Gilbert Stuart Birthplace & Museum

Gilbert Stuart Birthplace & Museum Review

Built in 1751, the childhood home of America's foremost portrait artist is set on 23 acres in the woods on a pristine millpond and stream with Colonial herb gardens, nature trails, and a fish ladder. Gilbert Stuart was born in 1755 in the gambrel-roofed house above his father's snuff mill, the first such mill in the American colonies. He would paint more than 1,000 portraits, including Presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams. See reproductions of Stuart's work in the home. There is also a fully restored gristmill with the original granite millstones used to grind local whitecap flint corn into cornmeal. Visiting artists are often painting and photographing the picturesque grounds. Guided tours are given on the hour between 11 and 4 Thursday through Saturday and from noon to 4 on Sunday. The last tour is at 3.