Stephen Phillips House facts for kids
The Stephen Phillips House is a special old house and museum located in Salem, Massachusetts, in an area called the McIntire Historic District. It was designed by a famous architect named Samuel McIntire. This house has a long and interesting history, filled with stories of different families who lived there.
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A House with a Long Story
The story of the Phillips House began with a very wealthy man named Elias Hasket Derby. He became rich from trading goods across the sea and was one of America's first self-made millionaires. When he passed away in 1799, his daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Captain Nathaniel West, inherited a large farm in Danvers, Massachusetts.
From Country Estate to City Home
Elizabeth and Nathaniel decided to build a grand country house on their new property. They spent a lot of money to make it very fancy and beautiful. The house was finished around 1806. After some changes in their lives, Nathaniel moved four rooms from this large country house all the way to Salem. This is where the Phillips House stands today! Once the rooms were in Salem, Nathaniel added a hallway, a third floor, and a back section to make it a complete home.
The Phillips Family's Legacy
In 1911, a man named Stephen W. Phillips bought the house. He moved in with many pieces of furniture and items that had belonged to his family for five generations. Imagine having so many family treasures in one place! Stephen Phillips lived in the house until he passed away in 1955. The house still looks much like it did when he lived there, filled with a wide variety of items from his many travels around the world.
Visiting the Phillips House Today
Today, the Phillips House is owned and cared for by an organization called Historic New England. It is open to the public as a historic house museum. This means you can visit and take a tour to see what life was like in this historic home and learn about the families who lived there. It's like stepping back in time!
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