The Shirley-Eustis House was built in 1747 as the country house of William Shirley, royal governor of Massachusetts Bay. It is one of the few surviving mansions associated with Britain's colonial governors in what became the United States.
After the Revolution, the house was owned by William Eustis, a physician, politician, and later governor of Massachusetts. Tours make the most sense for travellers interested in colonial Boston beyond the Freedom Trail.