Longyear’s complete renovation of the Mary Baker Eddy Historic House in Amesbury, Massachusetts (also known as the Squire Bagley House), was a multi-year project involving both Longyear staff and a team of preservation consultants. The restored house—filled with light, color, and furnishings and other objects original to the Bagley family—now reflects more closely what Mrs. Eddy would have experienced at the time of her two stays here, when she was deeply studying the Bible and beginning to teach what would become known as Christian Science.
Early Restoration & Phase I
Mary Beecher Longyear purchased the house for her collection in 1922 and oversaw an initial restoration before permitting guests to visit the house. The property was updated in the 1950s by the Longyear Foundation. More recently, from 1999 to 2002, Longyear addressed a variety of issues affecting the chimneys, roof, foundation, and structural work around the kitchen ell. This first phase of the project included a paint analysis to restore the original colors of the exterior.
Phase II
A second phase of restoration began in 2018 with a storm-window project, which eventually led to the full-house makeover.
Denis Semprebon, owner of Beacon Hill Restoration, served as a preservation consultant for the Amesbury project. Pouring concrete footings, replacing sills, putting new cedar shingles on the roof, installing new copper gutters,
improving the drainage, adding a new electrical system, and replacing siding with the right wooden clapboards are just some examples of what the Longyear and Beacon Hill teams accomplished.
The interior phase was also extensive—replacing wallpaper, stripping and repainting the interior woodwork and floors, repairing plaster, and restoring the original window sashes.
Supported by Longyear members and friends, including donations through matching challenges for the window restoration and the interior updates, the team completed the project and welcomed the public back in 2022, a full century after Mrs. Longyear’s foresightful purchase.
If you’re planning to visit the Boston area and would like to schedule a tour of the Mary Baker Eddy Historic House in Amesbury, please contact us. You may read about the restoration project in greater detail on our website:
- An Old House Made New
- Amesbury House welcomes the community
- An update on the restoration work in Amesbury
- A reed organ by any other name
Amesbury Restoration Update – October 2018
Amesbury Restoration Update – January 2019
Amesbury Restoration Update – February 2019
