22 Historic Salem Houses
Salem’s architectural heritage is a captivating blend of colonial, Georgian, and Federal styles, offering a visual journey through America’s early history. Strolling through the city, you’ll encounter meticulously preserved homes like the Witch House, the only remaining structure with direct ties to the 1692 witch trials, and the Nathaniel Bowditch House, which exemplifies Federal architecture. Each historic home in Salem tells a story of the city’s past, from its colonial roots to its maritime prosperity, providing a tangible link to the architectural and cultural legacy of New England.
The House of Seven Gables
Located at 115 Derby Street.
Built-in 1668, this colonial mansion was the home of merchant shipowner John Turner and his wife, Elizabeth. The house was made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 Novel The House of Seven Gables. It is open to the Public from 10 am to 5 pm daily.
Salem Witch House
Located at 310 Essex Street
This was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin. Built-in 1675, it is the only house still standing with direct ties to the infamous 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
Gardner-Pingree House
Located at 128 Essex Street
Built-in 1804 for John and Sarah Gardner. The house was the location of the notorious 1830 Murder of Capt. Joseph White.
Pickman House
Located on Charter Street next to the Witch Trial Memorial.
Though the exact year it was built is unclear, it is thought to have been built before the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. It was owned by Samuel Pickman.
Joseph Story House
Located at 26 Winter Street
Built-in 1811, this house was the home of Supreme Court Associate Justice Joseph Story. He was a leading Jurist of the time and an influential figure in the early years of Harvard Law School.
West Cogswell House
Located at 5-9 Summer Street
Built-in 1834 By Nathaniel West, one of Salem’s leading Sea Captains and Merchants.
One of its most famous Occupants was William Cogswell, an American Civil War General who later became Mayor of Salem. Today it is owned by Salem Inn.
Bessie Monroe House
Located at 7 Ash Street
The house was built in 1811 for a local merchant named Thomas Perkins. It survived the Urban renewal planning in the 1960s because of its elderly occupant Bessie Monroe.
John Ward House
Located at 9 Brown Street
The house was built between 1684 for John Ward. Today the house is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum.
Stephen Phillips House
Located at 34 Chestnut Street
It was built for Elias Deby, one of America’s first self-made millionaires from Sea Trade. It was initially built in Danvers. When he died in 1799, his daughter Elizabeth and her husband, Caption Nathaniel West, inherited and added to it. After a divorce and the death of a daughter in 1819, Nathaniel moved four rooms of the house to Salem. In 1911, Stephen W. Phillips bought the house and lived there till he died in 1955. Historic New England now owns the house, which is open to the public.
The Bowditch House
Located at 9 North Street
The house was built in 1759-60 and originally stood at 312 Essex Street. It was moved to its current location in 1944. Its first owner was Samuel Curwin, a Loyalist who fled the country at the start of the American Revolutionary War. He left the house to his nephew Samuel Curwin Ward. Ward lost the house to foreclosure in 1800, and it was bought by his cousin William Ward. In 1811 William sold it to Nathanial Bowditch.
Bowditch published the New American Practical Navigator. The book provided information on tides, currents, and astronomical tables.
Joshua Ward House
Located at 148 Washington Street
The house was built in 1784 on the site of Sheriff George Corwin’s property. George Corwin was the High Sheriff of Essex County during the Salem Witch Trials and signed warrants for the arrest and execution of those convicted of witchcraft.
The house is one of the first brick houses in Salem. George Washington is reported to have specifically requested to stay in the house when he visited Salem in 1789. Today it is a hotel.
John P. Peabody House
Located at 15 Summer Street
The House was built in 1865 by Salem merchant John P Peabody. It is a rare early example of colonial Revival architecture. Today it is owned by Salem Inn.
Crowninshield-Bentley House
Located at 127 Essex Street
The house was originally built in 1727-30 at 106 Essex Street and was moved to its current location in 1959-60.
It was owned by Caption John Crowninsheild, and four generations of his family lived in the house until 1832. Reverend William Bently also boarded in the house from 1791-1819.
The Gedney House
Located at 21 High Street
The House was Built in 1665 and was first used as a tavern until the Gedney family sold it in 1773 to Benjamin Cox who owned it for 25 years. Today it is owned by the Historic New England and open to the public
Quaker Meeting House
Located at 9 Brown Street
It was built in 1865 to resemble a Post-Medieval or first-period structure. The house is a reconstruction of the original Quaker Meeting House that was built in 1690. Today it is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum.
Ropes Mansion
Located at 318 Essex Street
The Mansion was built in the late 1720s for Samuel Barnard. In 1768, Judge Nathaniel Ropes Jr. bought the house. Today it is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum.
Peirce House
Located at 80 Federal Street
The house was built in 1782 for Jerathmiel Peirce. He owned and built several sea vessels. One of which was a two-gun Schooner named the Greyhound. It served as a privateer against British merchant vessels in the Revolutionary War.
Pickering House
Located at 18 Broad Street
The house was built in 1664 and occupied by ten generations of the Pickering Family until 1998 when the Goodhue family moved into the house. Today it is run by the Pickering Foundation and is open to the public.
Thomas March Woodbridge House
Located at 48 Bridge Street
The house was built in 1809 for Thomas March Woodbridge, who owned a local Tannery.
Cotting-Smith Assembly House
Located at 138 Federal Street
The house was built in 1782 and was a Federalist Clubhouse where balls, concerts, lectures, and other events were held. George Washington attended a dance here.
Andre-Safford House
Located at 13 Washington Square
The house was built in 1819 for a Russian Merchant. It is believed to have been the most expensive house built in New England at the time.
Rufus Choate House
Located at 14 Lynde Street
The house was built in 1805 for Lawyer and Federalist Party politician Rufus Choate.