Why you should experience Clough House at Old North in Boston, Massachusetts.
Clough House at Old North is a rare colonial residence where the North End's Revolutionary heritage, early American craftsmanship, archaeological discovery, and living history preserve one of Boston's oldest surviving brick homes.
Set along Unity Street near Salem Street and just steps from Old North Church, this remarkably preserved eighteenth-century house combines Flemish-bond brickwork, original colonial masonry, period architectural details, engaging museum exhibits, and carefully restored historic interiors that reveal more than three centuries of continuous life in Boston's oldest neighborhood. Thoughtfully curated exhibitions, authentic craftsmanship, and its intimate scale provide an unusually personal perspective on the city's colonial origins. The result is a destination defined by architectural authenticity, historical depth, and exceptional preservation.
What you should know about Clough House at Old North.
Clough House at Old North is best known for being constructed around 1715 by master brick mason Ebenezer Clough, the builder of Old North Church, making it one of Boston's oldest surviving brick residences and one of only three brick buildings remaining from the city's earliest eighteenth-century building campaign. Built on pastureland that Clough subdivided after laying out Unity Street, the residence originally formed one half of a two-and-a-half-story brick duplex constructed with housewright John Barret using refined Flemish-bond masonry, rubbed brick lintels, and projecting brick window aprons that reflected the highest standards of colonial craftsmanship. Before beginning work on Old North Church in 1722, Clough built this home for his own family while constructing five additional brick houses along Unity Street, establishing one of Boston's earliest artisan neighborhoods. A third story was added in 1806 when the building transitioned from a single-family residence into a tenement, eventually housing more than 150 predominantly European immigrants over the following century and a half; the 1920 census alone recorded 29 residents from eight families living within the house. Acquired by Old North Church in 1959, the building underwent an extensive restoration completed in 1972 before becoming an interpretive center. Archaeological excavations conducted by the City of Boston in 2013 recovered more than 36,000 artifacts spanning three centuries of occupation, including children's toys, ceramics, household objects, food remains, and drainage systems that directly inspired the permanent exhibition Unearthing Childhood: 300 Years of North End Kids, preserving one of Boston's richest collections of everyday colonial and immigrant material culture.
Exceptional eighteenth-century brick masonry, painstaking preservation, and groundbreaking archaeological research continue revealing how ordinary families experienced daily life across three centuries of Boston history. Original architectural fabric survives alongside interpretive exhibits documenting the Clough, Pierce, Grant, and immigrant families who successively occupied the residence, while the building's direct association with Ebenezer Clough, Old North Church, and the surrounding Freedom Trail places it at the center of Boston's colonial narrative. Archaeological scholarship, architectural conservation, and immersive historical interpretation collectively establish Clough House among the most significant surviving domestic buildings of colonial New England.
How to fold Clough House at Old North into your trip.
Clough House at Old North works as part of an exploration through the North End's celebrated Revolutionary landmarks.
Begin at Old North Church, where the famous lantern signal introduces one of America's defining Revolutionary stories before continuing to Clough House. Continue to the Printing Office of Edes & Gill, where colonial printing demonstrations illuminate the role of the press during the American Revolution. Conclude at Paul Revere House, where Boston's oldest remaining downtown residence provides a memorable finale celebrating the city's extraordinary colonial heritage. The progression moves naturally from Revolutionary history to colonial domestic life before concluding within one of America's most important historic homes, revealing why Clough House remains one of Boston's finest preserved colonial treasures.
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