the hill house

Went with a group of Master Gardners for a tour. The guide was very up on a fantastic amount of history of the Hill house.A must see place.

Wonderful tour of an 18th century home in the heart of Historic Olde Towne Portsmouth. Docents are all volunteers and love sharing great stories about the home with the public. All furnishings on the house are original. Very Awsome!

This place was turned over as is by the family as a museum. Everything was there and still is- it's like someone still lives there but you're walking into the 19th century. My favorite thing is one of the first dishwashers ever attached to the huge porcelain sink in the kitchen. The cupboards are full of ordinary everyday things and when you see them through the glass is the Hoosier cabinet you just might feel like you're at your granny's house! It has been painted it's original color and the gardens designed by Portsmouth Master Gardener Volunteers and serves as a historic wedding venue.

Having watched "The Haunting" of Hill House movies, I'd like to say what a delight it was to see the incredible renovation of Portsmouth's famous historical Hill House since the first time I saw it about six years ago. On my first tour back then, it really was a bit of a horror story--dark, damp and dingy. Nothing had been done to keep the place from falling to pieces and that's exactly what was happening. Then, a new group of energetic historic preservationists took over, and we now have one of the best historical home museums on the East Coast. In addition to major (and very necessary) exterior and interior renovations, the grounds were excavated, revealing buried treasures now on display in the house. Then the grounds were replanted into a beautiful and fruitful garden. Great opportunity to see how people lived a couple of centuries ago--clothing and other artifacts are in the closets and on the shelves. Hill House is in the middle of one of the finest historic districts on the East Coast, located at Mile Marker 0 and next to Portsmouth's historic Downtown, established in 1758.

Me and my wife toured this home during last year Cihristmas festival. It was beautiful inside with seasonal decorations and the guide was very knowledgeable. I found out that the home had one of the area's first dishwasher. A wonderful place to spend a few hours taking in.

Only open on Wednesdays from noon until 4 PM, but definitely worth planning your time to visit. This home was left to the Portsmouth Historical Society when the last member of the family died in the 1960s. The history of the family is very interesting. The four story home was left intact with all the furniture, art, china, silver. What a treat! Very unusual to get to see a home that has all original furnishings. It was built in the 1880s, but is decorated in the Victorian style.