Historic Winslow House Information

The historic 1699 Winslow House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the ancestral home of the founding family of Marshfield and was considered an avant-garde South Shore mansion. Built by Judge Isaac Winslow, grandson of Mayflower passenger and three-time governor of Plymouth Colony Edward Winslow, the house is an example of Marshfield’s historic past.

Virtually untouched by modernization, it was occupied by a family of governors, generals, doctors, lawyers and judges who helped to create Marshfield and the South Shore as we know it. It survives as an example of how some well-to-do landed gentry, particularly those loyal to the King, lived in the years prior to the American Revolutionary War.

A tour of the home shows antiques and architecture from the Winslow period, and includes items such as a chest built by Newburyport furniture maker Edmond Titcomb in 1700, and a Queen Anne dresser constructed around 1760.  The house remained in the Winslow family until 1822, and was later owned by Daniel Webster. It was restored and opened to the public in 1920.

Among its occupants were General John Winslow, leader of the Massachusetts militia who is best known for his role in the evacuation of the Acadians from Nova Scotia—an event commemorated by Longfellow in his epic poem Evangeline. His son, Isaac Winslow, was a Loyalist doctor who quarantined and inoculated many Marshfield and Duxbury residents afflicted with smallpox.  Largely because of his actions, his property was not confiscated after the Revolution.

Another notable occupant was the manservant Britton Hammon, who after his voyages at sea, capture by Indians off the coast of Florida, subsequent escape and reconciliation with former master John Winslow, wrote his life story—becoming perhaps the first African-American to have published his work in the New World. It was in the Winslow House that generations of Winslow children grew up and became the influences on Marshfield society that they were.

Also on the grounds is a carriage shed housing Webster’s one-horse phaeton, as well as Marshfield’s own Concord Coach once used to transport passengers from Marshfield to Hingham, and a brougham formerly owned by a railroad magnate. A working Blacksmith Shop is on site and has been a favorite spot for many Marshfield school children on field trips to the House. 

Across the street is the 1857 Winslow Schoolhouse, and it shows how a school day would have been conducted prior to the American Civil War.  The Tea Room, built in 1920 to serve turkey dinners used to raise money for the Winslow House restoration, is still in use for functions, lectures, field trips and dinners and can be rented out by approved private parties for their own events

Beginning in 1920, the Winslow House has been the property of the Winslow House Association, a non-profit group created specifically to promote and sustain the long-term well-being of the home. It is open to the public for tours on Wednesday through Sunday beginning around Memorial Day to Columbus Day, and maintains a full schedule of dinners, lectures, concerts and other community events all designed to uphold Marshfield history and town pride.