House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts
The House of the Seven Gables is more than just the title and setting to one of America’s literary classics. It is a time machine that allows you to take a step back hundreds of years to various points in the history in Salem, Massachusetts. Experience life long ago in a place that combines the very real life of wealthy New Englanders with the interesting characters and story created by Salem’s own Nathaniel Hawthorne. Find out why the House of the Seven Gables is worth seeing.
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During our trip to Boston, we made a day trip to Salem, Massachusetts to explore all things “witch”, but also found time to explore the famous House of the Seven Gables. I was determined to find out how much of the house was real, and what was part of the show that Nathaniel Hawthorne created for readers back in the 1800s. Here is what I discovered!
Is The House of the Seven Gables a true story?
The short answer is “no”. Though many people first hear of the House of the Seven Gables in the 1800s when the book with the same title was released, the real house was built in 1668 by a merchant named John Turner. Much like any other house, it was the home of a wealthy family until the end of the American Revolution when the Turner family was forced to sell their home due to financial difficulties.
During the late 1700s, the Ingersoll family bought the home and made some changes to it. It was with the Ingersoll family where the house gets the connection to Nathaniel Hawthorne. As a boy, Nathaniel’s cousin was Susanna Ingersoll who lived in the house until her death.
Though not entirely accurate, his book described an altered version of what the house really looked like. However, the people and the story from the book were just like the book…fictitious.
Why is the House of the Seven Gables famous?
Before becoming a museum, people would visit Salem to see the house from this famous book. In 1908, a wealthy woman by the name of Caroline Emmerton saw this as an opportunity and bought the house as a way of funding her charitable pursuits of helping immigrant families settle in the Salem area.
She altered the house to make it look like what Hawthorne described in his book to attract tourists to the home. In doing so, she created a museum that has lasted for over 100 years which still funds efforts to help local immigrant families.
With over 71,000 visitors a year, the House of the Seven Gables is a popular destination for those who want to get a connection with Nathaniel Hawthorne, as well as for those who have an interest in architecture of the 1600 and 1700s.
A Look Inside the House of the Seven Gables
Originally called the “Turner-Ingersoll Mansion”, the House of the Seven Gables was a great example of how wealthy people would have lived hundreds of years ago. If you weren’t a fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne, you could still enjoy the history of this magnificent home.
KITCHEN
On our tour of the house, we started in the kitchen. This room gave me the feeling that we were in the forest in the witch’s house. The stone fireplace with hanging cauldrons was not like anything I had seen before. I had been in many castles and manor homes in Europe with large kitchens, but this one was much different. I think it was mostly because it was in the USA.
DINING ROOM
The next stop was the dining room. Here, you could see the table set as if they were getting ready to eat. The wood on the walls and ceiling were painted a light green, and the furniture reflected an older time. It was easy to imagine life during those times while walking through the rooms.
ATTIC
Another stop on the tour was the attic. I don’t remember many home tours that included a stop in the attic. This was quite unique. Here, we saw a wooden replica of the house, and our guide showed us how the house had been renovated throughout the years with the different owners. It was amazing how much work Caroline Emmerton put into making this house a tourist destination, since she seemed to have to do the most amount of renovating.
However, the most interesting part of visiting the attic was seeing the original brick and construction within one of the walls. This original wall dated back to the 1600s and made the house one of the oldest remaining homes in the entire USA. Wow!
After you visit the House of the Seven Gables, check out the Salem Witch Museum!!
COUNTING ROOM
Going down the stairs, we saw another room where the owner of the house would have worked. There was a desk and table, and some very old pictures. We were able to get to know the different owners of the house with these pictures, which made it easy to imagine we had stepped back in time.
BEDROOM
Another fascinating room was a bedroom. Here, we saw a canopy bed, tables, dresser, chair, crib and fireplace. I was surprised at how big the room was and how much furniture was in there. Our guide had mentioned that servants would more than likely sleep on the floor of the room at night in order to make sure the fire was always going. This wasn’t something I had ever thought about before.
SITTING ROOM
Besides the quaint kitchen, I really enjoyed the music room. If you see any movies or series based on the works of Jane Austen, you would be familiar with the pianoforte. I am not sure I have ever seen one up close, so it was very neat to see one in the House of the Seven Gables. This “sitting room” was also quite ornate with the decorative, floral wallpaper and green-painted woodwork. It was very unlike any other room and almost felt cozy with the way it was designed.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables Floor Plan
Since the original Turner-Ingersoll mansion didn’t accurately reflect the house from the book The House of the Seven Gables, Caroline Emmerton needed to do a bit of remodeling to attract and entertain visitors to the museum. It was because of her that the house now has fun additions like secret staircases and hidden passageways.
The house also didn’t have seven gables all throughout its history, so she added extra sections to the house to create these famous pointed roofs to add architectural significance.
I also quite enjoyed seeing the store that was off of the kitchen. Though this was never a part of the real Turner-Ingersoll mansion, Emmerton thought to include it to make the house more like the one in the book.
I appreciated that our tour guide was able to help us understand the difference between fact and fiction when it came to the house. All the information the guide gave to us was quite interesting.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Birthplace
If you are a fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne, you will want to visit the next building. Painted in red, the birth home to Salem’s most famous author stood out from the rest. Though Hawthorne only lived in the house until the age of 4 when his father died at sea, the house still offered much information on the author as a family man.
We were free to visit this building at our own leisure since this was not part of the guided tour. Instead, we saw the rest of the grounds on a self-guided tour. There were informative signs all throughout the grounds, but we were also able to ask questions to the museum worker who sat inside this house from 1750.
Learning more about Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Family Life
On the walls of this home, you could see many family pictures throughout the house. Instead of focusing only on the 4 years he lived there, the house also had photos and information of Nathaniel as an adult and of his children.
I particularly liked the quotes on the walls that were found in some of Nathaniel’s letters to his wife.
This home helped visitors see how homes of this size and style would have functioned during the 1800s. With various pieces of furniture and carefully placed plaques telling of the time period, this house was a great way of learning about how the family of the sea captain would have lived back then.
The Hooper-Hathaway House
Another older home on the grounds is the Hooper-Hathaway House. This building dated back to 1682, and was the home of Benjamin Hooper, the shoemaker. I particularly liked some of the peculiar things about this house. One of the doors next to the stone hearth blended into the woodwork, while another seemed only to be half of a door. It was quite interesting.
Most of all, I quite liked the broom over the fire. If you told me a witch had lived there, I would have believed it! Being in Salem, it just felt appropriate!
Retire Beckett House
Originally the home of the Beckett Family, the well-known ship builders, the Retire Beckett House is not a place to tour. In fact, it is now the museum store building. Blending well with the color of the House of the Seven Gables, the Retire Beckett House dates back to 1655 making it not only the oldest home on the grounds but also in all of Salem, Massachusetts.
If you are looking to take a bit of the experience of the House of the Seven Gables with you, there are many great items to buy in the museum shop. Items from books to art work, décor to novelty items, and more.
Waterfront Garden
One of the most breathtaking aspects of the House of the Seven Gables was its garden. Had I lived in the area, I could have easily bought a yearly membership to this fine museum just to spend extra time in the garden. Dating back to 1909, the Waterfront Garden is a three-season garden that adds an extra elegance to the buildings. We visited during July when we saw many beautiful flowers of pink, white and purple in bloom.
There were many chairs within the garden for those wanting to have a peaceful break. You could also find a nice spot in the shade under the row of low trees that separated the House of the Seven Gables from the other buildings on the property. This was called the Wisteria Arbor, which was added in the 1920s.
Is the House of the Seven Gables a kid-friendly place?
Yes! The House of the Seven Gables does have some things for kids. However, this may not be a place for a stroller. Since there are no elevators, you will need to park the strollers outside. Here is what we found for kids at the House of the Seven Gables.
Counting House and Kids’ Cove Playhouse
The first of these would be The Counting House / Kids’ Cove Playhouse. Near the seaside of the grounds, we found the Counting House. Originally, the Counting House was built back in 1830 as a place for seamen to conduct business. Now, it stands as a place for children to play at the House of the Seven Gables. Children will love pretending to be sailors here.
Play Ship
Next to the Counting House was also a fun play ship, where kids could pretend to be the captain of their own ship. Facing the sea, children can feel that they are about to embark on a seaward journey. I thought it was nice that the House of the Seven Gables gave children an area where the history of ship life could be experienced through play.
Scavenger Hunt
When we arrived at the House of the Seven Gables, my children were also given a scavenger hunt sheet at the reception desk. This sheet asked them to look for different objects throughout the grounds, which helped them focus during our time there.
Since my boys were not as excited about places from America’s past as I was, they really appreciated the children’s activity. I also appreciated that they had more of a purpose to take a closer look at their surroundings.
Overall Thoughts of the House of the Seven Gables
Being a fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne, I have to say that I loved this place. It is a complete “must see” if you are a fan of American literature and history. Visiting the House of the Seven Gables was truly a highlight of that summer vacation for me. It was very cool to learn more about the author and walk in the place where he once walked. The grounds and buildings are so well maintained, and I was so happy to find things for children.
My husband had never heard of Nathaniel Hawthorne before, so the experience was different for him. However, he really enjoyed the architecture and found it interesting to see colonial homes from the 17th century.
If you want to dive deeper into the history of Salem, Massachusetts during the time of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, step inside homes that were built during that time. It will give you a very full experience on your trip to Salem!
Planning a Trip to the House of the Seven Gables
Address: 115 Derby Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970
Website: https://7gables.org/
Telephone: 1 (978) 744-0991
House of the Seven Gables Tickets: https://7gables.org/tickets/
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