Fans of The House of the Seven Gables are in for a special treat on Saturday, April 21. Caroline Emmerton, the philanthropist who restored Salem’s Turner-Ingersoll Mansion and opened it for public tours as The House of the Seven Gables in 1910, is leading two tours on her birthday!
Salem historian and dramatic interpreter, Irene Axelrod, will reprise her role as Caroline Emmerton. It’s not only Emmerton’s birthday. The House of the Seven Gables is 350 years old this year. All are invited to The Gables this year to share in the many celebrations.
The power of the house to inspire is legendary. The mansion inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his bestselling novel, “The House of the Seven Gables,” and, later, it inspired Miss Emmerton to restore it and use the proceeds from house tours to fund a settlement house. Because of the house, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Emmerton’s efforts, many educational opportunities were afforded to newly arriving immigrant families. The work of the settlement program continues to this day through The Gables support.
Those interested in learning more are invited to join one of The Gables’ professional guides along with Miss Emmerton for an interactive tour of The Gables. She will explain in her own words why she was inspired to preserve the mansion.
There will be two tours: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. The cost for the general public is $15. The cost for members of The Gables is $10. Those interested should go to the Visitor Center at the National Historic Landmark, 115 Derby St., Salem, Mass.