Name

Longyear Museum

Legal name

Longyear Museum

Website

https://longyear.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Museum and Cultural Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Museums (71211), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Historical museum services
• Historic house preservation
• Guided educational tours
• Religious heritage education
• Archival research collections

Headquarters

HQ city

Chestnut Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The museum relies heavily on charitable donations from members and supporters. Donations to the Longyear Fund are unrestricted and support all aspects of operations. The museum's 2026 budget shows 73.9% ($3.896 million) must be raised annually from philanthropy.
2. Museum Membership: Annual membership program providing access to online programs, free admission to historic houses, biannual magazine, and store discounts. Members are part of an international community committed to educating the public about Mary Baker Eddy.
3. Endowment Income: Endowment principal of nearly $32 million generates approximately $1.375 million annually toward operating expenses (26.1% of budget). Endowment includes Mary Beecher Longyear's original trust fund (valued at $17+ million) plus additional investments.
4. Planned Giving: Bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, and beneficiary designations provide long-term financial support. The museum offers various planned giving options including CGAs with minimum gift of $5,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Longyear Museum is a nonprofit historical museum that preserves and presents the life and work of Mary Baker Eddy, Discoverer, Founder, and Leader of Christian Science. The museum operates a Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts campus with three permanent exhibits and eight Mary Baker Eddy Historic Houses across New Hampshire and Massachusetts, offering guided tours, research archives, educational programming, virtual tours, a biannual magazine, and a membership program.

Product overview

Longyear Museum operates as a historical museum with a multi-product portfolio centered on preserving and educating about Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science history. The core offerings include the main museum in Chestnut Hill, MA with three exhibits and eight Mary Baker Eddy Historic Houses across New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Supporting products include guided tours (general historic house tours, specialized Chestnut Hill Artwork Tour, and multi-day Spring/Fall tours), online resources (Research Archive, Video Library, Audio Gallery, Virtual Tours), educational publications (Longyear Magazine newsletter since 1964, Youth Resources for children), the Pioneers Gallery with portraits of early Christian Science workers, and membership program. The museum also provides research services for scholars and photo permissions for publication use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Longyear Museum (Chestnut Hill, MA) Main museum facility in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, featuring three main exhibits — 'Mary Baker Eddy: A Spiritual Journey,' 'The Baker Family,' and 'The Pleasant View Years' — housing a collection of 65,000+ artifacts, documents, and artwork pertaining to Mary Baker Eddy and early Christian Science history. Open to the public with free admission.
• Mary Baker Eddy Historic Houses Eight historic houses maintained by Longyear Museum across New Hampshire and Massachusetts marking stages of Mary Baker Eddy's life: Chestnut Hill MA (400 Beacon St.), Concord NH (62 North State St.), Lynn MA (8 Broad St.), Stoughton MA (133 Central St.), Amesbury MA (277 Main St.), Swampscott MA (23 Paradise Rd.), Rumney NH (58 Stinson Lake Rd.), and North Groton NH (29 Halls Brook Rd.). Each is a separate preserved site open for guided tours.
• Chestnut Hill Artwork Tour 90-minute special guided tour focusing on 15 pieces of artwork at 400 Beacon Street, exploring sculptures, paintings, and ornaments many of which were gifts from grateful Christian Science students. Pricing: $25 adults, $12.50 students/youths 7-17, free for members and children under 7.
• Multi-Day Spring and Fall Tours Four-day/3-night escorted guided tours through New Hampshire and Massachusetts visiting all eight Mary Baker Eddy historic houses plus additional sites. Includes accommodations, meals, transportation by air-conditioned coach, historic house visits, workbook, and activities. Single Room $2,400 / Double Room $2,100 per person.
• Research Archive Online archive of research articles about Mary Baker Eddy and the early Christian Science movement, covering her discovery, teaching, church work, family, and pioneers. Free public access via the museum website.
• Video Library Collection of online videos including historical documentaries, restoration videos, worker profiles, hymn performances, and children's programming about Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science history.
• Virtual Tours Online virtual tours of Museum galleries (Portrait Gallery, Patzlaff Gallery) and historic houses (Amesbury, Lynn) accessible remotely to anyone with internet access.
• Museum Membership Annual membership program providing biannual Longyear Review magazine, access to online programs, free admission to Mary Baker Eddy Historic Houses, and discounts in the Museum store. Connects members to an international community committed to educating the public about Mary Baker Eddy.
• Research Services Research assistance for scholars and historians including in-person appointments, research inquiries, photo reproduction permissions, and downloadable research aids including chronologies and published works about Mary Baker Eddy and early Christian Science movement.
• Longyear Review (Biannual Magazine) Biannual magazine published since 1964 containing research articles, museum news, and educational content about Mary Baker Eddy, available in print and PDF formats. Sent to members and available to the public.
• Longyear for Kids (Youth Resources) Age-appropriate research articles, film clips, and educational programs designed for children and teens exploring Mary Baker Eddy's life and history.
• Events Program Calendar of special events throughout the year including Busy Bees kids programs, Family Days, house tours, and special programs at the museum and historic houses.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, ScientistmajorOthers · 1 January 2016Original donor of the Baker family Chippendale-style tall case clock to Longyear Museum in 2016. The clock, belonging to Mary Baker Eddy's father Mark Baker, is now on display in the Patzlaff Gallery alongside other Baker family artifacts.
• Consigli ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner for the restoration of 400 Beacon Street, Mary Baker Eddy's final home in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The restoration project received a 2025 Victorian Society Preservation Award for exemplary adaptive reuse.
• DBVW ArchitectsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm partner for the restoration of 400 Beacon Street, contributing to the award-winning restoration project that included re-created interiors and utility upgrades.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Trustees of Reservations: Massachusetts-based nonprofit conservation organization operating dozens of historic properties, including museums and houses. Comparable in preservation scope, ticketed-property model, and reliance on memberships and philanthropy.
• Old Sturbridge Village: Large living-history museum in Massachusetts presenting early 19th-century New England life. While broader in scope than Longyear, it competes for the same regional heritage-tourism audience and uses a comparable combination of ticketed admissions, memberships, and educational programming.

Direct peers

• Strawbery Banke Museum: Outdoor living-history museum in Portsmouth, NH featuring restored houses spanning multiple centuries. Highly comparable operating model: cluster of preserved historic homes, ticketed tours, educational programming, and nonprofit funding mix.
• Historic New England: Regional heritage nonprofit operating dozens of historic house museums across New England. Highly comparable to Longyear in that both preserve and interpret multiple 19th-century properties, generate revenue through tours and memberships, and serve a mix of general public and specialist audiences.
• The Emily Dickinson Museum: Two-house museum (Homestead and Evergreens) in Amherst, MA dedicated to a single 19th-century American figure. Mirrors Longyear's structure of multiple preserved residences, interpretive exhibits, and academic research orientation tied to one historic individual.
• The Mark Twain House & Museum: Author-focused historic house museum in Hartford, CT offering tours, exhibits, and educational programming about a single 19th-century figure. Comparable in its combination of restored residence, curated collection, ticketed tours, and nonprofit fundraising model.
• Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House: Single-author historic house museum in Concord, MA preserving the home of Louisa May Alcott. Directly comparable to Longyear in operating model: preservation of a literary/religious figure's home, guided tours, educational programs, and reliance on admissions, memberships, and donations.

Others

• The Mother Church (The First Church of Christ, Scientist): Headquarters of the Christian Science denomination in Boston, adjacent thematically to Longyear's mission. While not a direct competitor, it is a key donor partner, a feeder for visitor traffic, and the institutional steward of Mary Baker Eddy's wider legacy.

Regional players

• Salem Witch Museum: Single-theme history museum in Salem, MA focused on the 1692 witch trials. Operates with a comparable small-staff nonprofit model, ticketed tours, and a specialized collection tied to a specific historic episode in New England.
• Fruitlands Museum: Massachusetts heritage site operated by The Trustees, combining historic houses with collections of 19th-century artifacts. Comparable to Longyear in its hybrid museum/historic-house operation within the same regional tourism market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/LongyearMuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/longyear-museum

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Longyear Museum