[3] The property is now owned by the National Park Service; tours of the house are offered, and a film is presented.

[4][5] The house was purchased by Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr. on 20 August 1914 in preparation for his marriage to Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald on 7 October 1914.

A few months after they were married, Joe Kennedy purchased a new Model T Ford that he used to commute to downtown, where he worked as the president of the Columbia Trust Bank.

On September 8, 1975, gangster Whitey Bulger and an unidentified associate tossed a Molotov cocktail into the building in retaliation for Senator Ted Kennedy's vocal support for Boston school desegregation.

Meals were a time for the family to have lively discussions about topics that ranged from history, to politics, current events and religion.

Rose was fond of saying "history is shaped by those who get their ideas across"[13] and mealtime discussions were a staple in the Kennedy home.

Meals were a formal affair, with the family assembling in the dining room and the food brought from the kitchen by a uniformed maid.

[14] Rose Kennedy had seven of her nine children at home, and the same doctor, Dr. Good, delivered all of them, as well as the final two who were born in a hospital.

The bedroom has several photographs, including the 6 month old baby pictures of Joe Jr., Jack, Rosemary, and Kathleen.

Visitors can see Jack's two favorite books: King Arthur and his Knights and Billy Whiskers and His Kids.

Rose kept an index card for each of her children where she would list important milestones in their medical history - things like vaccinations, major illnesses and hospital stays, as well as birthdays and confirmation dates.

It was modern for the time; the stove is a combination coal and gas, and the family had an electric toaster as well as a large icebox.

Rose Kennedy hired both a French and an Irish girl, Alice Michelin and Mary O'Donahue[11] as the maid-of-all-work and nanny in the house.