The House of the Seven Gables
National Historic Landmark District · Salem, Massachusetts
A dark-shingled mansion built in 1668 on Salem harbour — the oldest surviving seventeenth-century wooden mansion in New England — which Nathaniel Hawthorne visited because his cousin lived in it, and which he then used for the 1851 novel that gave it this name. The secret staircase everybody comes for was not there in his day; it was built in 1908 by the woman who turned the house into a museum in order to fund settlement work for Salem's immigrant families. Hawthorne's own birthplace was moved onto the grounds.
115 Derby Street, Salem, Massachusetts, 01970, United States
Open year round with reduced winter hours and a January closure in most years. THE HOUSE IS SEEN ONLY ON TIMED GUIDED TOURS in small groups — book online in advance, and October sells out weeks ahead. One admission covers the house tour, Hawthorne's birthplace and the gardens; a reduced grounds-only ticket is usually available. Very limited on-site parking — the commuter rail from Boston is easier.
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