Shirley Eustis House
33 Shirley Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02119
The orchards, gardens, and grounds are free and open to the public year-round, from dawn until dusk. Our administrative offices are open from 9AM – 3PM, Monday through Friday.
JOIN US FOR PUBLIC TOURS TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AT 10AM AND 12PM. NO RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
Back in the colonial era, Jamaica Plain was a part of the town of Roxbury. We are so lucky to still have a wonderful colonial mansion that served as the home of the Royal Governor William Shirley still existing in Roxbury. It’s a relic of the British Empire and a place of human enslavement. Later, in the 1820s it was purchased by the Massachusetts Governor William Eustis. Their tours are going to continue through the winter months this year and it is really worth a visit! You can take the 41 bus from Jamaica Plain right to the House.
The Shirley-Eustis House was built in bucolic Roxbury in 1747 by William Shirley as his country estate. Shirley was Royal Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1741-1749 and 1753-1756. In 1756 he was also appointed by King George II Commander-in-Chief of all British and Colonial Forces in North America. In this grand example of English Palladian design, Governor Shirley and his family lived very public lives as representatives of the British Empire. Their persons, their house, and the grounds were cared for by a staff of enslaved Africans, indentured servants and sometimes idle soldiers.
The dedication of the Shirley-Eustis House Association and the public led to the Mansion being restored by 1985. With the exception of the lost piazzas and verandas, the house now looks very much as it did in 1820. Although primarily evocative of the period of the Eustis residency, its furnishings and collections also include several pieces from the Shirley era.
Events: https://www.shirleyeustishouse.org/events
Link to Website: https://www.shirleyeustishouse.org
Image Credits: shirleyeustishouse.org unless otherwise noted
