1888 Colonial Revival Estate on Cape Cod Bay
163 Crosby Lane, Brewster, MA 02631
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
$6 donation requested per adult; kids under 12 free. Public open house tours and private group tours available; pricing for special events varies.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story Victorian-era mansion with stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1888 · Colonial Revival Architecture · Gilded Age Estate · Cape Cod Historic Site · Nickerson State Park
Albert Crosby was born in Brewster in 1822 and made his fortune in Chicago, where he became one of the largest losers in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. He returned to Cape Cod with his second wife Matilda, twenty-three years his junior and a former burlesque performer, and constructed a mansion on family land near Crosby Lane.
Construction extended from 1876 to 1888. The house, originally called Tawasentha, was designed in the Colonial Revival style with French and Asian decorative influences gathered during the Crosbys' European travels. Albert incorporated a purpose-built art gallery for his collection and a ballroom suitable for the entertainments Matilda enjoyed. At completion, the mansion was the grandest private home in Brewster.
Following the Crosbys' deaths, the estate passed through a series of uses. It operated as a restaurant and inn, a music school, and a children's summer camp before falling into severe disrepair through the late twentieth century.
In 1992, the Friends of Crosby Mansion was incorporated and began petitioning the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to support restoration. The state subsequently took ownership; the property is now part of Nickerson State Park, with the mansion maintained as a historic site and the Friends organization operating tours and events. Restoration is ongoing.
Sources
The Crosby Mansion is not widely cataloged as a haunted site, and the claims that do circulate appear primarily on user-submitted aggregator entries rather than in published investigation reports or local news features.
The most commonly repeated story describes lights flickering in the windows during the long period between Albert and Matilda Crosby's residence and the start of restoration in 1992 — a stretch when the building was unoccupied and lacked active electrical service. A second claim concerns an unexplained mark on the front step that observers have described as resembling blood. Neither claim has been corroborated by named witnesses, and the Friends of Crosby Mansion does not promote the property as haunted.
Given the building's century-and-a-half of varied use — Gilded Age estate, restaurant, music school, summer camp, and partially restored historic house — its principal interest remains architectural and biographical rather than paranormal.
Tour the 1888 Colonial Revival mansion built by Albert Crosby for his second wife Matilda, including the integrated art gallery and ballroom designed for her performances. The Friends of Crosby Mansion has guided restoration since 1992 and offers public open house tours, private group tours, and seasonal events.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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