The House of the Seven Gables’ colonial revival gardens (foreground) and the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion (background).
We met while working at The House of the Seven Gables, and although it has a very special place in our hearts, we hadn’t been back to visit since we stopped working there a little over a year ago. It’s the end of the summer, and as the threat of the October pandemonium in Salem draws near, we decided now would be as good a time as any to return to our old stomping grounds.
The scenery is as beautiful today as ever, and while wandering the gardens, listening to the gentle beating of the ocean waves against the nearby shore’s rocks, it’s as if one has stepped back in time and all is at peace.
The House of the Seven Gables museum campus is comprised of several first-period and colonial buildings which were moved to the property, including the Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace (1750), Hooper-Hathaway House (1682), and The Retire-Beckett House (c. 1655).
Isabella at the back door of Hooper-Hathaway House.
The main attraction, however, is the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, better known to most as “The House of the Seven Gables.” The Turner-Ingersoll Mansion was built in 1668 by John Turner I, and it is the only home original to the property. The Turners were an extremely prominent and successful maritime family in early New England, and they lived in the home for three generations.
The house left the Turner family in 1782, when John Turner III (the grandson of the John Turner who built the home) was forced to sell the house at auction. At this point, the home was purchased by Captain Samuel Ingersoll, a privateer during the American Revolution. When Captain Ingersoll and his son both died at sea in 1805, the home was inherited by his only daughter, Susanna Ingersoll.
Susanna was remarkable in many ways, and not just because she was the cousin of the famous New England author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. When Susanna inherited the home, she also made the bold decision to never marry (despite a few marriage proposals). Instead, Susanna built an impressive real-estate career, and lived alone in the home for many years. Eventually, however, Susanna must have grown weary of her loneliness, and she adopted a son named Horace Connolly.
In the 1830s the household grew again when a woman named Mary Clough began living in the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion alongside Susanna. Mary helped maintain the house, but not much else is known about her. She is sometimes listed in records as a servant, and simply as a member of the household at other times. It is possible that she may have been Susanna’s life partner, and some speculate (with a grain of salt, or course) she was Horace’s biological mother. As with many instances such as this when studying history, it is difficult to decipher some of the complex human relationships of the past. Whatever the case was, when Susanna passed away, she stated in her will that Horace would inherit the property, under the stipulation that he take care of Mary.
Jacques at the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion’s front batten door.
When Nathaniel Hawthorne was working at the Custom House in Salem, he would often visit his family at the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion. He fondly referred to Susanna as “The Duchess,” and was heavily inspired by the stories she would tell him about the house and their ancestors. Hawthorne based the fictional home in his novel, The House of the Seven Gables, off the real-life Turner-Ingersoll Mansion—but the house that Hawthorne visited hardly resembled the one in his story. Susanna’s father, Captain Ingersoll, had removed most of the gables when he purchased the property in favor of the popular Federal style. Despite this, Susanna’s descriptions of the house’s former appearance enthralled Hawthorne.
Unfortunately, after the reign of “Duchess” Susanna, Horace’s debts mounted, and he ended up auctioning off most of his adoptive mother’s possessions, including the house. It was purchased by the Upton family, who, being fans of Hawthorne, began allowing paying visitors to enter the home for tours.
After the Uptons lived in the home, it was purchased by philanthropist and early historical preservationist, Caroline Emmerton. An advocate for the Settlement House Movement, Caroline Emmerton formed the House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association, combining her passions to preserve local landmarks and creating an environment for newly arrived immigrants to thrive. The House of the Seven Gables opened as a museum in 1910, and proceeds from the house tours went towards the settlement programs. The House of the Seven Gables continues Caroline Emmerton’s mission today, dedicating a portion of each ticket sale to programs that support local immigrant families.
Although many visitors mistake The House of the Seven Gables for nothing more than a historic house on a picturesque property, it holds many secrets that are waiting to be revealed, if only you know where to look.