Join us this summer at the Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. House. Wander into the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society’s headquarters this summer to enjoy our 2023 summer exhibit: Painting as Profession: 20th Century Duxbury Women Artists. We are beautifully situated on Washington Street with a back-porch view of the bay. Come in, enjoy the artwork, and relax a moment on our newly renovated and furnished porch.
The Nathaniel Winsor Jr. house is open to the public, free of charge, for visitation Monday-Friday. We are a small staff and occasionally step out for other business; we encourage you to call ahead at 781-934-6106.
Acquired by the Society in 1997 through a community fundraising effort, the Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. House is perhaps the most architecturally significant building in Duxbury. Its construction, on a grand scale uncommon in houses of the area, was based on designs by Bulfinch and Asher Benjamin.
Nathaniel Winsor, Jr., a carver of figureheads by trade, inherited a thriving mercantile enterprise from his father. The Winsor family built at least 40 sailing vessels in Duxbury including several large brigs which traded in ports around the world. When the age of sail passed, the Winsors moved to Boston, began to acquire steamships, and ran one of the first regular clippership lines from Boston to San Francisco.
As the Society’s headquarters, the building houses our administrative offices and is used for educational programs, special events and meetings.
