Historic New England's Otis House

10/06/2026

Interested in medical history or a new perspective of Beacon Hill? Hop on our last walking tour of the season!

Health and Medicine on Beacon Hill
Saturday, October 10, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

10/02/2026

Where do these doors lead? If you haven't yet toured Otis House, you may be very surprised!

There are two more weekends left this season to find out. Visit Friday-Sunday on the hour 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

09/30/2026

The Otises would never have been able to maintain their home and family without their labor. How many servants lived and worked at the Otis’ home is hard to say. The records show five male servants from 1798 to 1800, with no more than two at a time. However, these records can be spotty and only reference men over the age of 18. There were probably younger servants, female servants who did not appear in tax records, and day servants who commuted to their place of employment.

This back stair was the only way to access the third floor staff and children's bedrooms.

09/18/2026

See you there!

Catch us next Sunday, September 27 from 12-4pm at the Beacon Hill Civic Association's HillFest!

Come on down to the Flat for our annual neighborhood block party where you can grab a b**r and a hot dog, play co****le and watch the dog parade. We could also use your help to set up or clean up so please DM us if you're interested in volunteering!

09/13/2026

Popular American miniaturist Edward Greene Malbone painted this likeness of Sally Foster Otis in 1804. She's wearing a carnelian cross necklace set with topaz and pearls.

Previously strung with pearls, an Otis descendant had the necklace restrung with a set of matching carnelian beads nearly a century after Sally owned it. Both the miniature and the necklace are in Historic New England's collection.

09/09/2026

We are pleased to announce that Otis House will remain open for tours through October 11, 2026, and will reopen for the 2027 season!

The museum is now anticipated to temporarily close at the end of the 2027 season for a multi-year restoration and visitor enhancement project, timed with construction of the adjacent West End Library development.

09/07/2026

Have you walked our new tour on Beacon's Hill medical history? Discover how residents navigated medical care, local alternative treatment options, and trailblazing physicians.

Join us next Sunday, September 13th at 10:00 a.m. or Saturday, October 10.

09/04/2026

Dining room or exhibition space? This room has been both!

Before the period rooms we see today, Otis House served as office, storage, and exhibition space as the headquarters of Historic New England.

09/01/2026

Although these prints didn't belong to the Otis family, they were collected by their friends (and family in-laws) the Lymans. They were owned by Theodore Lyman Jr., possibly purchased on his European travels after graduating from Harvard in 1810. Among numerous family connections, Theodore Jr. and Harrison Gray Otis both served as Mayor of Boston.

This series of prints after Raphael's Vatican papal apartment frescos currently hang in the parlor. This one depicts the biblical scene of Heliodorus being driven out after attempting to steal treasure in the Temple in Jerusalem. Seated high at the far left is Raphael's patron, Julius II, carried by friend and engraver Marcantonio Raimondi and Raphael himself.

The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple. Volpato, Giovanni (1740-1803) after Raphael (1483-1520). Italy, 1768-1799.

08/22/2026

Historic New England purchased Otis House in 1916. Around that year, architectural photographer Frank Cousins (1851-1925) documented the house. Here is the front entrance then, before it was restored to its Federal period design, and now.

Archival photograph from the Boston Public Library.