The People
Between 1859 and 1954, three generations of Gibson family members and dozens of servants lived and worked at 137 Beacon Street. In many ways, their experiences are typical of individuals of their particular gender and social class. And yet, their unique stories allow us to explore this period of Boston’s history through a distinctly personal lens.
Click below to learn more about who lived at 137 Beacon.
The People
Between 1859 and 1954, three generations of Gibson family members and dozens of servants lived and worked at 137 Beacon Street. In many ways, their experiences are typical of individuals of their particular gender and social class. And yet, their unique stories allow us to explore this period of Boston’s history through a distinctly personal lens.
Click below to learn more about who lived at 137 Beacon.
The Ground Floor
The Kitchen
You are now in the center of servant life here in the Gibson House.
Work started early and ended late, so this room was almost always occupied. The servants gathered here for meals and to talk about their days, their employers, and their lives. The cast-iron stove built into the wall was running more or less constantly. The cook used it to prepare meals, and it was also the source of hot water for the house until around 1900. Keeping the fires stoked, both under the stove and around the house, was a crucial job, shared by the cook, the chambermaids, and the only male servant, the "man-of-all-work."
Be sure to look above the main door frame to gaze upon one of the most important features of this room: the call bells.
A mechanical call bell system allowed Gibson family members to summon a servant from all over the house, at any time of day (or night, since there are bells located outside the servant bedrooms on the fifth floor, as well). This was replaced by an electrical system early in the twentieth century.
The Laundry Room
Doing laundry during the Victorian Era was a very physically demanding job, likely taking the laundress the better half of a week to complete one load of laundry. One of the servants, Mary McDonnald, who was an immigrant from Canada that was originally hired as the family's nanny in 1873, would later take on the role of laundress here in the Gibson House once the children had grown older. It was in this small room where she would have been spending a majority of her day.
If you want to learn even more about servant life in the Gibson House, come join us for our Upstairs Downstairs tour!
In a photo album, Rosamond Gibson preserved a carte-de-visite, or photograph, of servant Mary McDonnald in her wedding finery, circa 1891.
Where to next?
 Parlor |  Entry Way |  Dining |
|---|---|---|
 Library |
Hours
Thursdays: Times vary
Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 1:00, 2:00, & 3:00 p.m.