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Jamaica’s King Manor Museum is the one-time home of Rufus King, a member of the original Continental Congress and one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution. When King originally purchased the home (and the 90 acres around it) in 1805, this yet-to-be developed section of Queens — still 93 years away from being part of New York City — was something of a quiet retreat from city life. (It’s still an hour’s ride from Manhattan, albeit by subway and not horse-and-buggy.) The simple three-story yellow farmhouse now sits on the corner of a park also named for King, and is frequented primarily by history buffs and young students on class trips. First opened to public in 1900, King Manor is actually less of a museum than it is a preserved home, without formal exhibits or displays. Instead, tour guides use the rooms as jumping-off points to discuss King’s life during the half-hour walk-through. In the rounded dining room, they’ll explain how the shape is an indication of the family’s wealth. And in the servants’ quarters in the back, they’ll discuss how King, who refused to own slaves, was one of the first American officials to speak out against slavery. — Zachary Wilson