for his mansion, known as Mount Pleasant, which he built in Manhattan on the East River in 1763, near the northwest corner of 1st Avenue and East 51st Street. This mansion served as the British military headquarters during the American Revolution, and was the site of the trial of Nathan Hale. [" [http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/hale_nathan_2.htm Captain Nathan Hale (1755 - 1776)] ", by Mary J. Ortner, The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.]

On his death, Beekman left the mansion to his nephew, James William Beekman.

Exhibition

In 2004, the New-York Historical Society presented an exhibition based around a coach owned by Beekman, one of only three such coaches to survive in its original condition. Beekman had bought the coach in 1771 from Peter Burton, a London sea captain, for £138. [" [https://www.nyhistory.org/web/default.php?section=exhibits_collections&page=exhibit_detail&id=6945501 Arriving in Style: Treasures of 18th Century New York] ", The New-York Historical Society, November 23, 2004 - February 20, 2005.]

Notes