About the Tour
Mary Baker Eddy was a guest in this home on two occasions. Her time here represents an important transitional period in her life, after her transformative recovery through prayer alone following an accident in nearby Swampscott, Massachusetts. During her stay here, she began teaching some of her earliest students in Christian Science.
Informative guides on your tour will introduce you to the labors and achievements of a remarkable woman who would go on to become one of the most famous in the United States. You’ll also learn about the house—the oldest in Longyear’s collection—along with details of day-to-day life in the 19th century. And you’ll get to know members of the Bagley family, who welcomed Mrs. Eddy into their home.
Tour duration: 45 minutes
Buy TicketsLocation
277 Main St.
Amesbury,
MA
01913
Admission
Adults (18+): $10
Youths (7–17): $5
Children (under 7): Free
Members: Free (View membership information.)
For groups of 10 or more, or if you have questions, please call 617.278.9000.
Hours
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Friday and Saturday from 12 to 3 P.M.
Tours start at 12, 1, and 2 P.M.
Frequently Asked Questions
The first floor of the house is accessible, but the second floor is not. The tour involves standing, walking, some climbing of stairs, and only limited opportunity for sitting. (A few folding chairs are available.) If you use a wheelchair or will be accompanied by a service animal, please indicate this when you purchase tickets.
Backpacks and large bags are not permitted.
Food or drinks, including water bottles and children’s drink containers, are not permitted inside the house.
Yes. Photography taken with a handheld device is permitted for personal use. Flash photography is not allowed, nor is the use of selfie sticks. No photos or videos, whether of the inside or outside, may be used or published in print or online for any commercial or academic purposes without permission. Professional/commercial photographers and members of the media should contact the Office of Communication at 617.278.9000 x 250.
Strollers are not permitted in the house, and parents should plan on carrying very young children during the tour.
Free parking is available beside the house.
Explore Other Mary Baker Eddy Historic Houses
Rumney, New Hampshire
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Guided tours only by prior appointment.
Please call 617.278.9000 to schedule a tour. Minimum 72-hour (three-day) notice required.
Stoughton, Massachusetts
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Guided tours only by prior appointment.
Please call 617.278.9000 to schedule a tour. Minimum 72-hour (three-day) notice required.
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Friday and Saturday, 10–5 P.M., Sunday, 1–5 P.M.
On Friday and Saturday, tours begin at 10 A.M., 12, and 2 P.M. On Sunday, tours start at 1 and 3 P.M.
North Groton, New Hampshire
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Guided tours only by prior appointment.
Please call 617.278.9000 to schedule a tour. Minimum 72-hour (three-day) notice required.
Lynn, Massachusetts
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Thursday through Saturday, 10–4 P.M., Sunday, 1–4 P.M.
On Thursday through Saturday, tours begin at 10 A.M. and 1 P.M. On Sunday, tours start at 1 and 3 P.M.
Swampscott, Massachusetts
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Thursday through Saturday, 10–4 P.M., Sunday, 1–4 P.M.
On Thursday through Saturday, tours begin at 10 A.M. and 1 P.M. On Sunday, tours start at 1 and 3 P.M.
Concord, New Hampshire
May 1 through Oct. 31, 2025:
Guided tours only by prior appointment.
Please call 617.278.9000 to schedule a tour. Minimum 72-hour (three-day) notice required.
The Story
Shortly after her life-changing healing in 1866 in Swampscott, Massachusetts, Mrs. Eddy was deserted by her second husband. Over the next nine years, she would dig deeper into her discovery of Christian Science, earnestly searching the Scriptures while moving repeatedly to a long succession of rented rooms. One such place she found refuge was in the small upstairs bedroom in this house in Amesbury.
The house was owned by Sarah Bagley, who initially provided a room to Mrs. Eddy in the summer of 1868. The front parlor would serve as an informal classroom as Mrs. Eddy began to teach the rudiments of Christian healing to Sarah, and to a young man named Richard Kennedy.
Later, after a year-and-a-half stay with the Wentworth family in Stoughton, Massachusetts, Mrs. Eddy returned to this house for a few weeks in the spring of 1870. From here, she moved on to Lynn, where she would go on to publish the first edition of her cornerstone work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, formalize her teaching and charter the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, begin preaching, and step out onto a wider stage.
Years Mary Baker Eddy Was a Guest in This Home
1868, 1870
Highlight
Mrs. Eddy first advertised as a teacher of spiritual healing while living here.
House Fact
This is the oldest house in Longyear’s collection, built circa 1780 by the Bagley family.
The House
Built circa 1780, this is the oldest house in Longyear Museum’s collection. Squire Lowell Bagley married Sarah Osgood in 1811, and the couple raised three daughters here—Emmeline, Mary, and Sarah—expanding the house over the years to meet the growing needs of their family. It was their daughter Sarah who, nearly 50 years later, offered shelter to Mary Baker Eddy.
The house has recently undergone a complete exterior and interior restoration. The exterior has been thoroughly restored to the colors and style of the 1860s, while the interior presents the Bagleys’ home much as it was over 150 years ago. You can learn more at the Amesbury Restoration Project page on this website.
This was one of the houses purchased by philanthropist and historic preservation pioneer Mary Beecher Longyear, who acquired it in 1922. At the time, it still held furnishings and personal memorabilia from the previous century, many of which are on display here, reflecting the tastes and interests of the Bagley family. Along with houses in North Groton and Rumney, New Hampshire, and Swampscott, Massachusetts, where Mrs. Eddy once lived and worked, this residence forms the earliest part of Longyear Museum’s collection.
