Courtesy of the Stephen Phillips House

The Stephen Phillips House on Chestnut Street is one of the many heritage sites in Salem that are open to the public.

English settlement in Salem, Massachusetts, began in 1626. In 1996, Essex County was designated a National Heritage Area by the U.S. Congress in recognition of the number and quality of the natural and cultural resources in the county. There are nearly 200 heritage sites in Essex County, and ten of those sites are located in historic downtown Salem. All are within a fifteen minute walk of the Regional Visitor Center.

For a list of the heritage sites in Essex County, please visit the Essex National Heritage Area web site. This link will open in a new window.

Click on the names of the institutions below for further information. These links will open in new windows.

Heritage Sites in Salem

House of the Seven Gables
Built in 1668 for Captain Jonathan Turner, the House of the Seven Gables became well known because of the 1850 novel of that name by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
978-744-0991

Misery Islands
Located in Salem Harbor, Great and Little Misery Island are Trustees of Reservations properties. There is no regular ferry service to the islands at the present time, but the islands are accessible to private watercraft. 
978-526-8687

Peabody Essex Museum
Founded in 1799 by Salem ship captains, the Peabody Essex Museum is now the largest art museum north of Boston.
978-745-9500

Stephen Phillips House
The Stephen Phillips House is a unique historic home on Chestnut Street, one of the most beautiful streets in Salem. The Phillips House contains a collection of art, furniture, decorative arts, and historic automobiles belonging to five generations of the Phillips family. In 2006, the Phillips House became the newest property to join Historic New England.
978-744-0440

The Witch House
Built before 1675, the Witch House is the only building in Salem actually associated with the witchcraft trials of 1692. It was the home of Jonathan Corwin, one of the three judges of the witchcraft trials.
978-744-8815

Historic Districts in Salem

Derby Street Historic District
The Derby Street Historic District was established in 1974, and runs along Derby Street from Salem Maritime National Historic Site to the House of the Seven Gables. Along Derby Street, you can see the remnants of Salem's seafaring heritage in the buildings built for some of the important merchant families in the city.

McIntire Historic District
On the west side of historic Salem lies Chestnut, Essex, and Federal Streets. These streets contain some of the finest examples of late 18th and early 19th century urban architecture in America. The link above will take you to a self-guided walking tour of the McIntire District.

General Information about Visiting Salem and Essex County

Destination Salem
Destination Salem is the office of tourism and cultural affairs for the city of Salem. The Destination Salem Web site has information about the commercial attractions in the city, including those related to the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692.

Essex National Heritage Area
Essex County was designated a National Heritage Area in 1996. The Essex National Heritage Area web site is a wonderful resource for information about sites and events throughout Essex County, Massachusetts.


North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau
The North of Boston CVB website has information for tour and convention planners, as well as information on hotels, restaraunts and attractions.

Historical Information about Salem

Nathaniel Hawthorne in Salem
Developed for the bicentennial of Nathaniel Hawthorne's birth in 2004, this web site contains information about Hawthorne's life, as well as listings of sites in and around Salem related to Hawthorne's life and work.

Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project
This web site, hosted by the University of Virginia, contains a comprehensive archive of documents and information related to the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692.