Thanks to a gift by Dorothy Codman, it has been owned by Historic New England since 1969 and is open to the public June 1–October 15 on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.

The main house was originally Georgian in style and was built in approximately 1735 by Chambers Russell, the de facto founder of Lincoln, Massachusetts.

It was enlarged in the 1790s to its current three-story Federal style by John Codman, brother-in-law of Chambers Russell III and executor of his estate.

Various rooms preserve the decorative schemes of every era, including those of noted interior designer Ogden Codman, Jr.

A few of those artifacts continue to be on display in the carriage house including an early gas pump and a large machine powered lathe.