The Pickering House is a Colonial

Colonial America

The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...

 located on Broad Street, Salem in the Chestnut Street District

Chestnut Street District

Chestnut Street District is a historic district bounded roughly by Broad, Flint, Federal, and Summer Streets in Salem, Massachusetts. The Chestnut Street District is also known at the Samuel McIntyre Historic District, created in 1981 and containing 407 buildings, it is the city's largest district...

. The house, owned and occupied by ten successive generations of the Pickering family including Colonel Timothy Pickering

Timothy Pickering

Timothy Pickering was a politician from Massachusetts who served in a variety of roles, most notably as the third United States Secretary of State, serving in that office from 1795 to 1800 under Presidents George Washington and John Adams.-Early years:Pickering was born in Salem, Massachusetts to...

. This house is believed to be the oldest house in the United States continuously occupied by one family. It is located at 18 Broad Street, Salem, Massachusetts

Salem, Massachusetts

Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...

 and is open to the public under the auspices of the nonprofit Pickering Foundation. The Broad Street Cemetery in Salem, one of the three oldest is across the street from the Pickering House.

History

Although the core house is first period, it has evolved considerably over the years. Architectural historian Abbott Lowell Cummings

Abbott Lowell Cummings

Abbott Lowell Cummings is a noted architectural historian and genealogist, best known for his study of New England architecture. He currently lives in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.Cummings was born in St...

, in his Architecture in Colonial Massachusetts, concludes that the right-hand side of today's house was built for John Pickering, Sr., a carpenter, before his death in 1657 upon land granted to him in 1637. This original house was two stories tall, with a single room on each floor, and an entry bay. The left side was then added circa 1671 by his son, John Pickering II. In 1751, Deacon Timothy Pickering raised a rear lean-to up to a full two stories, which is how the house exists today.

In 1841 the front facade was reworked in the Gothic style, with the facade gables probably dating from this time. Many of the house's external features date from this alteration, including the roof finials, round windows in the gables, cornice brackets, and exterior entry porch. Family records also suggest that a passageway was cut through the chimney stack at this time, and that the exterior chimney was remodeled to today's columnar style at this time. The Gothic-style fence with its cut-outs and obelisk finials was also added in this renovation. In 1904 a two-story ell was added to the rear. In 1948, Boston architect Gordon Robb carried out interior restoration work.

External links

• Pickering House - official site