Gropius House

The Eustis Estate

A Magnificent Home for a Young Family

On November 7, 1876, twenty-five-year-old Edith Hemenway married twenty-six-year-old W.E.C. Eustis. A year later Edith gave birth to twin sons Frederic and Augustus. Shortly thereafter the couple began to build their family home on land given to them by Edith’s mother, Mary Hemenway.

This large estate was one of the most complete units for independent living of its time. Its acres of forest, ponds, brooks, fields, gardens, pastures, and lawns provided the needs of the family and staff. The estate had its own water supply, ice supply, dairy barn, pig barn, chicken houses, greenhouses, fruit orchards, and stables. In later years, the Eustis Estate even generated its own electricity.