Over 60 members of the Preservation League of New York and the Jay Heritage Center of Rye gathered on November 3rd at the elegant 1838 Jay Mansion for an intimate cocktail salon and book signing by celebrated author, Steve Berry. At the ancestral home of US Founding Father and Revolutionary War spymaster, John Jay, Berry engaged the crowd with a talk about his bestseller "The Jefferson Key," whose plot took him to the residence of another Founding Father at Monticello. In addition to sharing the stories of his backstairs tours, Berry explained his methods for crafting thrilling plots and characters, using our nation's most beloved historic sites and centuries old archives for inspiration.

The evening was made possible through "History Matters," a foundation established by Steve and his wife Elizabeth, recently profiled in the Wall Street Journal. Its mission is to assist non-profits like the Preservation League and Jay Heritage which share a passion for protecting and interpreting the American treasures and cultural resources in our own backyards. League Board President Jay Di Lorenzo and JHC President Suzanne Clary promised the crowd that this was of the first of many such joint ventures. www.jaycenter.org