Frequently Asked Questions
The Museum
What is Longyear Museum about?
Why is it called Longyear Museum
if it is about Mary Baker Eddy?
Was Mrs. Longyear a friend of Mary Baker Eddy?
Are you the same museum that was
on Fisher Hill in Brookline?
When are your exhibits
on
the life history of Mary Baker Eddy be open to the public?
What is in your library?
Visiting the Museum
What are the Museum
and Daycroft Library hours?
How do I get to Longyear Museum by public transportation?
How do I get to the Longyear
Museum by car?
Is there transportation from The
Mother Church to Longyear?
Is there an entrance fee?
Do you have parking?
How long should I
allow to visit the Museum?
Services of the Museum
Can you answer
historical questions about Mary Baker Eddy and the early workers?
How can I do in-depth research
at Longyear Museum?
Do you rent your building and/or
your historic houses for functions or meetings?
Mary
Baker Eddy Historic Houses
What are the hours for
the Longyear Mary Baker Eddy Historic Houses?
How long should I allow to visit
the houses?
Supporting Longyear
Who do I talk to about
a donation?
How do I join
Longyear and what are the benefits?
Where are the Living Stones and how do I find a particular one?
What
is your connection with:
The First Church of
Christ, Scientist in Boston (sometimes called the Christian Science
Church or The Mother Church)
The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity?
The Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association?
What is Longyear Museum about?
Longyear Museum is about Mary Baker
Eddy, Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science who lived
in New England from 1821 to 1910. The Museum is also about the men and
women who became Mrs. Eddy's students and helped to spread the religion
around the world.
Why is it called Longyear Museum if it is
about Mary Baker Eddy?
The founder of the Museum was Mary
Beecher Longyear. Mrs. Longyear's collection on the life
history of Mary Baker Eddy and early workers in the Christian Science
movement forms the major part of the Museum's collections.
Was Mrs. Longyear a friend of Mary Baker
Eddy?
Yes, more than 40 letters passed between Mrs. Longyear and Mrs. Eddy.
Mrs. Longyear assisted Mrs. Eddy on projects both large and small and
speaks gratefully of Mrs. Longyear's generosity publicly in the Christian
Science Sentinel as well as privately in her letters.
Are you the same museum that was on
Fisher Hill in Brookline?
Yes. When Mrs. Longyear passed on in 1931 she left her home on Fisher
Hill to her foundation — the Longyear Foundation. The home
was used as a museum from 1937 until 1998, when it was sold in order to
build the new museum in nearby Chestnut Hill.
When are your exhibits on the
life
history of Mary Baker Eddy be open to the public? Mary
Baker Eddy: A Spiritual Journey, Imparting
a fresh impulse and The Baker Family exhibits
are open to the public. Museum hours are:
Monday,
Wednesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
(Closed Tuesdays & holidays)
What is in your library?
The Daycroft Library
offers a rich collection of materials of interest to the casual browser
as well as the in-depth researcher. It includes over 900 titles
intended to help visitors gain a better understanding of Mrs. Eddy, her
work and the times in which she lived. Among the library's interesting
holdings are those written or compiled by early workers in the
Christian Science movement. These pieces, including scrapbooks of
photographs and newspaper clippings from the late 19th and early 20th
centuries, are unique to Longyear. Scrapbooks have been reproduced
photographically to protect the fragile originals.
Monday, Wednesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
(Closed Tuesdays & holidays)
What are the Museum and Daycroft Library
hours?
Monday, Wednesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
(Closed Tuesdays & holidays)
How do I get to Longyear Museum by public
transportation? (MBTA) Take the Green line-D train to the Chestnut Hill
stop. Walk south (across the tracks from the car parking lot) up along
the path by the chain-link fence to Middlesex Road (look for the blue
sign with white lettering directing you to Longyear, on the chain link
fence). Dunster Road will be directly in front of you and you will see
the Longwood Cricket Club's tennis courts on the right. Cross Middlesex
Road and walk along Dunster Road to the Museum, which is at the end of
the block. Five-minute walk.
How do I get to the Longyear Museum by
car?
From
Route 128/95 take the
Route 9 East exit (#20A) toward Brookline and Boston. Continue along
Route 9 for 3.5 miles, passing the General Cinema and Shaw's\Star Market on
the left. Move into the left-hand turn lane as you pass the cinema and
Star Market. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Hammond Street;
there will be a CVS drugstore on the left corner. From Hammond Street,
take the first right onto Middlesex Road, and then the first right onto
Dunster Road. The Museum is on the left side at the end of the block.
From Boston take
Route 9 westbound. (Note: In Boston Route 9 is called Huntington
Avenue; in Brookline/Chestnut Hill Route 9 is called Boylston Street.)
Longyear Museum is located approximately one mile beyond Chestnut Hill
Avenue intersection and 1/4 mile past the Chestnut Hill Benevolent
Association. Just after the Benevolent Association, you will pass
Norfolk Road. The Museum is on the next corner-Dunster Road-at the end
of a wrought-iron fence on the right. Take the first right into the
Museum parking lot.
If you miss Dunster Road, take the next right- Hammond Street. From
Hammond Street take the first right onto Middlesex Road, and then the
first right onto Dunster Road. The Museum is on the left side at the
end of the block.
Is there transportation from The Mother
Church to Longyear?
The
Hynes stop (on Massachusetts Avenue between Boylston and Newbury
Streets) is a few blocks from The Mother Church. Take the Outbound D
train from here to the Chestnut Hill stop. Walk south (across the
tracks from the car parking lot) up along the path by the chain-link
fence to Middlesex Road (look for the blue sign with white lettering
directing you to Longyear, on the chain link
fence). Dunster Road will be directly in front of you and you will see
the Longwood Cricket Club's tennis courts on the right. Cross Middlesex
Road and walk along Dunster Road to the Museum, which is at the end of
the block. Five-minute walk.
Is there an entrance fee?
Not at this time.
Do you have parking?
Yes, at no charge.
How long should I allow to visit the
Museum?
You may want to allow one to three hours for a museum visit. This
includes viewing an orientation program about Mary
Baker Eddy, a visit to the Daycroft
Library and time to explore the exhibit galleries.
Can you answer historical questions
about Mary Baker Eddy and the early workers?
Yes, call the Curatorial Department at 1-617-278-9000 or write the
department at 1125 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467..
How can I do in-depth research at
Longyear Museum?
Scholars should direct their requests in writing to the Curatorial
Department, 1125 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
Do you rent your building and/or your
historic houses for functions or meetings?
For information on building rental please call the Manager of Visitor
Services at 1-800-277-8943 or 1-617-278-9000.
What are the hours for the Mary Baker
Eddy Historic Houses?
Swampscott,
MA
Open May 2 - October 31
Mon., Wed. - Sat. 10 am - 4 pm; Sun. 2 - 5 pm
November 1 - April 30 by appointment 781.599.1853
Rumney,
NH
August 1 - October 31,
Tue. - Sat. 10 am - 5 pm; Sun 2 - 5 pm
by appointment 603.786.9943
North
Groton, NH
(Tours begin
at Rumney)
August 1 - October 31 by appointment 603.786.9943
Stoughton, MA
May 1 - October 31
First Saturday of each month 10 am - 4 pm
and by appointment 800.277.8943
Concord,
NH
June 1 - October 31
First weekend of each month 1 - 4 pm
and by appontment 603.225.3444
Amesbury, MA
May 1 - October 31
First Saturday of each month 10am - 4pm
and by appointment 800.277.8943
Chestnut Hill & Lynn, MA
Call 800.277.8943 for information on days and times that both houses may be open for free behind-the-scenes tours.
How long should I allow to visit the
Longyear Mary Baker Eddy Historic Houses?
Each Historic House can
be toured in 30 minutes to an hour.
Who do I talk to about a donation?
Please call the Director of Development, John Mitchell at
1-800-277-8943 ext. 230, or contact him via
.
donation
information
How do I join Longyear and what are the
benefits?
Please call our Membership & Outreach Coordinator at
1-800-277-8943 ext. 222, or contact her via
.
As a member of Longyear Museum, you will be helping to make Mrs. Eddy's
life history available to a worldwide audience and to future
generations.
Membership
brings you these benefits:
·
Biannual newsletter A
Report to Members
· Special introductory discounts on new releases from
Longyear Museum Press
· Discounts on Museum Store purchases and programs
Sustaining
members receive all benefits listed above, plus:
· Invitations to selected additional events
· Free admission to programs for the calendar year
Patrons
receive all benefits listed above, plus:
· Free copy of new Longyear Museum Press publications
More
about Longyear Museum membership
Where are the Living Stones and how do I
find a particular one?
The Living Stones, engraved bricks with names of those whose lives have
been touched by Mary Baker Eddy's discovery of Christian Science, are
located on a path just beyond the Pleasant View Gate (the Pleasant View Walk).
If you need help locating a particular brick, please call our
Development Department 1-800-277-8943 or 1-617-278-9000 or ask for
assistance at the front desk.
What is your connection with The First
Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston (sometimes called the Christian
Science Church or The Mother Church) and The Mary Baker Eddy Library
for the Betterment of Humanity? What about with the Chestnut
Hill Benevolent Association?
Longyear
is an independent historical museum. It is separate from The First
Church of Christ, Scientist and The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the
Betterment of Humanity. Longyear has no formal connection with
the Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association, which is located about
¼ mile east of the Museum.
