The Ropes Mansion (late 1720s), also called Ropes Memorial, is a Georgian

Colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

mansion located at 318 Essex Street, located in the McIntire Historic District in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. It is now operated by the

Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and the ...

and open to the public. The house was built for Samuel Barnard, a merchant. In 1768, Judge Nathaniel Ropes, Jr., purchased the house from Barnard's nephew. The Ropes family then inhabited the house until 1907, when the house was given to the Trustees of the Ropes Memorial for public benefit. Although altered through the years and then restored, the house looks much like its original form, with a symmetrical facade of two stories, three small pedimented gables through the roof, roof balustrade, and modillioned cornice. (Compare it to the Crowninshield-Bentley House and the Peirce-Nichols House, also in Salem.) In 1807, however, its interior was extensively renovated. In the mid-1830s five rooms and the central hall were remodelled, and today's doorway installed (with details inspired by

Asher Benjamin Asher Benjamin (June 15, 1773July 26, 1845) was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal architecture and the later Greek Revival architecture. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities a ...

's pattern book). In 1894 the house was moved away from the street and further modified internally. A large, fine garden was added behind the house in 1912. It was featured in the 1993 Disney film "Hocus Pocus" and the 2021 novel "Salem's Ropes." 1820 Salem Massachusetts map bySaunders BPL 12094

1820 Salem Massachusetts map bySaunders BPL 12094

References

* Bryant F. Tolles, Jr., ''Architecture in Salem: An Illustrated Guide'', University Press of New England, Hanover and London, reissued 2004. {{coord, 42.5212, N, 70.8998, W, type:landmark, display=title Historic house museums in Massachusetts Houses in Salem, Massachusetts Peabody Essex Museum Houses completed in 1768 18th-century architecture in the United States 1768 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay

See also

References