Historic New England's Dole-Little House

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Historic New England's Dole-Little House Dole-Little House is open for guided tours on select Saturdays from June through October. Visit HistoricNewEngland.org for more information.

Dole-Little House was built around 1715 with materials salvaged from an earlier structure. Its first owner was Richard Dole, a cattleman, who built a two-room, central-chimney house with a small kitchen shed at the rear. This shed has since been replaced with a larger lean-to. Decorative carpentry and finishes include chamfered edges, molded sheathing (especially in the hall and parlor), and possibly original stair balusters. Acquired by Florence Evans Bushee in 1954, the house was subject to an extensive restoration. Workers discovered that new mortise and tenon joints and various other changes had been made to many of the salvaged framing members to allow them to conform to the plan of the "new" house. During restoration efforts, the lean-to was rebuilt with new timbers, and sash windows from the front of the house were reinstalled in the lean-to. Decorative paneling from one of the chambers was removed and reinstalled in the National Museum of History and Technology in Washington, D.C., while a reproduction of the paneling was installed in the chamber at Dole-Little House. Historic New England received the title to the house after Mrs. Bushee's death in 1975.

2016 Schedule
June 4, free admission
October 1
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Admission
$6 adults
$5 seniors
$3 students
Free for Historic New England members and Newbury residents

Directions: Dole-Little House is on Route 1A just before the Parker River Bridge. Parking: There is a small lot in front of the house, and on-street parking is permitted for short periods of time.

09/26/2026

We are open for tours from 11 AM - 2 PM today. If you have scheduled a tour and would like to reschedule due to the weather conditions, give us a call.

09/25/2026

Because of the expected weather this weekend, we've postponed most of our outdoor programs and landscape tours. We're adding new dates to our event calendar as they're confirmed. 🍂

At this time, our museums remain open for tours this weekend, but local conditions may change that. We'll update individual site pages, tour and program pages, and event listings as information changes.

Please check our website before your visit for the latest information. https://www.historicnewengland.org/visit/plan-your-visit/

We look forward to seeing you this fall at our sites and programs! 💙

It’s Open House day at Historic New England. We are open for free tours and stamping passports from 11-2 PM! Historic Ne...
06/06/2026

It’s Open House day at Historic New England. We are open for free tours and stamping passports from 11-2 PM! Historic New England

From historic homes to gathering spaces rooted in community history, Sheila Spalding helps visitors connect with Newbury...
05/20/2026

From historic homes to gathering spaces rooted in community history, Sheila Spalding helps visitors connect with Newbury’s many stories in thoughtful and creative ways.

We’re excited to feature Sheila in Historic New England’s Meet Your Site Managers series as we count down to Open House on June 6!

As we prepare to welcome visitors to for the open season, we invite you to get to know the people who make our tours and events so special.

05/02/2026
04/17/2026

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, our historic sites across the region are open and FREE to the public. Join us for a fun day of fantastic storytelling! Love architecture, history, fantastic stories, great landscapes, fine art, folk art, or interior design? Then join Historic New England on June 6, 2026, f...

Address

289 High Road
Newbury, MA
01951

Telephone

(978) 462-2634

Website

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