For $10.75 million, a Beacon Hill home believed to be an Underground Railroad stop
The list of former residents is a who's who of Boston: Shaw, Cabot, Heinz, Mugar, Hamilton, Evans, Hunt ... Continue reading at realestate.boston.com.
An expansive Federal-style Beacon Hill home believed to have served as a stop on the Underground Railroad has hit the market for $10,750,000.
Listed for the first time in nearly 20 years, 28 Chestnut St. holds a lot of history in its five stories. Built in 1823, the property was designed by Jesse Shaw. His uncle, Robert Gould Shaw, rose to fame as the Union commanding officer who led the first all-Black regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. The Shaws were a prominent abolitionist family, and Robert Gould Shaw kept his horses in stables behind the property as he assembled his regiment in 1863. (His story was told in the 1989 film Glory, with actor Matthew Broderick playing the role of Shaw. A memorial atop Boston Common honors the regiment’s role in history; it was restored and returned to the site Wednesday.)
One of the home’s most prized historic features is the bunker accessed through the basement, a space believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Beacon Hill area was particularly known for its hiding spots along the railroad, primarily on the northern slope of the hill.
In later decades, the home housed a variety of prominent residents. Wilmot R. Evans, president of Boston Five Cents Savings Bank, purchased the property between 1910 and 1915, and it remained in his family through at least the late 1930s, according to historical documents. Later residents included Louis W. Cabot, chairman of the board of Cabot Corp, who died last month, as well as members of the Heinz and Mugar families. Actor George Hamilton’s family moved into the property in his younger years when his mother, prominent socialite Anne Hamilton, married Bostonian Carleton Hunt. The marriage didn’t last, but Hamilton recalled that there was a speakeasy with its own entrance off the street “where his stepfather and all his friends drank and played cards,” said Beth Dickerson of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, who is the listing agent. That space is now the formal dining room.
Today, the renovated 6,504-square-foot property has retained historic touches, including eight fireplaces. The library features a skylight and built-in bookshelves. On the third floor, there’s an owner’s suite, complete with a bath, home office, and a custom-built walk-in closet with a decorative fireplace. The top two floors have four bedrooms, a gym, a children’s study, and three additional full baths. The home also offers two half baths.
“The top floor has very high ceilings,” Dickerson said, which was surprising given that “the tops levels were usually made for maids and servants.”
In addition to its prime location just around the corner from Boston Common, the Public Garden, and Charles Street, the property has one feature that’s considered a rarity for Beacon Hill: a two-car garage.
“Of all the homes on Beacon Hill, this has got to be in the top 5 percent for parking,” Dickerson said.
See more photos of the property below:
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