Nichols House Museum

The Nichols House Museum in Beacon Hill is one of the oldest buildings in that area. Built in 1804, it was inherited by Rose Standish Nichols in 1935 from her father. Rose Standish Nichols herself was a fascinating woman, who was a writer, landscaper, suffragist, and activist throughout her life. She designed gardens across the country, and wrote books on the subject. It was by her admission that her home become an educational tool to the city of Boston. The house has been open to the public as an example of domestic living in the 19th century since 1961. The museum boasts of many different pieces in their collections, including "fine European and American wooden furniture from the 17th-19th centuries, ancestral portraits, Flemish tapestries, oriental rugs, European and Asian art, and works by America's foremost sculptor of the 19th century, Augustus Saint-Gaudens".  All of the furnishings belong to Rose or her family, and the house has been maintained to reflect just exactly how the occupants originally had it. There are five exhibit rooms that you see during the public tour that contain many different types of antiques, ranging from tables to tapestries. A view of their collection is available on their website, but can be seen in person year-round during tours for $10.00. The Nichols House Museum archives maintain a collection of papers, photographs, and postcards related to the family. Preservation and upkeep information can be found on their website so that the public can see just how and when the house has been maintained throughout the recent past. 

The mission of the Nichols House Museum is: To preserve and interpret the 1804 townhouse that was from 1885 until 1960 the home of Rose Standish Nichols, landscape gardener, suffragist and pacifist. The house was built by Jonathan Mason and is attributed to Charles Bulfinch. The museum educates visitors by providing a unique glimpse into the domestic life in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries on Boston's historic Beacon Hill.