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On April 11, 1692, the meetinghouse of the First Church in
Salem was used for the examination of Sarah Cloyce and John and Elizabeth
Proctor. On the day of her trial, Bridget Bishop’s specter allegedly pried up a
plank from the meetinghouse and sent it crashing about the interior. Giles
Corey and Rebecca Nurse were full members of the First Church, but were
publically excommunicated from the Church and executed. Their memberships were
reinstated in 1992 during the Tercentennial observance of the witch trials, and
the Salem Witch Trials Memorial was erected. 

Also connected with the Salem witch trials of 1692 was
Reverend Nicholas Noyes, the junior minister of the First Church. He was an
active persecutor of the accused witches in the examinations and officiated at
the hangings of those accused of witchcraft.&nbsp;The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, is a dramatization
and partially fictional story of the Salem witch trials and an allegory of
McCarthyism. It depicts the story of the start of the witch trials, beginning with
the accusations against the alleged witches including Tituba, Elizabeth
Proctor, and Rebecca Nurse and follows the trials of John and Elizabeth
Proctor, which took place at the meetinghouse. The play is based on true
events from the Salem witch trials, but has many historical inaccuracies (a
list of these inaccuracies is linked below). It does, however, show the panic
and hysteria of Salem during the trials and allows Miller to parallel the witch trials and the McCarthy trials.&nbsp;

Plaque from the First Meeting House in Salem

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The First Church in Salem was founded in 1634 by Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, making it one of the oldest churches founded in North America. It is also the first to be governed by congregational polity. In 1692, the meetinghouse of the First Church was involved in the Salem witch trials. During that time period, religion was a major part of the town’s life. Most sermons took place at the meetinghouse, and the few celebrations that were permitted were centered there. This led to much of the hysteria surrounding the trials. 

Site of the First Meetinghouse of the First Church in Salem

This tour of Salem includes a dozen historical sites that offer a general history of the community and some of its leading citizens and historic homes and buildings. Although a few entries are related to the Salem Witch Trials, this tour is designed to offer a general overview of the history of the community.

Salem Massachusetts Beyond the Witch Trials

In its early days, Hamilton Hall served as the gathering
place for local Federalists. &nbsp;They invited
guests for the regularly scheduled assemblies with a dance. Exactly at ten
o'clock, the guests could taste the brief repast prepared by the legendary caterer
John Remond. The evening ended at exactly the stroke of midnight, in the middle
of a dance. Today, a plaque commemorating the event can be seen at the western
entrance to the building. The marker was a gift to Hamilton Hall from the
American Friends of Lafayette in 1965. 

It has been claimed that the bricks used by Mclntire in its
structure were brought from England, &nbsp;and
the four mirrors that hung on the walls in the hall where the social events
took were imported from Russia. There were also elegant sofas, chairs, rugs, and
hangings added to the interior of the building.&nbsp;

Built in 1805, Hamilton Hall, located at the corner of Chestnut and Cambridge Streets, is one of America's most beautiful Federal architectural buildings. Designed by Salem's famous carpenter and architect, Samuel Mclntire, the hall was commissioned by Salem’s Federalist political party and named after Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding father of the United States. It is one of the city's architectural treasures and longtime gathering place for the region's cultural and social elite. For about two centuries the Hamilton Hall has served as a venue for balls, political events, lectures and weddings. From 1826, the famous caterer, John Remond, free Black man of Caribbean descent , ran his catering business out of the Hall for many years. 

Hamilton Hall

The Salem Athenaeum, chartered in 1810, was the result of
the merging of two previous institutions. These institutions were the Social Library
(1760) and the Salem Philosophical Library (1781). In 1760, a group of club
members pitched together 175 guineas in pursuit of opening up their own
library. The library was initially stocked by club members as well as new
purchases for the purpose of having a full catalog. There were no membership
restrictions except the annual payment of approximately $1500. 

Since the Social Club (1760) was active right before the
Revolutionary War, its existence during this conflict took a large toll on the
institution. According to the Athenaeums official website, goods were harder to
obtain, cost of living soared, and finally most members of the Club were busy
dealing with their own problems during the war itself. Some members were
loyalists to the British crown, causing them to flee. 

The Philosophical Library (1781) was the direct result of wartime
plundering and looting. The catalog this library employed was obtained from an
auction on April 12, 1781, in Salem. A total of 116 volumes were obtained from
this auction, and their origin is even more interesting. According to the
Athenaeum’s official website, the Pilgrim, a privateer sailing out of Beverly,
was able to capture the Duke of Gloucester. This Duke just so happened to have
the library of Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), a reputable researcher in the field
of chemistry. The library was seized, and ended up in this Salem Auction.

By 1810, most of the members belonging to the Social Club
also belonged to the Philosophical Library. Finally both of these institutions
merged in order to create the Salem Athenaeum. When the Athenaeum was originally
founded, Salem was in the lead against Boston in more libraries. The official
website cites this as evidence for Salem as the leading city in culture and
learning. For the first forty years of its existence, the Athenaeum had four
different locations. Finally, in 1850, a request was made to consolidate the
Athenaeum, and a brick building (Italianate style) was built at 132 Essex
Street, being the Athenaeum’s home for 50 years. In 1907 this building was
sold, and the proceeds went toward the current building of the Athenaeum’s
residence. This building was modeled on Homewood, which was an estate in
Maryland built by Charles Carroll, a signer of the declaration of independence.


In 2018, the Athenaeum is home to 50,000 volumes and
counting. Notable members of the Athenaeum include Nathaniel Hawthorne
(author), Justice Joseph Story (U.S. Supreme Court Justice), and Charles
Grafton Page (inventor of electric motor). 

A special thanks is needed to the Salem Athenaeum’s website
for providing this information.

The Salem Athenaeum was originally chartered in 1810; however, its history can date back to fifty years prior to this. Like many other Athenaeums within the United States, this one was also the result of the joining of two previous institutions (Social Library 1760 and the Salem Philosophical Library 1781). These two institutions were composed mainly of wealthy residents as well as prominent lawyers, merchants, religious leaders, etc. In order to fully grasp the history surrounding this Athenaeum, a detailed look into the history surrounding the previously mentioned institutions is needed. 

The Salem Athenaeum

This was once the home of Nathaniel Bowditch, the founder of modern navigation, and is now a National Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It currently serves as the headquarters of Historic Salem, Inc

Nathaniel Bowditch House

The East India Marine Society was one of a number of similar
early American maritime societies, existing in most of the larger towns of the
Eastern seaboard. Founded in 1799 by Salem’s merchants and sea-captains, a
group of Salem entrepreneur’s members in the Society, sailed around Cape Horn
and the Cape of Good Hope and were required by the society's charter to collect
"natural and artificial curiosities”. Society members brought to Salem a diverse
collection of objects from the northwest coast of America, Asia, Africa,
Oceania, India and elsewhere. By 1825, the society moved into its own building,
East India Marine Hall, which today contains the original display cases and
some of the very first objects collected. At this time Salem was also home to the Essex Historical
Society (founded in 1821), which celebrated the area’s rich community history,
and the Essex County Natural History Society (founded in 1833), which focused
on the county’s natural wonders.&nbsp;In 1848, these two organizations merged and&nbsp; formed &nbsp;the Essex Institute. This consolidation
brought together extensive and far-ranging collections, including natural
specimens, ethnological objects, books and historical memorabilia, all focusing
on the area in and around Essex County.In the late 1860s, the Peabody Academy of Science, descendent
organization of the India Marine Society, received natural history and
archaeology collections from the Essex Institute, and in turn the Peabody
Academy of Science transferred its historical collections to the Essex. In the
early 20th century, the Peabody Academy of Science changed its name to the
Peabody Museum of Salem.





In 1992 the Peabody Museum of Salem merged with the Essex
Institute, and this way created the Peabody Essex Museum. &nbsp;Since then the museum went through two phases
of extensions and renovations. The newly expanded Peabody Essex Museum opened
on June 21, 2003. The museum’s current collection exceeds 2.4 million works of
art and culture and includes 24 historic buildings, four of which are
nationally registered historic landmarks. The collections are showcasing
American, Asian and Asian Export, African, Contemporary, Maritime, Native
American, and Oceanic art, as well as Architecture, Fashion and Textiles, and
Photography.&nbsp;

The Peabody Essex Museum is one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States. Founded in 1799 in Salem, Massachusetts, the museum displays one of the major collections of Asian art in the United States. 
The museum’s collection includes 1.8 million objects, housed in a breathtaking building and surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds and historic homes (three city blocks and several off-site properties).The museum's many collection areas are among the finest of their kind, showcasing American, Asian and Asian Export, African, Contemporary, Maritime, Native American, and Oceanic art, as well as Architecture, Fashion and Textiles, and Photography. The Peabody Essex Museum has been a pioneer in the acquisition, relocation, restoration, and interpretation of historic environments. 

Peabody Essex Museum

The John Ward House, now a
historic house owned and operated by the Peabody Essex Museum (“PEM”), was
originally built in 1684.&nbsp; Its builder, John
Ward (1653-1732), was one of the early colonists who emigrated to America from
England around 1660 with his family. The plaque was returning to England at
that time, and they likely traveled to the New World in order to avoid the
disease. 

Salem had been established about
thirty years prior to Ward’s arrival. In 1684, he purchased an acre of land on
Prison Lane.&nbsp; Prison Lane is now called
St Peter’s Street. He originally constructed a two-story home with one room on
each floor. Over time, he added rooms to the right side of the chimney (which
now placed it in the center, typical of homes during this era), a lean-to kitchen
at the rear, a kitchen garden, and an outhouse. &nbsp;The home also features a steep-pitched gabled
roof. The second story juts out above the first story slightly. The windows
feature small, diamond-shaped panes. This choice of glass is aesthetically pleasing
as well as practical – the smaller the panes, the less likely they were to be destroyed
while they were shipped from England to the colonies. After Ward’s death in
1732, the home was passed on to his son, Benjamin. Over the next two hundred
years, the building served as apartments, a bakery, a storefront, and a studio
gallery. 

The characteristics of the house –
the steep-pitched gables, large central chimney, asymmetrical appearance,
diamond-shaped window panes – cause historians to categorize the home’s
architecture as “First Period” or “Post-Medieval.” It is also interesting that
the John Ward House was one of the earliest structures to be transferred from
one location to another (in 1910) in order to preserve it for historical observation. &nbsp;Its original location was on St. Peter’s
Street, directly across the street from the jail used during the Salem Witch
Trials. 

According to
the Peabody Essex Museum’s website, the John Ward House (along with others
owned and operated by the PEM), are open for tours. However, the topics of
discussion and times for guided tours at each of the homes may vary, so it is
important to call ahead or visit the admission desk for more information.
House tours are included with the price of museum admission.

The John Ward House was constructed in 1684 as a two-story structure with one room on each floor and a fireplace at one end. Ward was a leather finisher (called a “currier”) who likely emigrated to America from England around 1660 in order to avoid the plaque. The home was enlarged and a second gable was added to it shortly before his death.  The property was passed on to his son, Benjamin. Over the next two centuries, it was used as apartments and as a bakery. In 1910, it was purchased by the Essex Institute, moved to its present location, and restored to its First-Period origins. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1968.  

John Ward House

The Howard Street Cemetery was opened in 1801 located right next to the old Salem jailhouse. It used to go by the name of Branch Street Cemetery before it was renamed. It got the name from soldier John Howard, who served during the American Revolutionary War. A section of the cemetery is dedicated to the African-American population of Salem and one of the most notable names buried here is Prince Farmer. Farmer used to be a cook aboard a vessel and owner of his own business working as a oyster dealer before he died in 1852. Also buried here is Col. Samuel Carlton, who was with George Washington at Valley Forge. The last person buried in this cemetery dates back to 1953.Giles Corey was a farmer from Salem Village who was arrested and executed for the crime of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In September 1692, Corey refused to plead innocent or guilty at arraignment and in an attempt to make him enter a plea, judges punished him with peine forte et dure, a form of torture in which the subject is pressed beneath an increasingly heavy load of stones. After days of the torture, Corey died on September 19 at the age of 81. He died after three days in total under those stones. Corey’s third wife, Martha, was also accused of witchcraft and was hanged just after her husband died.The Salem Dungeon and Jail next to the cemetery was used to hold accused witches during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The witches were considered dangerous prisoners and thus were kept in the dungeon and chained to the walls. While in jail, three babies were born, Mercy Good, child of Sarah Good, the infant child of Elizabeth Scargen, and John Proctor III. Only John Proctor III survived, but all three mothers were given temporary reprieves due to their pregnancies. The jail was remodeled into a Victorian home in 1813 and was razed in 1956. A large brick building now stands on the spot of the old jail with a plaque dedicated to the “Old Witch Gaol.”

Opening in 1801, the Howard Street Cemetery has more than 300 gravestones on site at the location. Most of the gravestones are in good condition, although some are missing and others have become unreadable with age. Inscriptions of the over 300 gravestones, including those that are unreadable, can be found at the Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum. The Howard Street Cemetery was also the site of the execution of Giles Corey, one of those accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Dungeon and Jail used during the Salem Witch Trials was located next to the cemetery.

Howard Street Cemetery

*From Mormon Historic Sites: "Nathaniel Henry Felt joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 17, 1843 after a careful investigation of the Church. He maintained a tailor and drapery business in Salem and became a respectable member of the community at a young age.Shortly after his baptism into the Church, Felt was assigned to preside as the branch president of the members in and around Salem. Also around this time, Brigham Young contacted him about his daughter, Vilate Young, coming and living with the Felts while she attended a girl’s boarding school in Salem. The Felts replied that she would be welcomed in their home and so Vilate remained here until the spring of 1845 when she traveled west with the Saints. While in Salem, many prominent members of the Church visited the Felts including Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow. Shortly after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum, the Felts moved to Nauvoo, and then on to the Salt Lake Valley.The Peabody-Essex Museum acquired the historic building and moved it from its original location at 10 Liberty Street to its current location on Charter Street in 2001. A bronze plaque was unveiled and presented to the City of Salem funded by the Nathaniel H. Felt Family Association and the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation telling the significance of the structure which now resides on the building. Also, a branch of the Family History Center system of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nearby at the James Duncan Phillips Library was established." Felt died in 1887 in Salt Lake City.

Born in Salem in 1816, a tailor and clerk, Nathaniel Felt joined the LDS/Mormon church in 1843 and was a friend of Brigham Young. He presided over the local congregations of LDS members in Salem. He lived in this house until 1845, when the Felt family and some other Salem Mormons decided to join the rest of the church as it prepared to leave Nauvoo, Illinois for the Salt Lake Valley. Felt served missions in England and was tasked with presiding over church members in St. Louis. In Utah he served in the Utah Territorial Legislature. He stayed in contact with his Salem associates defending the church and gave the Peabody Essex Museum monetary donations as well as and 1845 edition of the Book of Mormon and some items from his missions in England. The Museum purchased the home (originally on Liberty street) and moved it to its current location. 

Nathaniel H. Felt Home

John Hathorne served as a magistrate, or interrogator, in
many of the examinations of the Salem witch trials, but was not appointed to
the Court of Oyer and Terminer. He is also the ancestor of Nathanial Hawthorne,
author of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Hathorne
died in 1717 at the age of 75.

Bartholomew Gedney was a Salem physician who was present at
several of the Salem witch trials examinations and served on the Court of Oyer
and Terminer. Gedney died in 1697.

Mary Corey was the second wife of Giles Corey and died in
1684, eight years before the start of the Salem witch trials. Giles Corey
remarried, was accused of witchcraft in 1692, and was pressed to death for
refusing to plead innocent or guilty. His third wife, Martha Corey, was also
executed, though by hanging. 

Reverend Nicholas Noyes was a minister of Salem during the
witch trials. He&nbsp;was also an active persecutor of the accused witches in the
examinations and officiated at the hangings of those accused of witchcraft. He
died in 1717, but has an unmarked grave. Just before the execution of Sarah Good, Rev. Noyes
asked her to confess. She responded, “You are a liar! I am no more a
witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you
blood to drink.” Noyes died of a hemorrhage, choking on his own blood.&nbsp;

Charter Street Cemetery has been used as a burying ground from about 1637, making it the oldest cemetery in Salem. It is a part of the Charter Street Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and also includes the Pickman House and Grimshawe House. Notable burials include Richard More, a passenger of the Mayflower, and four people involved in the Salem witch trials: John Hathorne, Bartholomew Gedney, Mary Corey, and Reverend Nicholas Noyes. 

The Burying Point (Charter Street Cemetery)

At the end of the seventeenth
century,&nbsp;many of the townspeople were seeking to rid their community of the imagined crime of&nbsp;witchcraft.&nbsp; At the same time, bands of pirates were
plundering merchant ships off the coast of New England. The New England Pirate
Museum on Derby Street is devoted to the story of these privateers and the historical imagination of piracy. 

The museum exhibits include
information on several pirates who sailed off the coast of New England, often
called “the Gold Coast.” The guides will tell you that many of the pirates
would loot boats sailing in the Caribbean or otherwise tropical seas during the
winters and then come north, to the waters off New England, to plunder during
the summer. Much of their booty is reportedly buried on the small islands
dotting the northeast’s coast. Captain Kidd, the infamous Blackbeard, and Sam
Bellamy are just a few names mentioned on the tour. Shown above is a picture of
one of these pirates, called Black Sam Bellamy. According to the museum’s
website:

<blockquote>Not much is known about the early years of
Sam Bellamy. Having heard of the wreck of a Spanish treasure ship in the West
Indies, Bellamy left Cape Cod to search for the treasure. Unsuccessful at
treasure hunting, he joined a pirate crew and within a year commanded his own
vessel. After looting some forty Spanish ships, Bellamy came upon the English
galley "Whydah" sailing home from Jamaica with a rich cargo of goods
including much silver and gold. After a three days' chase, Bellamy took the
"Whydah" without a fight. With the "Whydah" as his
flagship, Bellamy sailed north. In April of 1717, off of Cape Cod near
Wellfleet, the "Whydah" ran into a nor'easter. The storm forced the
ship onto the shore where it was smashed to pieces killing Bellamy and over 100
of his crew. Recently the wreck of the "Whydah" along with much of
its treasure was discovered by Barry Clifford in the shallow waters off of
Wellfleet.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://d.docs.live.net/1be7ca3375911116/Clio/New%20England%20Pirate%20Museum/New%20England%20Pirate%20Museum.docx#_ftn1">[1]</a></blockquote>

In West Yarmouth, there is now
another museum called the “Whydah Pirate Museum” which is popular with families
visiting Cape Cod. Other biographies of pirates with ties to the New England
area are accessible via the link below. 

At the museum, visitors are
offered a 20-30 minute tour which is led by a very animated pirate guide.&nbsp; First, visitors are led through the "Artifacts
Room" of authentic pirate treasures. They will have a chance to meet the
shady residents of Old Salem's Dockside Village. Next, there is a colonial
seaport, where they can board a pirate ship and explore an eighty-foot bat
cave.&nbsp; Some of the old colonial pirates
might still be hiding in the dark crevices of the cave. As of October 2017,
ticket prices for museum admission range from $10.00 for adults, $9.00 for
Senior citizens (65+) and $8.00 for children ages 4-13.

Whereas most of Salem's tourism industry focuses on the events of 1692, the New England Pirate Museum tells the story of the other notorious crimes of New England's colonial era. The pirates were infamous for looting ships sailing along the northeast coast as well as the tropics. Visitors to the museum are treated to a guided tour which includes a recreation of the seaport, a pirate battle, and the bat cave where the outlaws dwelled. 

New England Pirate Museum

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Birthplace
is currently located adjacent to the famed House of the Seven Gables on Derby
Street in Salem, Massachusetts.&nbsp; The home
was originally built between 1730 and 1745 and set on Union Street, about 0.3
miles away from where it is now. It was moved after it was purchased by the
House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association in 1958. The house itself is a
modest example of the Georgian-style architecture that was fashionable during
the eighteenth century. &nbsp;The Georgian
style was popular due to its “symmetrical design, classical proportions, and
decorative elements.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://d.docs.live.net/1be7ca3375911116/Clio/Nathaniel%20Hawthorne's%20Birthplace/Nathaniel%20Hawthorne's%20Birthplace.docx#_ftn1">[1]</a>


The building’s architecture is impressive;
however, the home is more well-known for being the birthplace of one of the
nation’s most adored writers. Nathaniel Hawthorne, acclaimed author of such
classics as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, was born
on the property on July 4, 1804. He was the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth
(Manning) Hathorne. Nathaniel added the “w” to his last name when he was an
adult. When he was only four years old, his father died of yellow fever at sea.
Soon after, he and his mother and two sisters (Elizabeth and Maria Louisa)
moved from Union Street to Herbert Street to live with Nathaniel’s mother’s
family. 

When he was nine years old,
Nathaniel severely injured his leg and was unable to leave his new home for
nearly two years. It was during this time of confinement that he developed his
love for reading and writing. He left Salem for about a year (he was about 14
years old) when his family moved to southcentral Maine. He returned and was
admitted to Bowdoin College in 1821. He attended Bowdoin until his graduation
in 1825 and then he returned to Salem.&nbsp;
While back in Salem, Hawthorne frequently visited his cousin, Susanna
Ingersoll.&nbsp; She lived in the renowned House
of the Seven Gables, or the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion.&nbsp; Her home was the inspiration for the novel of
the same name. 

Hawthorne published his first
novel in 1828, titled Fanshawe. He
later recalled the work and burned any copy of it that he could find. His next
work, a collection of short stories called Twice
Told Tales, wasn’t published until 10 years later. While Hawthorne was
writing, he took on several odd jobs and eventually was appointed the “weigher
and gauger” at the Boston Custom House. By 1846, he was appointed surveyor for
the Town of Salem. He started work on The
Scarlet Letter and published it in 1850. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne had married
Sophia Peabody (a painter) in July 1842 after a five-year courtship. They had
two daughters, Una (1844) and Rose (1851) and one son, Julian (1846). By the
time that their final child was born, Hawthorne was seeing success in his
literary career. In 1852, after struggling financially for several years, he
was finally able to purchase a home for his family - the Alcotts’ house in
Concord which he renamed “The Wayside.”

Franklin Pierce won the
presidential election in 1852. He was a good friend of Hawthorne’s from their
days at Bowdoin College, and Hawthorne helped his campaign by writing a
biography of his good friend. As a reward for his help, Pierce appointed
Hawthorne as the American Consul to England. Hawthorne moved his family to
Liverpool for the next four years. He lost his appointment when Franklin
Pierce’s term was over. In 1856, the family returned to the Wayside in Concord.
He continued to write, but not with the same success as his earlier literary
masterpieces. He died on May 19, 1864 and is buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1958, the home that he was born in was purchased
by the House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association, moved to the its
current site under the guidance of noted historian and conservationist Abbott
Lowell Cummings, and opened for tours.&nbsp;

The large, red home which is now situated next to the famous House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts was the birthplace of acclaimed author, Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Hawthorne was born in the home but he only lived there for a short time. The home itself was moved from Union Street to its current spot on Derby Street in the mid-twentieth century. Hawthorne is best known for his classic works of American literature: The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne's Birthplace

Besides being the setting for the classic 1851 novel, The House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the house located at 115 Derby Street in Salem, Massachusetts is also believed to be the oldest surviving 17th century wooden mansion in New England. The house is also known as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion. It was built by John Turner in 1668. Originally, the structure consisted of two floors, with two rooms on each side of a central fireplace. He made two additions to the home before he died in 1680. The elaborate ell was added to the home during Turner’s lifetime. It includes “grand portions, high ceilings, and enormous windows.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/1be7ca3375911116/Clio/House%20of%20the%20Seven%20Gables/The%20House%20of%20the%20Seven%20Gables.docx#_ftn1" target="_blank">[1]</a> The property was passed down to Turner’s son, John Turner II, who updated many of the features of the home. Particularly, he added wooden paneling to the parlor and other social areas. In 1782, a wealthy ship-captain named Samuel Ingersoll purchased this home. He also made many renovations to the home while he was living there. Ingersoll removed three of the original seven gables to give the home more of a Federal-style appearance, which was the fashionable architectural trend of the time. After his death, his daughter Susanna inherited the home. She was also a very successful businesswoman. Her cousin, Nathaniel Hawthorne, visited her often. The home inspired him to write his best-selling classic novel aptly titled, The House of the Seven Gables. The Ingersoll home was passed down to the third generation when Ms. Ingersoll’s adopted son inherited it. Unfortunately, he lost it to creditors in 1879. For several years after, it was maintained by absentee landlords. Finally, the Upton family purchased the grand home in 1883. Mr. Upton was a musician who offered lessons around Salem. They were the first family to open the home up for tours. At the end of the tours, visitors could purchase a “Witch Cup” hand-painted by the home’s resident artist, Mrs. Ida Upton. The cups are commonly described as “the first typical souvenir in the world.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/1be7ca3375911116/Clio/House%20of%20the%20Seven%20Gables/The%20House%20of%20the%20Seven%20Gables.docx#_ftn2" target="_blank">[2]</a> The Upton family eventually sold the home to a philanthropist and preservationist named Caroline Emmerton. Ms. Emmerton founded The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association. The association’s mission was to help immigrant families who were re-settling in the Salem area in the early part of the twentieth century. Emmerton also worked with a Colonial Revivalist architect named Joseph Everett Chandler to restore the 240-year-old home to its original 17th century appearance. They replaced the four gables, the central chimney, and added the “secret staircase.” Some of the renovations represented features described by Hawthorne in his well-known novel. During the restoration, they also constructed Hepzibah Pyncheon’s Cent Shop on the first floor, a fictional shop imagined by Hawthorne. It never actually operated, or even existed, inside the home until the renovation was completed.  The home re-opened for tours in 1910. Emmerton used the proceeds from tours of the home to finance the settlement associations’ goals. On the tour of the House of the Seven Gables, visitors will be able to see the 18th century granite sea wall and two seaside Colonial Revival Gardens. The museum has more than 2,000 artifacts and objects on display, as well as more than 40 framed works, 500 photographs and glass plate negatives. There are over fifty volumes in its rare book library. The House of the Seven Gables is open daily for tours, with a few exceptions during the winter months and for holidays. Hours are listed on their website (a link is provided below).

The House of the Seven Gables was originally built in 1668 for John Turner and his family.  Turner was a wealthy merchant and ship-owner. The large home was added to, renovated, and eventually restored to its perceived original form. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The home is sometimes referred to as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion for its former occupants. It is best known as the site of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic 1851 novel, The House of the Seven Gables. Today, it is open as a historic house and museum.  

Salem Massachusetts Beyond the Witch Trials

Site of the First Meetinghouse of the First Church in Salem

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information