New England

White-Silsbee House // 1811

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The White-Silsbee House is a stately, Federal period, brick mansion built in Salem, Massachusetts for wealthy merchant, Joseph White. Constructed in 1811 for Joseph White, Jr., the house uniquely faces Oliver Street and not the Salem Common, like that of his brother’s home nextdoor. Joseph White (1780-1816) was bred to the sea, and grew up at the time of Salem’s commercial expansion into the markets of India, China, and Sumatra in the far reaches of the Indian Ocean. Captain White evidently had command of an East India vessel on at least one voyage. After Joseph White’s untimely death in 1816, at the age of 36, his widow Eliza continued to live here until 1831 when the property was sold to William Silsbee (1779-1833), a merchant, and his wife, Mary. The three-story, hipped-roof, dwelling featuring a fan light transom and Ionic portico. Most of the windows contain 6/6 sash with exterior storm windows, capped by splayed stone lintels with molded and beaded keystones. A full-length window is centered above the entrance porch; the third story windows are shortened.

Payson-Fettyplace House // 1845

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Behold, one of the finest, and well-preserved Greek Revival style homes in Salem. This is the Payson-Fettyplace House on Winter Street, built in 1845 with its gable facing the street to create a pediment, a wide entablature and cornice, and pilasters on the flushboard façade, which together make the building read more like a Greek temple than a residential home. The residence was built for Edward H. Payson, a bank officer, and his wife, Amelia, who lived in the home for only two years before moving into a larger residence across the street just two years after this house was completed. The property was sold to a Carleton Dole of Maine and again sold in 1850 to Thomas J. Fettyplace. The Fettyplace family were based out of Marblehead and many of them relocated to Mobile, Alabama, to make money in the cotton and shipping industry in the South. Thomas purchased this home in Salem for his mother who spent her final years here until 1861. After the Civil War, the Fettyplace brothers would move back north and this home remained in the family until 1912. The house is now a bed & breakfast known as the Amelia Payson House, named after the original owner.

Thomas Hovey House // c.1785

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This lovely three-story frame house on Winter Street in Salem was built in the 1780s for mason, Thomas Hovey. The structure’s front-end, five-by-one-bay portion with stone foundation was built first, in the Federal style, likely with traditional finishes seen in the early Federal period. The building’s rectangular shape, hipped roof, molded corner boards, and foreshortened third-story windows are indicative of its Federal-era origins. By around 1870, the Italianate decorative features, including a hooded double-door entrance, two-over-two windows, a second-story bay window, a bracketed cornice, and bracketed window lintels, were added to the exterior in an effort to modernize the home by later owners. Like many other houses in Salem, this building was extensively documented by Historic Salem Inc. who compiled a detailed history of this and hundreds of other homes nearby.

Conway-Trumbull House // 1848

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Built in 1848 for Rev. James Conway of Salem, this stunning Greek Revival home on Winter Street blends architectural integrity with a bold pop of color! James Conway was born in Ballinamore, Ireland and moved to the United States and was ordained as a Catholic priest. He was a missionary with the Penobscot Tribe in Maine, before preaching in Lowell and later in Salem, Massachusetts. When he moved to Salem, he had this house on Winter Street built with flush board siding, paneled side-hall entry, and moulded window surrounds with corner blocks. Conway would later sell the property to Edward Trumbull, a Salem merchant and later to Ebenezer Putnam. It was likely Putnam who added the oversized second-story bay window on the facade of the house.

Odell House // 1887

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Built in 1887 for Charles Odell and his wife, Alice, this Queen Anne house on Winter Street in Salem, Massachusetts, stands out as a high-style example of Victorian architecture on the street notable for early-mid 19th century architecture. The house lot was purchased by the Jewett Family who lived in the brick house next door and long used the lot as a garden. Charles and Alice Odell married in 1888, so this Victorian home was built for the newlywed couple to raise their family. Charles A. Odell (1863-1931) worked at his father’s insurance and real estate business, later assuming ownership of business upon death of his father and was a district agent for New England Mutual Life Insurance Company. Sheathed in a combination of wood clapboards and shingles in a variety of patterns, the house has a steeply hipped, slate roof punctuated by cross gables and hipped dormers. The predominant window sash style consists of a distinctive sash in which the upper displays a triangle with central muntin over a conventional two-light lower sash. The property has been lovingly preserved for well over a century and is a landmark example of a Queen Anne style house in Salem.

Bertram-Jewett-Hale House // 1842

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This lovely brick house on Winter Street in Salem was constructed for Capt. John Bertram in 1842-3. John Bertram (1795-1882) as a boy had his first job as a cabin boy and would work his way up to become a commander, ship owner and investor. He was extensively involved in shipping around the world including to Zanzibar, South America, and California and later he invested in railroads and real estate. He retired from actively commanding boats at age thirty-six with a vast fortune which he would become a philanthropist, giving much of it to charitable causes and his home city of Salem. Captain Bertram continued to own this property until 1855, when he moved to his new house on Essex Street, which he later gifted to the City of Salem as its public library. By the time of his death in 1882, he donated funds to the Salem Hospital, Old Men’s Home, Home for Aged Women, and various colleges and scholarships. Bertram sold this Winter Street house to John Jewett in 1855 for $10,000. Jewett began his career as a cabinet maker in Beverly in 1817 and subsequently became a dealer in mahogany, fancy woods, furniture and grain. Jewett died in 1874 and the property was sold by his heirs to Henry Appleton Hale in 1890. Engaged in the hardware business, Hale also served as president of the Salem Gas Light Company and as a vice president of the Salem Five Cents Savings Bank. Mr. Hale also served the country during the Civil War, and was shot in the face at Antietam on September 17, 1862. The bullet knocked out his front teeth and sliced off a piece of his tongue. Despite the severity of his wound, he recovered and returned to the regiment months later, and mustered out in 1865 following another injury. Henry A. Hale died in 1927. The property is significant not only for its owners, but also for its architectural quality and integrity. The transitional Federal-Greek Revival house features a recessed entry with original leaded sidelight and transom windows, brownstone trimmings, and alterations (likely by Hale) from the second half of the 19th century, including the projecting bay and arched window in the gable.

Joseph Story House // 1811

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Built in 1811 for Joseph Story, lawyer, politician, and judge of the United States Supreme Court, this stately brick residence on Winter Street in Salem, Massachusetts, is significant, not only for its architecture, but for its esteemed owners. Judge Joseph Story (1779-1845), who was then Speaker of the House of Massachusetts in 1810, purchased this house lot near the Salem Common, and proceeded to have this three-story brick house constructed. By the time it was finished, Story had been appointed by President Madison to the bench of the United States Supreme Court. He was just 32-years-old when nominated to the bench. The house is also the birthplace in 1819 of Story’s son William Wetmore Story, a well-known sculptor. Judge Story would reside here until 1829, when he moved to Cambridge in order to pursue his work at the new Harvard Law School. The property was sold in 1831 to Robert Upton (1788-1863), a self-made merchant heavily engaged with trade in South America. Robert Upton and his sons were among the most important men in Salem in the 1830s-1850s, for they were able to maintain a successful foreign commerce, and keep ships and men employed, at a time when Salem was otherwise fading as a seaport. The house has been lovingly maintained by centuries of stewards, and the house was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

Brown-Battis House // 1851

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Captain Nathaniel Brown (1800-1866), a master mariner in Salem, built this fine brick house on Brown Street in 1851. Captain Brown bought the lot from the heirs of Nathaniel Kinsman in 1850, with an older house already occupying the site. The existing house was razed and construction began on this house, with it completed by 1851. The building is unique as it resembles the Federal period form of the five-bay and three-story residence with shortened third-floor windows under a low hipped roof. Although the Federal period waned in popularity by the 1830s, this house clearly took cues from the earlier homes nearby. Following Nathaniel Brown’s death in 1866, James Herrick Battis, a tobacconist and cigar manufacturer, purchased the home. City records state that Battis was issued a building permit in 1878 for an addition to the dwelling. It is probable that the bay windows and front door hood were also added at this time, giving the residence more of an Italianate style. Battis continued to own the property until his death in 1891. By 1930, the residence was converted into apartments and was known as the Conant Apartments. It remains a six-unit apartment building today.


Kenneally House // 1913

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While Salem, Massachusetts, is best-known for its Colonial and 19th century architecture, there are some great 20th century buildings that deserve attention. This is the Kenneally House at 3 Williams Street, just north of the Salem Common, a c.1913 Colonial Revival home with great curb appeal. The house was built for Maurice D. Kenneally, a teamster, who lived here with his wife, Mary, and son, Patrick. Symmetrically arranged, the house has a center entry , with sidelights and an elliptical fanlight. The front facade is dominated by a full-width first story porch on paired Doric columns and a gable roof with Palladian window.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church // 1833

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The St. Peter’s Episcopal Church of Salem, is a landmark example of a granite, Gothic Revival church of the 19th century. The present church, which is constructed of Cape Ann granite, was the second church on the site built for local Episcopalians, replacing a wood-frame building constructed there 100 years prior. Designed by architect Isaiah Rogers, the Gothic church features a prominent entry tower with a quatrefoil window in each elevation, large lancet-arched windows in the tower and lining the sanctuary, and a crenelated parapet. When completed, St. Peter’s had Salem’s first church bell, an 1740 English bell that supposedly still graces the tower today and is said to be the oldest church bell in the United States! In 1871, the rear chapel was added to the building, from plans by George E. Harney. The chapel was built directly over the old parish cemetery, requiring some of the tombstones to be placed inside the chapel walls, while others were moved to the front of the church, creating a really unique “garden cemetery” in front of the church.