The Home of a Master Shipbuilder

The Donald McKay House was built in 1844 in the Greek Revival style. McKay moved into the house in 1845 with his first wife, Albenia Boole. Albenia died in 1848. The McKay house is located at 78-80 White Street in East Boston's Eagle Hill Historic District. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A unique feature of the McKay home is the thirteen columns on the flat-roofed porch which McKay added to the west side of his house. The columns are said to honor the thirteen colonies. It is said that inside the McKay home that the dining room was oval in shape to look like a ship. The home was not far from McKay's shipyard on Border Street where he built some of his most famous clipper ships. Images are from the Boston Landmark Commission image collection, City of Boston Archives, copyright: City of Boston