Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1039010
84 OCTOBER 2018 / I N D E P T H / through a narrow passage to the dining room. is stately room evokes memories of the halcyon years of Salem's Far East trade, which inspired a design and furnishing revolu- tion in America. Here one can imagine Hawthorne conjur- ing his intriguing plot during his talks with Susanna. e spot is the "Parlor," or "Hepzibah's room," in the story. Not all is what it seems in this room, however, for a "se- cret staircase" behind a wood closet leads up 20 winding steps to "Cliord's room." e staircase is e Gables' most intriguing design anomaly, not just for its baing pres- ence, but for the various speculations it has provoked over the years. For about 90 years, Moat says, "People were told that the staircase was real from the original house." But the discovery of blueprints changed that. Chandler's renovations indicated that it was added around 1910, perhaps to promote the myth of the story and add a dose of mystery to house tours. "It was Emmerton's vision that created the site," Moat claims. "Had it not been for her, I don't know if the house would have ever survived." e rest is history. e tours and events were suc- cessful, and their admissions helped fund the settlement process of mostly Polish and Russian immigrants in the left to right, Michael Judd, lead guide; Elsabel Rincon, settlement programs manager; Kara McLaughlin, executive director; David Moat, lead guide and researcher PHOTOGRAPH BY KATIE NOBLE