House of Seven Gables Settlement Association

CONTACT:

54 Turner St.
Salem, MA 01970
978-744-0991
www.7gables.org

Anita Blackaby, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

Here is an epitome of the rich history of Massachusetts' benefit sector. The "House of the Seven Gables" was built in 1668, and is located in our nation's largest surviving collection of 17th-century buildings. In 1851 Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel of that name taught the negative effects of amoral decisions, and the endurance of one good deed. In 1910 a leading feminist and pioneering philanthropist, Caroline Emmerton, recognized that the restored house, as a museum, could generate earned-income to support her Settlement House, modeled after Jane Addams' Hull House in Chicago, and Toynbee Hall in London's East End.

Today the House is maintained as an historic house museum (annual visitation is 112,000) and charity -- serving over 170 children and their families in pre-school and after-school programs, and vacation and summer camps. Its mission is a committment to education, preservation, and community service. The House's educational programs emphasize Salem's Maritime History, the life and literary legacy of Nathaniel Hawthorne, and American architectural history.

It is time to endow this venerable institution. Your contribution -- "one good deed" -- will help ensure the permanence of the Settlement's programs for children and the Museum's programs for students.

(1998: HUMAN SERVICES: Children and Youth: General)