Governor Bellingham-Cary House

GBCH opens for the 2026 season on April 11, 2026

Join us for our Open House and Drop in to Draw Session

April 11, 11am-3pm

On April 11, the Governor Bellingham Cary House will be open for anyone who would like to visit and see the inside of the house. You can take a self-guided tour of the first floor, and there will be drawing materials for anyone who would like to sit and draw any of the furnishings, architectural details or you can choose to draw a still life composed of objects from the collection, which will be arranged for drawing.

The curator, Janet Sartor, will be there to answer questions about the house. You can also meet our first curatorial intern, Jordan Hoban, who will be happy to show you how to use the drawing materials, or talk to you about their experience as an intern at the house.

You don’t have to draw; you can just look around if you prefer. If you already have materials you would like to use, such as watercolors or pastels, please feel free to bring them. You may also take photographs, but please be mindful of people who are drawing. Please do not use permanent markers, sprays of any kind, or oil paints, which can damage the house or collections.

Check out all our events for the season: EVENT CALENDAR

PRESS RELEASE January 26, 2026

The Governor Bellingham-Cary House is excited to announce that it has created a curatorial internship and has accepted their first intern for this program. The internship was designed in conjunction with the graduate program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts and aims to allow an intern to gain valuable museum experience in preparation for a museum career.

We would like to introduce our new intern, as well as the curator in charge of this internship.

Jordan Hoban is a multi-disciplinary artist from Monroe, North Carolina. Graduating in 2024 from Warren Wilson College with a BA in English, Jordan is currently a dual MFA candidate at Lenoir-Rhyne University and the SMFA @ Tufts, where they study creative writing, narrative healthcare, and filmmaking.

They are interested in pursuing a career in museum collections care, with special emphasis paid to working with the archives. A recent transplant to the Boston area, Jordan resides in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood with their partner, Kat, and their 3-legged dog, Glimmer.

Janet Sartor has been the curator of the Governor Bellingham-Cary House since November 2024. Museums and art schools have been at the center of her career for more than 30 years, having worked in conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and in educational programming at the Harvard Art Museums, and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Upon retirement in 2024, she started volunteering at the Governor Bellingham-Cary House and was soon invited to join the Board of Trustees in the position of curator. Janet has a BFA in sculpture and a MFA in Italian Literature from the University of Oregon. She also studied art conservation at l’Istituto per l’Arte e il Ristauro in Florence, Italy. We are excited to showcase our new logo that bridges a rich heritage in Colonial America with the present day GBCH.

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OUR NEW LOOK!

We are pleased to unveil our new logo that bridges our rich history to modern day.

Design credit: Pepper Fee

The Bellingham-Cary House

The Governor Bellingham- Cary House and surrounding acres in Chelsea have been witness to over 350 years of American history. From the beginning of European settlement in the early 17th century, when it was a bountiful place full of natural resources to the bustling 21st century city today, it has evolved and persevered.

The Cary family lived here from the 1760s until the beginning of the 20th century. Their home, known lovingly as “the Retreat”, was a bucolic oasis remembered fondly by both family and friends alike.

For over a century, the Governor Bellingham-Cary House Association has cared for this singular piece of our nation’s history. Registered as a National Landmark property, numerous preservation and conservation grants have helped to preserve both the building and its contents to serve as a window to the past for the over 1,000 people, including school children, who visit here every year.

It is open for sponsored events and open houses throughout the year, as well as by appointment. Check our Facebook page and events section of this website for upcoming events.

Photographs are courtesy of Jarrod Staples Photography, Matt Frank Photography, Marianne Salza and Charlie Chapman.