Long Hill
Beverly, MA
114 acres
114 acres
About Long Hill
This former family retreat has been renowned for its gardens for almost a century.
What makes Long Hill a special place?
In 1916, this 114-acre hillside property attracted Atlantic Monthly editor and publisher Ellery Sedgwick and his wife for its lovely views of the rural North Shore. But Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, an accomplished gardener and horticulturist, had more ambitious – and aesthetic – ideas.
As the couple formulated plans for the elegant Federal-style home that would become their summer retreat, Mabel Sedgwick also set about designing gardens and landscape amenities that are renowned a century later.
After her death in 1937, her vision was sustained and expanded by the second Mrs. Sedgwick, the former Marjorie Russell, a rare plants specialist, who added new and rare species of trees and shrubs to the estate, some introduced by the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain.
The gardens are laid out in a series of separate garden “rooms” surrounding the handsome, Federal-style, brick house. Each “room” is distinct in its own way, accented by ornaments and statuary.
Today, the gardens retain the “Garden for Living”–style with integrated outdoor rooms, mature plantings that blend into the surrounding woodlands, and a spirit of innovation in horticulture.
To design their indoor living space, the Sedgwicks hired the Boston firm of Richardson, Barrott and Richardson. The family wanted to bring the outdoors in, and they decorated the rooms with lovely murals of garden scenes and flowers. Its interiors also boast elegant woodwork and mantelpieces from the Isaac Ball House in Charleston, South Carolina.
The gardens are flanked on all sides by more than 100 acres of woodland as well as an apple orchard, meadow, children’s garden, and agricultural fields, including a 2-acre organic vegetable farm run by The Food Project as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project.
Trails
A popular 1.2-mile main loop trail – great for families – passes through quintessentially New England woodlands dotted by vernal pools and imposing boulders.
When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8am to 5pm. Allow a minimum of 1½ hours. Peak bloom in May and June. Guided tours are offered in spring, summer, and fall. See Programs for details.
Facilities
The Sedgwick Garden Library contains an extensive reference collection of horticultural periodicals and books that may be used in the library during business hours. Please call 978.921.1944 x1813 for an appointment.
Regulations & Advisories
We hope you enjoy your visit. For your safety, and to help protect this unique resource, we ask that you please comply with the following regulations:
- Please respect the tranquility of this reservation and others’ enjoyment of their visit here.
- Dogs are welcome, but on-leash only. Please dispose of dog waste properly off the property.
- Long Hill is open from sunrise to sunset. Entering or remaining on the property after that time is prohibited.
- The following are prohibited at Long Hill:
-Cutting or removing vegetation
-Mountain biking
-Consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages
-Motorized vehicles (except for authorized management purposes)
-Horseback riding
-Fires, camping, littering, or dumping
-Hunting, trapping, and possessing or using firearms (seasonal hunting is permitted with permission and accuracy test only)
-Disturbing, removing, defacing, cutting, or otherwise causing damage to a natural feature, sign, poster, barrier, building, or other property on the reservation. - The main house serves as the Northeast Regional office for The Trustees of Reservations. Open 9AM–5PM, Monday–Friday. Restroom available.
Note: Please check locally at property for posted advisories and regulations.
Long Hill is a property of The Trustees of Reservations.Visitors are welcome, but with the understanding that they use the area at their own risk and that they comply with all the above regulations.Whoever disregards or violates any of these regulations is hereby forbidden to remain upon these premises, and is subject to arrest, fine, and imprisonment as provided by law. The Trustees of Reservations cannot assume responsibility for injuries or for the loss or theft of personal property.
The Trustees reserves the right to photograph or video visitors and program participants for promotional use, and usage of our properties implies consent. Find the full policy here.
Directions
572 Essex Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Telephone: 978.921.1944
E-mail: dbouchard@thetrustees.org
Latitude: 42.587
Longitude: -70.846
Get directions on Google Maps.
From Rt. 128 Exit 18, take Rt. 22 North 1 mi. Bear left at split in road and continue for 0.2 mi. on Essex Street to entrance on left (street number 572 is on the brick pillars). Parking area (50 cars) is up the driveway on left.
Admission
When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8am to 5pm. Allow a minimum of 1½ hours. Peak bloom in May and June. Guided tours are offered in spring, summer, and fall. See Programs for details.
Admission
FREE to all
Property History
In 1916, Atlantic Monthly editor/publisher Ellery Sedgwick bought a working farm on a Beverly hillside, where he built a grand summer retreat for his family. Under the expert guidance of his wife, Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, and Marjorie Russell Sedgwick (who married Ellery Sedgwick after the death of his first wife), the Long Hill gardens gained an international reputation.
Property Acquisition History
Gift of Theodora Sedgwick Bond, Henrietta E.S. Lockwood, Ellery Sedgwick, Jr., and S. Cabot Sedgwick in 1979. Gift of 0.4 acre by Raymond and Linda Gosselin in 1994.
Archival Collections
Archival material related to ong Hill is available to researchers at the Archives & Research Center in Sharon, Massachusetts.
Henrietta Lockwood Collection
(5.75 linear feet)
Regarding life of Henrietta Lockwood (daughter of Mabel Cabot Sedgwick and Ellery Sedgwick) and regarding the house and gardens at Long Hill, 1878–2000.
Robin Zitter Collection of Henrietta E.S. Lockwood
(10 linear feet)
Regarding the horticultural life of Henrietta E.S. Lockwood, the daughter of Atlantic Monthly owner and editor Ellery Sedgwick and Mabel Cabot Sedgwick. The collection, which spans the years 1915 to 2002, focuses on Henrietta E.S. Lockwood’s dedication to the cultivation of her New York garden, especially the clematis vines. The materials include letters from Ellery Sedgwick’s second wife, Marjorie Russell Sedgwick, at Long Hill to Henrietta E.S. Lockwood.
The Archives & Research Center welcomes donations of documents, manuscripts, records, photographs, maps and memorabilia that pertain to a particular property. Please contact us at 781.784.8200 or arc@ttor.org.
Programs
The Long Hill Horticulture Center offers botanically inspired, hands-on workshops, in-depth garden tours, and a range of garden programs and events for adults, children, and families. Check our events calendar for a full listing of upcoming programs at the Center.
Tours
Free guided tours are offered in spring and guided group tours are by appointment. Group tours are $5 per person; minimum of 20 people of $100.
Workshops and Programs for Garden Clubs
The Long Hill Horticulture Center offers a range f programs and workshops for garden clubs, such as pruning, trough making, and invasive plant identification. Please contact dbouchard@thetrustees.org or call 978.921.1944 x1825 for a list of garden club workshops.
Maps and Resources
Self-guided landscape tour brochure distributed free from the bulletin board in the parking area.
You can also download a map of the gardens and of the woodland trails before you visit.
Gardeners, Go Green!
Want to make your home and garden greener? Here are some handy how-tos, straight from Long Hill's lovely (and useful) demonstration gardens:
- Power up your soil with compost
- Food for a family
- Sustainable watering techniques
- Make your grass green
Private Functions
Professional photography, such as wedding photographs or family portraits, is permitted on the property by reservation. Such photography is subject to a contract and fee. Email dbouchard@thetrustees.org for more information.
Planning Your Visit
Before You Go
We encourage you to visit as many Trustees properties as you can.
Wherever your travels take you, please observe all posted regulations, follow special instructions from property staff, and keep in mind the Stewardship Code:
- Protect wildlife and plants.
- Guard against all risk of fire.
- Help keep air and water clean.
- Carry out what you carry in.
- Use marked footpaths and bridle paths.
- Leave livestock, crops, and machinery alone.
- Respect the privacy of neighboring land.
- Enjoy and share the landscape with others.
Click on links below for further visitor information:
Tell Us What You Think
We’d love to hear about your visit! Here are three easy ways to let us know what you think:
-
Take our visitor survey. If you have a question for us, you can ask us in the survey and we’ll get back to you.
- Post a comment about your visit on our Facebook page.
- Share your experiences with other visitors on our website. Simply fill out the form below, and we’ll post your comment right here on this page.
Announcements & Alerts
Our challenge to get out and hit the trails. Hike 125 miles between May 21 & December 31 and be entered to win prizes.
Let's get hiking >>
See what's in bloom at Long Hill.
Advisory: Authorized bow hunting is allowed on portions of this reservation. See Regulations and Advisories at left for more information.
Upcoming Things To Do
There are no events scheduled at this location at this time.
Other Places You Might Like
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Coolidge Reservation
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Naumkeag
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Long Hill in the News
Where to Picnic: 12 Perfect Spots Around New England
Jul 22 – Yankee Magazine
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