Donald McKay House facts for kids
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Donald McKay House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Partial view of the McKay House facade.
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 Location in Massachusetts
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| Location | 78–80 White St. East Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1844 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Part of | Eagle Hill Historic District (ID98000149) |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004450 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 2, 1982 |
| Designated CP | February 26, 1998 |
The Donald McKay House is a special old house in East Boston, Massachusetts. It was once the home of Donald McKay, who was a super famous builder of really fast sailing ships called clipper ships.
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The Home of a Ship-Building Legend
This house was built in 1844. It's designed in a style called Greek Revival. This means it looks a bit like ancient Greek temples, with a sloped roof and a triangle shape at the front.
Donald McKay (1810 – 1880) moved into this house in 1845. While he lived here, he became famous for designing and building some of the fastest and most amazing clipper ships ever!
McKay's Record-Breaking Clipper Ships
Donald McKay built many incredible ships. Here are some of his most famous ones:
- Flying Cloud (1851): This ship made two trips from New York to San Francisco in just 89 days. That was super fast for its time!
- Sovereign of the Seas (1852): In 1854, this ship set a speed record for a sailing ship, reaching 22 knots (about 25 miles per hour).
- Lightning (1854): This ship broke several records. It once sailed 436 miles in just 24 hours! It also sailed from Melbourne, Australia, to Liverpool, England, in only 64 days.
- James Baines (1854): This clipper ship reached a speed of 21 knots on June 18, 1856.
Other Important Ships Built by McKay
While living in East Boston, McKay also built five large packet ships. These ships were used to carry people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean, especially from Europe to North America. They were built for Enoch Train's White Diamond Line between 1845 and 1850.
The packet ships were:
- the Washington Irving
- the Anglo Saxon
- the Anglo American
- the Daniel Webster
- the Ocean Monarch
Sadly, the Ocean Monarch was lost in a fire in 1848, shortly after leaving Liverpool.
During the American Civil War, the U.S. Navy asked McKay to build a special warship. He built the USS Nausett, which was a type of ship called a monitor. Monitors were strong warships with heavy armor and big guns.
House Recognition
The Donald McKay House is an important historical building. On May 10, 1977, it was named a Boston Landmark. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it's officially recognized as a special place in American history.
