Capturing the Spirit of Reform in America
Restoring the Hillside Estate
Hillside was home to John B. Gough, the most sought-after speaker of the nineteenth century and a driving voice of the American temperance movement. The Hillside Restoration Project is bringing his estate back to life as a place for Boylston, and the country, to learn from it.
A joint venture with the Town of Boylston
The Hillside Restoration Project began in 1998 as a joint venture between the Boylston Historical Society and Boylston's municipal leaders. The town's acquisition of the property gave new momentum to a long-standing goal: to save, rehabilitate, and reuse the estate of John B. Gough, one of only seven National Historic Landmarks in Worcester County.
Today an independent Board of Directors manages the project. Its primary goal is the full restoration and adaptive reuse of the Estate to the highest standards befitting a National Historic Landmark. Because the property is architecturally and historically significant to the town, state, and nation, it will serve as a resource for educational and cultural programs — particularly youth programs run with the Worcester County school systems — and for the study of its distinctive architecture and landscape. Hillside will be preserved as a self-sustaining, multi-use facility.
The mission of the Hillside Restoration Project is to restore and preserve the Hillside Estate, home of the internationally renowned temperance orator and social reformer John B. Gough, to serve the community as a center devoted to the study and interpretation of America's nineteenth-century reform movements. — Mission Statement, Hillside Restoration Project
John B. Gough
Hillside takes its historic significance from its first occupant, John Bartholomew Gough (1817–1886). One scholar has compared him to the evangelist Billy Graham; by the late nineteenth century, Gough's name was recognized by almost everyone. His oratorical skill in the cause of temperance made him the most sought-after speaker of his time. His autobiography sold over 100,000 copies, and Gough claimed that over the course of his career he gave 6,000 lectures and convinced 215,000 people to sign the pledge. His fame reached Canada and Europe, and Hillside became a gathering place for reformers of every kind. When Gough died in 1886, the New York Times called him one of the most famous men of the nineteenth century.
The estate that captures the spirit of reform in America
Studying Gough's life helps explain why temperance was known as the great reform of its age — it was the Temperance Movement that gave the cause of women's rights much of its early energy. Following Gough's career shows how deeply reform shaped the social fabric of the mid-1800s, and how it continues to shape the lives of everyday citizens. Reform is an integral part of our democracy, and Hillside helps us interpret and understand it.
Hillside Estate, 221 Main Street
Why the Estate is architecturally significant
The Hillside Estate is a rare example of the connection made in the mid-1800s between structure and landscape — the grounds are as historically significant as the house itself. Within the estate's twelve acres, a Preservation Agreement between the people of Boylston and the Massachusetts Historical Commission protects a tree-lined drive, stone walls, distinctive plantings, and sweeping views of the surrounding hills. Beyond the house, the property includes a partially submerged gas house, a carriage house and horse barn, and the remains of an orchard.
Hillside is a genuine example of a mid-nineteenth-century experimental farm, planned and designed as a country estate. The house is a rare instance of early Italianate architecture, cited in a nineteenth-century journal as one of a trinity of beautiful homes in Massachusetts. Eighty unusually tall windows flood the interior with light, and the house sits close to the earth, seeming to blend into it. A piazza across the front invites communication with nature. The oldest part of Hillside, dating to 1848, is crowned with a belvedere that lets light drift down an elegant spiral staircase — stairs that have come to symbolize Gough's rise from the depths of despair to the height of fame.
Throughout the house, the diffusion of light and heat is remarkable. Marble fireplaces, plaster ceiling medallions, and tall ceilings combine to create a sense of real elegance.
The site is particularly important to the Italianate style, and especially so for the Gough house. Boylston is fortunate that so much of the original site remains — the view that's still essentially as Gough first saw it in the spring of 1848, the tree-lined drive, the five-acre lawn Gough called his "park," and some of the outbuildings. Even in its fragmentary state the site is evocative; you can imagine how it was in Gough's day. We're still discovering parts of Gough's landscape, like the lilacs on the north edge of the lawn that were found budding up in the sun last spring. — John Salem, restoration project architect
"Hillside" is a little less than six miles from the City Hall in Worcester, and on the direct road to Boylston. The location is most charming and advantageous, for almost every foot of the land gently slopes to the east and southeast. Time has brought to a rich and pleasing perfection those features of landscape architecture which man may begin, but which time alone can bring to full fruition and completeness. The views from the highlands of the estate are wide-stretching and replete with all the charm and alternating beauty of New England scenery. Hill and dale, swift-flowing rivulets and placid ponds, quiet groves and expansive forests, are all in the compass of the eye as one roams the fields and pastures of "Hillside." Add to this the ever-changing and intensely interesting features of the estate itself, and one sees an ideal country seat — one that must remain peerless for the beauty of its situation and its rare associations. — Worcester Gazette, January 27, 1894
Discover Hillside!
Hillside's Treasure Trove of Resources
A public–private collaboration between the Hillside Restoration Project and the Town of Boylston, celebrating the 300-acre Hillside property owned by the town and its residents. With thanks to the Schwartz Foundation for its support.
- Jazz Rhythms at Hillside Farm — Andrew Wilcox Trio
- Boylston's own Andrew Wilcox returns home to share his music. $10 per person at the door. In partnership with Parks & Recreation.
- Afternoon Book Club at Hillside Farm
- Sponsored by the Boylston Library — a live discussion of Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes, winner of the Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for Teens. Books available at the library and through Libby. Meets online by Zoom in the event of inclement weather; register at boylstonlibrary.org/events.
- Antique Appraisal Day — with Wayne Tuiskula, Central Mass Auctions, Inc.
- Learn what your antique treasures are worth. $5 per item, $10 for three, first come first served. Reservations through the Council on Aging.
- Flagg Pond Hike & Drone Demonstration — with WSU Professor William Hansen
- Meet at the Hillside Farm North Lawn for a presentation and tour of this ecological site.
- Salsa Dance Night at Hillside Farm
- Learn to salsa under the stars. $15 per person, including a lesson, with dancing to follow. In partnership with Bay Path Barn.
- Poetry Under the Beech Tree
- Bring a blanket or chair and a favorite poem to share.
- Summer Games & Craft at Hillside Farm
- Sponsored by the Boylston Library — lawn games, a craft table, ages six and up.
- Sounds of Americana — featuring the Hip Swayers
- A get-up-and-dance mix of originals and covers from the hills of West Tatnuck. $10 per person at the door. In partnership with the Council on Aging.
- Historic Flagg House Open House & Tour — led by Mark Fuller
- Explore this historic building, currently being rehabilitated and researched for the National Historic Registry, and share ideas for its future reuse. In partnership with the Boylston Historical Commission.
- Pickleball Demonstration, Hillside Gym
- Learn this family-friendly sport, followed by a cold drink and a short tour of the historic Gough House. In partnership with Parks & Recreation.
- Mr. Vinny the Bubble Guy, Hillside Pavilion
- Big-bubble chasing games, music, and improvised silliness for the whole family. In partnership with Parks & Recreation.
- Crocodile River Music at Hillside Farm — with CRM co-founder Issa Coulibaly
- An interactive lecture and demonstration of instruments and music from Issa's hometown of Bamako, Mali, including the djembe, dunun, and n'goni. Family-friendly, with audience participation.
Bring chairs or blankets, food, and drink to outdoor events, held on Hillside Farm's North Lawn at 221 Main Street. Pre-concert tours of the Gough House begin about an hour before showtime. We're grateful for your support of Boylston's local restaurants for picnic take-out and pre- or post-event dining.
For event updates, weather changes, or to share an idea or sponsor a future event, contact bjhay2@verizon.net.
The Hillside Restoration Project, Inc. is a non-profit whose mission is the restoration, preservation, and adaptive reuse of the John B. Gough Estate — one of seven National Historic Landmarks in Worcester County. It's one of the most significant historic preservation efforts in the region, recognized by local, state, and national preservation organizations, and it welcomes collaborations with educational, cultural, and civic groups in the work of preserving this landmark.
Inside Hillside
Photographed at Hillside Farm in December 2020 by Sarah May Mendoza, a student at Tahanto Regional High School in Boylston.
Support the Hillside Restoration Project
Fill in the form below, print it, and mail it to Hillside Restoration Project, P.O. Box 454, Boylston, MA 01505. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere until you mail it in.
- $25 – $249Cold Water Army
- $250 – $499Teetotaler
- $500 – $999Orator
- $1,000+Reformer
Thank you for supporting the Hillside Restoration Project.
Visit the John B. Gough Estate
Hillside Restoration Project, Inc.
P.O. Box 454
Boylston, MA 01505
221 Main Street, Boylston, Massachusetts
508-869-2720
bjhay2@verizon.net
Contact: Judy Haynes or Nel Lazour
From the west
Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (Route 90) to Route 290 North toward Worcester. From Route 290, take the Boylston exit (23B / Route 140 North). At the intersection of Route 140 and Route 70, turn left at the light and go about a quarter mile to the signs for the Boylston Town Offices and Municipal Complex, on the right.
From the east
Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (Route 90) to Route 495 North, then to Route 290 toward Worcester. From Route 290, take the Boylston exit (23B / Route 140 North). At the intersection of Route 140 and Route 70, turn left at the light and go about a quarter mile to the signs for the Boylston Town Offices and Municipal Complex, on the right. This road leads up to the Gough Estate.
From Worcester
Take Route 290 East to the Boylston exit (23B / Route 140 North). At the intersection of Route 140 and Route 70, turn left at the light and go about a quarter mile to the signs for the Boylston Town Offices and Municipal Complex, on the right. This road leads up to the Gough Estate.
For special events, please follow the signs to the designated parking area.