Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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80 OCTOBER 2018 NORTHSHOREMAG.COM Made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The House of the Seven Gables Celebrates 350 Years. By Robert G. Pushkar THIS OLD HOUSE PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTO TSIARAS Famous more for its ctional history than for its real past, The House of the Seven Gables in Salem celebrates its storied 350-year history this year, earning it brag- ging rights in its venerable position among New England antiquities. Few places can offer glimpses of three centuries of architec- tural styles and the intimate histories of so many occupants in one building. Add the The House of the Seven Gables is a popular tourist destination on the North Shore. romance of Nathaniel Hawthorne's compel- ling novel The House of the Seven Gables, and the real estate is matchless among America's famous houses. Built in 1668 by Captain John Turner, a wealthy merchant, e Gables was home to three generations of his family over 114 years. Afterward, two other families, the Ingersolls and the Uptons, put their thumbprints on the house in response to necessity or taste. As a young man, Nathanial Hawthorne visited the house often. It was then occupied by his second cousin Susanna Ingersoll, who inherited the house from her father, Captain Samuel Ingersoll. She would become the longest resident of the house, remaining there unmarried and childless for 47 years after the death of her father (although she did adopt a son). During long talks, Susanna fueled her cousin's imagination by sharing the house's history and lore. At this time in the 1840s, only four gables remained on the house. In one letter, according to senior guide and researcher David Moat, Hawthorne recalls "going up to the attic to see gables," which were still there for viewing. e fact that at one time there were seven fascinated him. / I N D E P T H /