Derby House

View of Derby House from Derby Street.

Built by Captain Richard Derby in 1762 as a wedding gift for his son, Elias Hasket Derby, this fine example of Georgian architecture was the home of Salem's most prominent and successful merchant for twenty years. Timber was much cheaper than brick in New England in the 1760s, and therefore brick was not as common in New England as in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern colonies. The use of brick for this house, along with its large windows and fashionable Georgian design, show the wealth of the Derby family.