The House of the Seven Gables joins the City of Salem in celebrating the notable roles women have played in the region’s history. Salem Mayor Kimberly Driscoll proclaimed March 25, 2018, Salem Women’s History Day. Special programs will be held at The House of the Seven Gables, the Phillips House Museum and the Witch House.
The House of the Seven Gables
Events at The Gables include two special house tours and two lectures, each taking up aspects of women’s roles in historic preservation. The Gables’ events are scheduled for Sunday, March 25, from 12 to 3 p.m. Programs are free for members and Salem residents. A fee of $15 grants nonmembers access to one of the special house tours and admission to both lectures. Space is limited for all events.
12 TO 12:45 P.M. — HOUSE TOUR
A special tour of The Gables focuses on some of the more significant ways women have influenced the history of the region and this National Historic Landmark property.
1 TO 1:45 P.M. — LECTURE
My Patriotic Duty — Women and the Preservation of Old South Meeting House Boston
The public reacted with outrage when Boston’s iconic Old South Meeting House was threatened with demolition in 1876. A group of Boston-area women, led by philanthropist Mary Hemenway, became the driving force behind the building’s successful preservation. The “20 women of Boston,” as this group came to be known, organized fundraisers to secure a mortgage and ensure the building’s preservation and security. Among the women involved with preservation in the 1870s to the 1880s were author Louisa May Alcott and Mary Tyler, who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Erica Lindamood, director of education at Old South Meeting House, will share highlights from this colorful historic preservation success story. She will address Hemenway’s claim that advocacy for the building was her patriotic duty in light of 19th-century politics and social history.
2 to 2:45 P.M. — LECTURE
The Tireless Traditionalist: Mary Harrod Northend and Old Salem, 1904 – 1926.
Donna Seger, Ph.D., chair of the History Department at Salem State University and author of the Streets of Salem blog, presents a fascinating lecture about one of Salem’s most entrepreneurial representatives of the Colonial Revival movement. Salem-born author Mary Harrod Northend (1850 – 1926) wrote 11 books and scores of magazine articles between 1904 and her untimely death in 1926. She advanced an earnest, idealistic vision of New England and “Old Salem” that still serves as a reference point for style and historic depictions of the region’s culture.
3 to 3:45 P.M. — HOUSE TOUR
A special tour of The Gables focuses on some of the more significant ways women have influenced the history of the region and this National Historic Landmark property.
Phillips House Museum
The Phillips House staff will lead special guided tours that explore the role of women through the years at the 34 Chestnut St. museum. Tours begin on the half-hour and run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The last tour begins at 3 p.m. Admission is $5 for the public; free for Salem residents and Historic New England members.
Witch House
The Witch House presents an exhibition on Anne Bradstreet, America’s first published poet. Bradstreet sailed into Salem with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. The public is invited to view the exhibition and tour the Witch House at 310½ Essex St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guided tours are $10.25 and self-guided tours are $8.25. The exhibition and tours are free for Salem residents.
About The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association
The mission of The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association is to preserve The Gables’ National Historic Landmark and leverage its power as an icon of American culture to engage diverse audiences and provide education opportunities for the local immigrant community. For more information visit www.7gables.org.
In 2018, The House of the Seven Gables celebrates a singular milestone. Built 350 years ago, it is still a place where stories are made. Ever the provider of shelter and support, The House of the Seven Gables inspires us as it once inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne. Where sea captains once found their footing, immigrants become citizens, visitors explore period rooms, historians pore over archives, children frolic in the gardens, and authors find inspiration. Celebrate this milestone with us and make your own stories at The House of the Seven Gables.