Museum of Old Newbury

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A black, white, and light blue striped header image with the text Museum of Old Newbury

On the same day I visited Dole-Little House, I also toured the Museum of Old Newbury, located in Newburyport, MA. Founded as the Antiquarian and Historical Society of Old Newbury, the organization has existed since 1877 and spent its nearly 150 years “collecting, preserving, and presenting the history of Newburyport, Newbury, West Newbury, Byfield, and Plum Island”. The organization has known many locations but since 1955 has been in Cushing House, once the home to American politician and diplomat, Caleb Cushing.

Cushing House viewed from the street; a three-story red brick Federal style house with a pair of tall chimneys Cushing House and Museum of Old Newbury Sign; in front of the three-story red brick Federal style house is a round sign reading Museum of Old Newbury in a golden, serif, all caps font. Above the sign is the reproduction of a weathervane shaped like a merman blowing a trumpet. Cushing House viewed from the garden; the back of the three-story red brick Federal style house with the facade partially obscured by ornamental trees.
Old sign for the Cushing House; in a basement with a dusty brick floor, wedged between a wooden chair and a whitwashed wall stands an old wooden sign reading in part Historical Society of Old Newbury The Cushing House Built 1808 Visitors Welcome. Open Today Sign for Cushing House; a white plastic sign standing on the red brick sidewalk reading Open Today Guided Tours 1808 Cushing House with the Museum of Old Newbury logo at the bottom

It was not a member of the Cushing family but ship captain William Hunt who began building the red brick Federal style mansion at 98 High Street in 1808. Unfortunately, he was lost at sea before the house was finished. In 1818, ten years after the start of construction, fellow captain John Newmarch Cushing, Sr. purchased half of the building from widowed Mrs. Hunt. At the time of the initial purchase, Cushing was married to his second wife, Elizabeth Johnson Cushing and they had a toddler, Mary Ann. John Sr. also had two surviving children from his first marriage, eighteen-year-old Caleb and thirteen-year-old Lydia (named for her mother, Lydia Dow Cushing). Within the next five years, by 1823, the Cushing family owned the entire house and adjoining garden while adding three more surviving children to the family: Philip Johnson, born not long after they initially purchased half of the home; John Jr., born in 1820; and William Henry, born in 1822.

Cushing House Parlor; a Federal style parlor with a large floral carpet, a wooden desk with a pair of matching chairs in the center; a black fireplace on the far wall, a portrait above the fireplace, and a second portrait to the left of the fireplace. Lapdesk Owned by Caleb Cushing; a black 19th century lapdesk with metal detals. A print of Cushing's treaty with China is set on the table in front of it. Print of Treaty with China; close-up of the print, including Ming Dynasty Chinese ambassadors surrounding Caleb Cushing wearing a bicorn navy hat and signing the treaty Mrs. Cushing's Diaries; a wooden cabinet holding the diaries of Mrs. Cushing, along with a copy of her portrait
Print of Mrs. Cushing on the Mantle at Cushing House; to her left is a Chinese vase and to her right is a white figurine of a Chinese woman holding a parasol Portrait of Caleb Cushing in the Parlor at Cushing House; an oval portrait of Caleb Cushing as a middle aged man wearing a black tie outfit and sporting a thick mustache Travel Trunk of Caleb Cushing; a sturdy wooden trunk set under a whitewashed flight of stairs.
Victorian Era Doll Wearing a Pink Dress and Surrounded by Accessories A pair of andirons shaped like Hessian soldiers from the American Revolutionary War Sample of a five dollar bill created at the Perkins Engraving and Printing Plant; the bill is off-white from age and features the phrase five dollars throughout the bill

Although many artifacts related to the life and adventures of Caleb Cushing reside in the house, he did not have a deep attachment to the property. His younger half-brother, John Jr., inherited the house. In turn, John Jr. bequeathed it to his youngest daughter, Margaret Cushing, who was born in 1855. Living off family wealth obtained through the merchant and shipping industries, Margaret collected New England antiques, especially those from the Newbury area. She refused to change wallpaper and carpets or technologically upgrade the house, only adding indoor plumbing when the town councilmen insisted she do so. She died in 1955 at 100 years old and bequeathed the property to the local historical society.

China Cabinet in the Dining Room at Cushing House; red painted wooden shelving with several sets of china in white and blue, white and gold, and plain white. Glass Crystal Chandelier on the Ceiling of the Dining Room at Cushing House; electrically lit imitation candles scatter light throughout the room The Second Parlor at Cushing House; features of this room include a floral rug on top of a red carpet, a matching red sofa, a spinnet or tiny piano; a pair of wedding dresses, and four portraits.
Spinnet or Small Piano in the Second Parlor of the Cushing House; an old book of music sits on top of the spinnet, while a matching chair is tucked beneath the spinnet Grand staircase leading to the second floor of the Cushing House; a whitewashed staircase with a swirl design on each stair and a wooden rail made of heavy balusters Portrait of a wealthy father and son; the pair wear early 19th century clothing and show both arms and legs in the picture
Portrait of Captain Caleb Cushing; a young White man in his twenties with short brown hair and wearing early 19th century formal clothing stares intently at the viewer. He holds a rolled-up map across his body with his right hand. Diptych portrait of a sea captain and his wife holding their daughter; on the right is a portrait of a young White woman wearing a black dress and holding her baby, who wears a blue dress. On the left is a portrait of a young White man with a chinstrap beard wearing formal 19th century clothing. Portrait of Captain Nicholas Brown; a White man in his late sixties or early seventies with a nearly bald head wearing a black coat, bright yellow vest, and a black bowtie. His cheaks are rosy as he smiles at the viewer.

Inside the museum are layers of materials from multiple time periods. Visitors see the property of the Cushing family, especially Caleb, which includes a writing desk and print from his time in China; a traveling trunk; diaries written in French by his wife, Caroline Elizabeth Wilde Cushing; paintings, prints, and portraits; and other personal items. These objects trace Caleb’s career as a lawyer, the Mayor of Newburyport, a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-MA), the Attorney General of the United States, ambassador to China, negotiator for what would become the Panama Canal, and ambassador to Spain. An upstairs gallery includes objects originally in the collection of the Newburyport Marine Society, which opened in 1772 and closed in 1912. Its collections were also gifted to the nearby Custom House Museum, which I visited last September. Other fascinating objects held in the collection include a rooster shaped weathervane nearly stolen by an organized crime ring, the death mask of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, and an oversized wooden soldier. As an added bonus, my tour guide led her group on a special behind-the-scenes excursion.

A massive clam shell in a dimly lit room Sign for Wolfe Tavern in the basement of Cushing House; a wooden, ovel sign with the portrait of a redcoat soldier from the American Revolutionary War. Above the soldier are the words Wolfe Tavern. Below the soldier are the words James Wolfe Esq. 1762 Signs for hydrants and license plates in the basement of Cushign House
Weathervane shaped like a golden rooster. Weathervane shaped like a merman blowing a trumpet Reverse painted glass, Federal style, banjo clock hung on the wall in Cushing House
Portrait of a young man from the early 19th century; he is dressed like Beau Brummell Portrait of Caleb Cushing as a middle aged man; portrait is printed on aging brown paper and hung in a plain, wooden frame. Death mask of William Lloyd Garrison; above the desk mask is a sign explaining his contributions to abolition
Close-Up of the Fireplace in the First Parlor at Cushing House; a portrait of a man above the black fireplace with plenty of tchochkies on the mantle Close-Up of the Fireplace in the Second Parlor at Cushing House; portrait of Margaret Cushing in her fifties above the black fireplace with only two small crystal lamps and a tiny silhouette portrait on the mantel Giant Wooden Soldier or Grenedier on the Stairwell, he is about eight feet tall

On sunny days, visitors will enjoy the Cushing Garden. In 1998, this space was restored to an 1860s style using drawings created by Margaret Cushing based on her childhood memories. Some flowers were still in bloom when I visited. Also in this part of the property is the Perkins Engraving and Printing Plant. Silversmith and engraver Jacob Perkins built the red brick structure in 1808 to create stereotype steel plates for producing currency and preventing counterfeiting. By 1815, Perkins received a contract with the Second National Bank of the United States in Philadelphia and moved to that area to oversee the production line. In a much different line of work, Perkins is considered a “Father of the Refrigerator” for inventing a closed, vapor-compressed cycle for cooling.

View of the Cushing Garden and Neighboring House; lush, green, mid-19th century garden with a three-story, whitewashed, clapboard Federal style house with dark green shutters on the opposite side of the white fence. View of the Nearby Buildings from the Second Floor of Cushing House; notable buildings include the two-story, whitewashed, clapboard, Federal style carriage house and garden sheds along with the three-story, red brick, Federal style mint. Perkins Engraving and Printing Plant; a three-story, red brick, Federal style mint on the edge of the garden
Memorial stone in the Cushing Garden made in honor of Benjamin J. Stone and Nancy D. Stone; a gray stone attached to the side of a whitewashed, clapboard building. The rest of the sign reads Who cared for this garden with unpailing devotion for more than 30 years beginnign in 1955. The date on the lower right corner reads 1989 A pink rose in the Cushing Garden A red poppy in the Cushing Garden Dark Purple Foxgloves in the Cushing Garden

The Museum of Old Newbury is a fun and family-friendly excursion. The Cushing House is open Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m during the regular season of the first Thursday in June through the Sunday of the first full weekend in October. The cost for a guided tour is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for youth, and free for both members and residents of the “Old Newbury” towns. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the museum website or in person at the door. Tours are currently limited to ten people, so call ahead if your group is larger. Tours do not appear to follow a script and vary widely depending on the guide. Like most historic houses, this museum is not accessible to those with limited mobility. The outdoor section of the museum is free and open to the public between dawn and dusk. Parking for the museum is free on High Street and Fruit Street. I greatly enjoyed my time at the museum and look forward to visiting the gardens again in the future when the weather is less sporadic.




Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 9/10

Accessibility: 7/10