You’re driving down Route 6A in Brewster, past the antique shops and the low-slung saltboxes, and you think you know Cape Cod. But then you turn down Crosby Lane. At the end of that quiet road sits a 35-room monument to ego, alcohol, and an age of opulence that feels entirely out of place in this sleepy seaside town.
People call it the Crosby Mansion in Brewster MA, but its real name is Tawasentha. It’s a place where a Chicago whiskey tycoon literally wrapped a three-story Victorian palace around his father’s tiny, humble Cape house because he couldn't bear to tear it down.
Honestly, it’s kind of weird. And that’s exactly why it’s worth the $6 donation to get inside.
The Whiskey, the Fire, and the Performance Artist
Albert Crosby wasn't your typical local boy made good. Born in 1823, he left the Cape to find his fortune in Chicago. He didn't just find it; he printed money by selling non-taxed "medicinal" alcohol to the Union Army during the Civil War. Basically, he was a legal bootlegger for the military.
But life in Chicago wasn't all gold leaf. The Great Fire of 1871 leveled his opera house and his art gallery, costing him about $1.5 million—an astronomical sum in the 1870s. Around the same time, he divorced his first wife and married Matilda Sourbeck.
Matilda was 20 years younger and a former burlesque performer.
When Albert decided to move back home to Brewster in 1888, he didn't want to live in the modest 1830s homestead his father built. He wanted a stage for Matilda. So, he hired John Hinckley and Sons to build a 35-room mansion around the original house.
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If you stand in the main foyer today—which was modeled after one at Buckingham Palace—you can see the jarring transition where the high-society Victorian architecture meets the low ceilings and cramped quarters of the 1830s Cape. It’s a literal physical manifestation of a man trying to be two things at once: a billionaire socialite and a simple Brewster local.
Inside the Crosby Mansion in Brewster MA
Walking through the mansion is sort of like a fever dream of 19th-century luxury.
- The Parlor: Albert wanted to impress Matilda, so he fashioned the parlor after a room in the Palace of Versailles. It’s got hand-carved mahogany and oak walls that would make a modern contractor weep.
- The Fireplaces: There are 13 of them (some sources say 15, but let's stick to the core structural count). Each one is unique, featuring imported English tiles in different colors. Matilda’s favorite was a green-tinted mirror over the parlor hearth.
- The Art Gallery: This was once a two-story, 75x50 foot space filled with works by El Greco and Childe Hassam. It’s the reason the Old Colony Railroad—now the Cape Cod Rail Trail—actually laid a special side track to the property just to deliver building materials and famous guests.
Legend has it that Albert grew tired of Matilda’s constant, lavish soirees. When the noise got to be too much, he would slip through a hidden door into the "old house" section, sit in his favorite rocking chair, and enjoy the silence of the 1830s while the Gilded Age roared in the next room.
Why Does It Still Stand?
By the mid-20th century, the mansion was a wreck. After Matilda died in 1928, it went through a series of identities: a music school where a young Kirk Douglas reportedly studied acting, a restaurant, and even a camp.
By the 1980s, it was owned by the state (it’s technically part of Nickerson State Park) and was falling apart. Vandals had set fire to the 60-foot viewing tower. The roof leaked. It was a "haunted house" in the eyes of local kids.
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Then came the Friends of Crosby Mansion.
Started by Brian Locke and his mother Ginny in the early 90s, this grassroots group spent decades scraping paint, raising funds, and literally saving the walls from collapsing. Most of the people you meet there today are volunteers in their 70s or 80s who have spent thirty years of their lives on this "labor of love."
When you visit, you aren't just seeing a museum; you're seeing the result of a small town refusing to let a piece of its weirdest history die.
The Practical Details for Your Visit
If you’re planning to check out the Crosby Mansion in Brewster MA, you need to time it right. It’s not a 9-to-5 operation.
- Open Houses: They typically only happen in July and August. They’re usually held on a few Sundays or Tuesdays, so check the official website or the Brewster Chamber of Commerce before you drive down.
- Cost: There is usually a suggested donation of $6 per person. It is the best deal on Cape Cod.
- The Location: 163 Crosby Lane. You can walk there from the Cape Cod Rail Trail if you’re biking, or park on-site.
- The Beach: After the tour, walk the footpath behind the mansion. It leads straight to Crosby Beach and the Brewster Flats. If the tide is out, you can walk for miles on the sand.
The mansion is also a massive wedding venue. You can rent the whole place, and they even have two beach cottages—The Bungalow and The Ranch—available for weekly rentals from June through October.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
Don't just walk through and look at the pretty wood. Look for the "Anaglypta" wall coverings in the library. It’s a heavy, embossed paper finished in gold leaf that survived the years of neglect.
Also, pay attention to the transition between the new mansion and the original 1830s house. It’s a rare chance to see how architectural styles shifted in just 50 years—from functional survival to "look at how much money I have."
If you want to support the preservation, you can join the Friends of Crosby Mansion or even sign up to be a docent. They are almost always looking for people who care about the stories behind the mahogany.
To get the most out of your trip, aim for a late afternoon tour in August. The light hits the mahogany in the library just right, and you can finish the day by watching the sunset over the bay at the end of the lane. It makes it easy to see why Albert Crosby wanted to build his palace right here.