Half an hour by public transportation from the center of Manhattan, set in a park surrounded by fruit trees and an herb garden is the historic Valentine-Varian House. The four-level fieldstone farmhouse has stood at the crossroads of history since 1758, when Isaac Valentine built it near the Boston Post Road, which linked many of the major cities of the American colonies. It was later the site of six skirmishes between American troops and British forces, who occupied the house for most of the Revolutionary War. In 1791, the house passed into the hands of the Varian family (Isaac Varian served as Mayor of New York City from 1839 to 1841), which owned it for the next 114 years. The house changed hands one more time, in 1905, when William F. Beller purchased it. In 1965, his son, William C. Beller, generously donated the historic dwelling to The Society.

Today, the house stands in a quiet residential neighborhood at Bainbridge Avenue and 208th Street; just a few minutes walk from Montefiore Medical Center, The Society's Research Library, and The Bronx County Archives buildings. In 1968, the restored house was opened to the public as the Museum of Bronx History. Visitors today can touch the fieldstones Isaac Valentine used to construct the house and walk on the oak and pine floorboards he fashioned. These are rooms that witnessed our nation's birth and growth. The main floor serves as an exhibition space. Through imaginative use of its unique collection of objects, ephemera, and photographs, The Society presents exhibits on all periods of Bronx History from pre-Revolutionary days to the present. Past exhibitions have featured "Bronx-Made: A Borough & Its Industry," "The Grand Concourse: Main Street of The Bronx," "Bronx Parks: Past Reflections," and "Yankee Stadium." The Museum Store features a wide variety of publications as well as Bronx gift items for all ages.