the gibson house museum
a time capsule of domestic life from the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries
The Gibson House Museum is a private, nonprofit house museum in Boston's historic Back Bay neighborhood. The home served as residence to three generations of Gibson family members and their household staff between 1859 and 1954. The Museum’s four floors of period rooms, including the original kitchen, are a time capsule of domestic life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Visitors experience the house through guided tours that interpret class and culture through the stories and objects of the people who lived and worked there.
Welcome Back!
Take a house tour to learn about the Back Bay neighborhood, home life in late-nineteenth- and early- twentieth-century Boston, and the experiences of the Gibson family and their staff. We offer both “At Home with the Gibsons” and “Upstairs, Downstairs: Domestic Service at the Gibson House” on a regular basis
Tours Friday-Sunday at 1:00, 2:00, & 3:00 p.m.
Thursday Evening tours at 3:00, 4:00, & 5:00 p.m.
Take a house tour to learn about the Back Bay neighborhood, home life in late-nineteenth- and early- twentieth-century Boston, and the experiences of the Gibson family and their staff. We offer both “At Home with the Gibsons” and “Upstairs, Downstairs: Domestic Service at the Gibson House” on a regular basis
Tours Friday-Sunday at 1:00, 2:00, & 3:00 p.m.
Thursday Evening tours at 3:00, 4:00, & 5:00 p.m.
Etiquetteer's Tenth Annual Repeal Day Celebration
To benefit the Gibson House Museum
Friday, December 3, 2021
7:00-8:00 p.m., via Zoom
Tickets: $60
For the past ten years, Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick has led a celebration each December celebrating one of the more obscure aspects of the Gibson family’s residence at 137 Beacon Street: museum founder Charlie Gibson's use of the third-floor bathroom for the production of Prohibition-era gin.
While the pandemic prevents us from hosting an in-person party, the party is still going on! Just as in 2020, please join us via Zoom, on Friday, December 3, for Prohibition-era merriment, including a cocktail-mixing demonstration, Prohibition trivia, and an exclusive video tour of the Gibson House Red Study—a space too small to visit during typical Repeal celebrations. The evening will include an informal panel discussion hosted by Etiquetteer on the evolution of cocktail culture in the 21st century, featuring some beloved friends of Repeal: our own Kirsten “Miss Kitty” Amann, co-author of Drinking Like Ladies and Jeremy Cooper, co-author with Andrew Klausner of their three-volume series, Cocktail Hour Meets. . . .
All proceeds from this event will benefit the preservation of the Gibson House Museum, the only historic house museum in Boston's Back Bay.
Register Here!
To benefit the Gibson House Museum
Friday, December 3, 2021
7:00-8:00 p.m., via Zoom
Tickets: $60
For the past ten years, Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick has led a celebration each December celebrating one of the more obscure aspects of the Gibson family’s residence at 137 Beacon Street: museum founder Charlie Gibson's use of the third-floor bathroom for the production of Prohibition-era gin.
While the pandemic prevents us from hosting an in-person party, the party is still going on! Just as in 2020, please join us via Zoom, on Friday, December 3, for Prohibition-era merriment, including a cocktail-mixing demonstration, Prohibition trivia, and an exclusive video tour of the Gibson House Red Study—a space too small to visit during typical Repeal celebrations. The evening will include an informal panel discussion hosted by Etiquetteer on the evolution of cocktail culture in the 21st century, featuring some beloved friends of Repeal: our own Kirsten “Miss Kitty” Amann, co-author of Drinking Like Ladies and Jeremy Cooper, co-author with Andrew Klausner of their three-volume series, Cocktail Hour Meets. . . .
All proceeds from this event will benefit the preservation of the Gibson House Museum, the only historic house museum in Boston's Back Bay.
Register Here!
Join Our Book Club: "Read the Room"
The Gibson House Museum and the Nichols House Museum are pleased to announce the 2021-2022 season of "Read the Room," our book club inspired by the literary salons of the nineteenth century.
The next meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 8, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
North and South (1854) by Elizabeth Gaskell
Register Here!
The Gibson House Museum and the Nichols House Museum are pleased to announce the 2021-2022 season of "Read the Room," our book club inspired by the literary salons of the nineteenth century.
The next meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 8, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
North and South (1854) by Elizabeth Gaskell
Register Here!
Charlie Gibson’s Queer Boston
Explore the Gibson House and the gay subculture of early-twentieth-century Boston through Charlie Gibson's eyes. The story of the Museum's founder is one of legacy and family history, of the fading grandeur of Victorian-era Boston, and of Boston's LGBTQ history. Read more about Charlie here.
This tour is offered on the first Thursday of every month at 6:00 p.m.
December 2
$15 General Admission | $10 Members (Join Here!) | $12 Students and Seniors
Register here!
Explore the Gibson House and the gay subculture of early-twentieth-century Boston through Charlie Gibson's eyes. The story of the Museum's founder is one of legacy and family history, of the fading grandeur of Victorian-era Boston, and of Boston's LGBTQ history. Read more about Charlie here.
This tour is offered on the first Thursday of every month at 6:00 p.m.
December 2
$15 General Admission | $10 Members (Join Here!) | $12 Students and Seniors
Register here!
Mary Ethel and Freeman at 40 Steps, Nahant, Gibson House Museum (1992.470.81)
Read our newest blog post:
In Sickness and In Health: Dr. Freeman Allen, Mary Ethel Gibson, and Mental Health and Addiction
thegibsonhousemuseum.blogspot.com
In Sickness and In Health: Dr. Freeman Allen, Mary Ethel Gibson, and Mental Health and Addiction
thegibsonhousemuseum.blogspot.com
Shop our Museum Store on Redbubble
Browse and buy tote bags, notebooks, pillows, and more featuring images from the Gibson House.
Browse and buy tote bags, notebooks, pillows, and more featuring images from the Gibson House.
Host your micro-wedding at the Gibson House
The Gibson House is a perfect location for small wedding ceremonies. Contact info@thegibsonhouse.org for more information.
The Gibson House is a perfect location for small wedding ceremonies. Contact info@thegibsonhouse.org for more information.
Support the Gibson Society, Inc. with AmazonSmile
When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates.
Follow this link to go to smile.amazon.com.
Gibson House Museum • 137 Beacon Street • Boston, MA 02116
617.267.6338 • info@thegibsonhouse.org
617.267.6338 • info@thegibsonhouse.org