Pickering House (Salem, Massachusetts) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pickering House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Part of | Chestnut Street District |
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The Pickering House is a very old home in Salem, Massachusetts, built around 1664. It's a special type of house called a First Period Colonial house. This means it was built during the earliest times of the American colonies. You can find it on Broad Street, inside the historic McIntire District.
For a very long time, this house was home to the Pickering family. Ten different generations of the family lived there! This included a famous person named Colonel Timothy Pickering. Many people believe it was the oldest house in the United States where one family lived continuously. In 1998, the Goodhue family moved in, with Albert Goodhue becoming its main caretaker. Today, the Pickering House is open for visitors. It is managed by a group called the Pickering Foundation. Right across the street is the Broad Street Cemetery, which is one of Salem's oldest burial grounds.
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History of the Pickering House
The Pickering House has changed a lot over hundreds of years. Even though its main part is very old, from the "First Period," new sections and styles have been added.
Early Beginnings: The First Period Home
When the house was first built, it had two stories. Each floor had just one room, plus a small entry area. Around 1682, John Pickering II, the son of the original owner, added the left side of the house. Later, in 1751, Deacon Timothy Pickering made a big change. He raised the back part of the house, which was a "lean-to" (a smaller addition), to be two full stories tall. This is how the house looks today.
Changes in the 1800s: Gothic Revival Style
In 1841, the front of the house got a new look. It was updated in the Gothic Revival style. This style was popular at the time and made buildings look like old castles or churches. Many of the house's outside features come from this time. These include the pointy decorations on the roof called finials. There are also round windows in the gables (the triangular parts of the roof). You can also see decorative brackets under the roof and a fancy front porch.
Family stories say that a path was cut through the chimney inside the house during this time. The outside of the chimney was also changed to look like a tall column. The unique fence with its cut-outs and tall, pointed decorations was also added during this makeover.
Later Additions and Restorations
More changes happened in the 1900s. In 1904, a two-story addition was built at the back of the house. Later, in 1948, an architect from Boston named Gordon Robb worked on the inside of the house. He helped bring back more of its original "Colonial Revival" look. This meant making it look more like it did in the early colonial times.
