The Historical Grand Tour Preview

1

The National Park Service Visitor Center

Built as the Salem Armory for the Second Corps of Cadets, the site later became the Salem Visitor Center and Armory Park honoring local veterans.

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2

The Gardner-Pingree House

Built in 1804–1805 by architect Samuel McIntire for merchant John Gardner, Salem’s elegant Federal-style Gardner-Pingree House reflects the city’s 19th-century wealth and later gained notoriety for an 1830 murder.

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3

The Andrew-Safford House

Built in 1818–1819 for fur trader John Andrew and later owned by leather dealer John Safford, Salem’s grand Andrew-Safford House blends late Federal style with emerging Greek and Italian Revival influences.

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4

The Salem Common

Salem Common, once a swampy grazing ground turned by 1801 into an elegant park, has served as the site of America’s first military muster, a refuge after the 1914 fire, and even a filming location for Hocus Pocus.

5

Roger Conant Statue

This statue depicts Roger Conant, the English-born founder of Salem who, after leaving the strict Pilgrim society in Plymouth, led his followers to establish the peaceful settlement of Salem in 1626.

6

John Ward House

Built in 1684, the Ward House is a beautifully preserved First Period colonial home—moved to its current site in 1910.

7

St. Peter’s Church

Since the mid-1700s, St. Peter’s Episcopal parish has worshiped on this site, where the current 1833 stone church stands.

8

The Salem Jail’s Great Escape

Built in 1812 and once the longest-operating correctional facility east of the Mississippi, this former jail—now apartments—was home to infamous inmates like the Boston Strangler and the site of a daring 1975 escape.

9

Parker Brothers Game Makers (Factory No Longer Standing)

Across from the Salem Jail stood the Parker Brothers factory, where classics like Monopoly and Clue were born.

10

The Old Witch Jail

This site once held Salem’s 1684 witch jail, where accused witches awaited execution.

11

Anti-slavery and the Paranormal at Turner’s Seafood

In 2007, Ghost Hunters explored this former 1831 Lyceum, now Turner’s Seafood, once a hub for historic lectures and abolitionist activity.

12

Salem's City Hall

Salem’s City Hall, built in 1838 without taxpayer funding, is the nation’s second-oldest city hall and a Greek Revival landmark rich in local Civil War history.

13

Rockafellas’ Spirited Drink

This brick restaurant is said to be haunted by the ghostly “Lady in Blue,” often seen near the old tunnels below.

14

Hollywood in Salem

Salem’s Hollywood ties shine through its six-foot bronze statue of Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery and its many film credits.

15

The Witch House

Built in the mid-1600s, this gothic house—once home to Judge Jonathan Corwin—is Salem’s only surviving site directly tied to the 1692 Witch Trials and is now open for public tours.

16

Ropes Mansion and Garden

Built in 1727, the Ropes Mansion blends history, tragedy, and Hocus Pocus fame as a stately Salem landmark now owned by the Peabody Essex Museum.

17

Chestnut Street

Lined with grand Federal-style homes and shaded by elms, Chestnut Street—part of Salem’s McIntire Historic District—is celebrated as one of America’s most beautiful and historically rich streets.

18

Hamilton Hall

Designed by Samuel McIntire and opened in 1807, Hamilton Hall—named for Alexander Hamilton—has long hosted grand events, including an 1824 banquet for Marquis de Lafayette.

19

Old Town Hall

Featured in Disney’s Hocus Pocus as the site of the town dance, this historic building once stood on land seized from a Loyalist and later served as Salem’s early town hall.

20

The Peabody Sisters and the Grimshawe House

This modest grey house was home to the Peabody sisters—pioneers in education, reform, and literature—and later inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s posthumous work Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret.

21

Old Burying Point

Dating to 1637, Salem’s Charter Street Cemetery—also called the Old Burying Point—is the city’s oldest graveyard, where Puritans, early settlers, and figures like Elias Hasket Derby rest.

22

The Yin Yu Tang House

Originally built in 18th-century China, the Huang family’s Yin Yu Tang house—relocated and reassembled at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum—offers a rare glimpse into traditional Chinese family life and architecture.

23

The Pickman House

Built before 1681, this Puritan home reflects early Salem life.

24

The 1692 Memorial

In 1692, fear and superstition led to the execution of 20 innocent people in Salem; today, the Witch Trials Memorial stands as a solemn reminder of that hysteria.

25

Bridget Bishop

Bridget Bishop, outspoken and unconventional for her time, was the first person executed for witchcraft in 1692, maintaining her innocence until her death at Gallows Hill.

26

Sarah Good

A destitute beggar and one of the first accused in 1692, defiantly proclaimed her innocence before being hanged—her legendary curse later echoing through Salem’s folklore and literature.

27

Rebecca Nurse

A respected 71-year-old Puritan and community leader who was accused during Salem’s 1692 hysteria after opposing Reverend Parris and was unjustly executed despite an initial not-guilty verdict.

28

George Burroughs

Reverend George Burroughs, former Salem minister and the only clergyman executed for witchcraft in 1692, flawlessly recited the Lord’s Prayer at the gallows—but was hanged nonetheless.

29

Giles Corey

In 1692, Giles Corey, an 80-year-old Salem farmer, refused to plead to witchcraft charges and was brutally pressed to death—his final words, “more weight,” became a symbol of defiance.

30

Hawthorne Statue

Salem’s famed author of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, drew deep inspiration from his hometown’s history—honored today by a statue unveiled in 1925.

31

The Maritime Industry at Derby Wharf

Derby Wharf once anchored Salem’s bustling seafaring empire, earning it the title “Venice of the New World.” From Native fishing grounds to global trade hub, it thrived until the 1800s.

32

The Tall Ship Friendship (When In Port)

The three-masted Friendship is a full-scale replica of Salem’s 1797 merchant ship, symbolizing the city’s golden age of global trade and open for tours today.

33

The Custom House

Built in 1819, Salem’s Custom House once collected import taxes and later employed Nathaniel Hawthorne, who drew inspiration here for The Scarlet Letter.

34

America's First Millionaire - The Derby House

Built in 1762, this Georgian-Colonial home belonged to Elias Hasket Derby—America’s first millionaire

35

America's Oldest Candy Company

Ye Olde Pepper Companie, America’s oldest candy company, began in the early 1800s when shipwreck survivor Mary Spencer created the “Gibraltar,” the nation’s first commercially sold candy—still made in Salem today.

36

The House of Seven Gables

Built in 1668 for merchant John Turner, Salem’s famed House of the Seven Gables inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel and was later restored in 1908, complete with its mysterious secret staircase and enduring literary legacy.