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.
Our Tours
We invite you to join us for a tour. Check below to view our tour offerings and register for an upcoming tour, or book a private tour with us. Private tours are available for up to 12 people at a time. Some exceptions apply. Private and group tours may incur additional fees. For more details about visiting the museum, see here.
At Home with the Gibsons
"The Gibson House Museum in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood served as residence to three generations of Gibson family members and their household staff between 1859 and 1954. This tour invites visitors to explore the house and consider issues of class and culture through the stories and objects of the people who lived and worked here.
This tour is offered weekly Thursday - Sunday afternoons
$15 General Admission |Free for Members (Join Here!) | $12 Seniors | $10 Students
Register here!
Upstairs, Downstairs
Explore the lives of the young, Irish immigrant women who worked in domestic service in the Back Bay. On this tour, the working and living spaces of the staff will be the focus, including the coal shed (the last surviving coal shed in Back Bay) and the fifth-floor servant bedroom.
The tour is one hour and involves walking up and down five flights of stairs.
This tour is offered throughout the month, check our calendar for availability
$17 General Admission | $10 Members (Join Here!) | $14 Seniors | $12 Students
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.
$17 General Admission | $10 Members (Join Here!) | $14 Seniors | $12 Students
Register here!
The World of Little Women at the Gibson House
What do Jo March, Louisa May Alcott, and Charlie Gibson have in common? They were all nineteenth-century Massachusetts writers. Learn more about the similarities--and the many differences--in their experiences on this lively tour. In addition to exploring the shared worlds of these real and imagined characters, visitors will hear behind-the-scenes details about the filming of Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women here at the Gibson House. Read more about Little Women at the Gibson House here.
The tour is one hour and involves walking up and down five flights of stairs.
This tour is offered periodically. Register here!
For more information or to arrange a private tour, contact Michelle Coughlin, Museum Administrator, at info@thegibsonhouse.org.
Gibson House Architecture Tour
Join us for an in-depth exploration of the Gibson House's distinctive architecture and innovative mechanical systems. This tour takes a closer look at the home's structural and stylistic features reflecting nineteenth-century tastes and technology. If you want to admire the ventilation shaft, or think more about how the two separate staircases were designed and used, this is the tour for you!
This tour is offered periodically. Register here!
For more information or to arrange a private tour, contact Michelle Coughlin, Museum Administrator, at info@thegibsonhouse.org.
A "Grand Tour" Collection of Paintings
Step inside the Gibson House Museum for an exclusive paintings tour led by our curator, Meghan Gelardi Holmes, focusing on the paintings that hang in the house. We will consider how nineteenth-century Bostonians amassed their art collections and think about the significance and history of individual artworks in the Gibson House collection, including those by William Morris Hunt, Boston’s own elite painter; Jane Stuart, enterprising daughter of artist Gilbert Stuart; and portraitist Alvan Fisher, as well as a host of Old Master copies. This is a special opportunity to see works of art in their original context.
This tour is offered periodically. Register here!
For more information or to arrange a private tour, contact Michelle Coughlin, Museum Administrator, at info@thegibsonhouse.org.
Preserving the Gibson House
In 1957, the Gibson House Museum opened to the public as a historic house after almost one hundred years as a private residence. In this 90-minute tour, we will explore the story of the house, from its construction in 1859 to the present. This tour will traverse the house from top to bottom and go into spaces typically not accessible to visitors, including our staff and storage areas. The tour will include stories of all the house’s residents, from the Gibson family and the domestic staff, to the early museum staff and resident guides. Join us to consider the role of preservation in shaping the appearance and function of the house and hear over 150 years of juicy gossip!
This tour is offered periodically. Register here!
For more information or to arrange a private tour, contact Michelle Coughlin, Museum Administrator, at info@thegibsonhouse.org.
Class Tours
Bring your students to the Gibson House for a private tour! Student tickets are $8 and educators visit for free. Timing and capacity is flexible depending on guide availability. Our general tour and specialty tours ("Charlie Gibson's Queer Boston," "The World of Little Women") are all available. We are happy to discuss any special requests.
For more information and to arrange a tour, contact Michelle Coughlin, Museum Administrator, at info@thegibsonhouse.org.
