TOP FLOOR
The fifth floor was where the female servants slept. In 1880, six women shared the four small bedrooms. Only two of the rooms had fireplaces, so they were likely allocated based on seniority and position in the household. The male servant slept on the ground floor, as it would have been inappropriate for unmarried women and men to bunk too near to each other.
The servants were on call day and night; the bells outside the bedroom doors summoned them to wherever they might be needed. There are 96 stairs from the ground floor to the fifth floor, and we can imagine the many trips they took, with hot water for bathing, or afternoon tea, or clothes for the laundry.
A large skylight in the roof makes the fifth-floor hallway the brightest space in the house. The ladies’ maids would have made use of this feature and conducted their sewing and mending here. Family lore also has it that the Gibson children kept their dollhouse on the fifth floor, where they would have been able to play in the sunlight.
The fifth floor was where the female servants slept. In 1880, six women shared the four small bedrooms. Only two of the rooms had fireplaces, so they were likely allocated based on seniority and position in the household. The male servant slept on the ground floor, as it would have been inappropriate for unmarried women and men to bunk too near to each other.
The servants were on call day and night; the bells outside the bedroom doors summoned them to wherever they might be needed. There are 96 stairs from the ground floor to the fifth floor, and we can imagine the many trips they took, with hot water for bathing, or afternoon tea, or clothes for the laundry.
A large skylight in the roof makes the fifth-floor hallway the brightest space in the house. The ladies’ maids would have made use of this feature and conducted their sewing and mending here. Family lore also has it that the Gibson children kept their dollhouse on the fifth floor, where they would have been able to play in the sunlight.
Fifth floor servant call bells.
One of the fifth floor bedrooms set up for our specialty tour, "Little Women at the Gibson House".
Fifth floor landing.
The Warren Dollhouse played with by the Gibson children. Image courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum where it was eventually donated.
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