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Private tour in Boston Donald F
Nathaniel Hawthorne in Salem
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3 hours
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3 hours
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Donald F.
4.8
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Hello, I'm Donald. In the 16 years I've lived in Salem, I have shown the city to hundreds of people—personal friends, college classes, teacher enrichment programs, Historic Salem, Inc. special events. Although I had known Salem as a Boston native, a summer visitor to the North Shore, and a historian of colonial America, I turned familiarity to intimacy by walking every street in the city of Salem to observe its historic waterfront, its urban development, most interesting buildings from the 17th century to the 21st, and the special character that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. I will be happy to show you the Salem that I now know well. Let me tell you a bit about myself—born in Boston (19 miles from Salem), educated at the Boston Latin School (founded in 1635), Brown University (A. B. ) and University of Pennsylvania (Ph. D. ), college teacher, museum director, lecturer, tour planner and guide for several institutions, and longtime President of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Honorary Trustee of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, appointed member of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and Director Emeritus of Historic Deerfield, a museum of New England history and life. A.B., American Civilization, Brown University Ph.D., American Civilization, University of Pennsylvania Appointed member, Massachusetts Historical Commission Fellow, Massachusetts Historical Society Elected member, American Antiquarian Society past President, Colonial Society of Massachusetts Licensed guide, City of Salem I find that walking tours are the most effective way to see a city or town.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Donald F.
A half day walk through Salem with its most famous author
Overview of your Boston tour
Nathaniel Hawthorne is Salem's favorite son. Famed and admired in his own time, his reputation and stature have endured. He remains a presence in Salem today--Hawthorne Boulevard, Bela Lyon Pratt's towering statue, the Hawthorne Hotel, the House of the Seven Gables--all attest to his genius as a writer who probed the history and traditions of his hometown. Yet Hawthorne had mixed feelings about Salem and his family's long residence here. He saw the dark side of Salem in the witch trials, persisting folk customs, and the rigorous beliefs of Puritanism. Please join me for a tour of Salem as Hawthorne knew it— his birthplace, houses where he lived and worked, places that provided the settings of his stories and novels— the Custom House, the town pump, the Witch House, wharves on the harborfront, ancient dwellings on the side streets. We conclude with a detailed visit to the House of the Seven Gables and to Hawthorne's Birthplace.
Your Boston tour itinerary
Sites to see: The Town Pump (1976). Jonathan Corwin House (before 1675), aka the Witch House. 18 Chestnut Street, home of Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1846-1847. Hamilton Hall (1805-1807). Grimshawe House (c1770), home of Sophia Peabody Hawthorne and her family. Charter Street Burying Ground, with grave of John Hathorne, a judge at the Salem witch trials. St. Peter's Church (1833-1834), with gravestone of Surveyor Jonathan Pue. Hawthorne Hotel (1924-1925). Nathaniel Hawthorne statue (1910). Bela Lyon Pratt, sculptor. "Castle Dismal, " 10 ½ Herbert Street, home of Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1808-1828, 1832-1840. U. S. Custom House (1819), where Hawthorne was Surveyor of the Port of Salem, 1846-1848. Capt. John Turner House (1668), home of Susanna Ingersoll, Hawthorne's cousin, now known as the House of the Seven Gables. Nathaniel Hawthorne birthplace (c1730-1745).
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Transport details
Type: Walking
This is a walking tour.
What's included
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Meeting location
Washington Street & Essex Street, Salem, MA, USA
Airport: ,Cruise: ,ByGuide: At the Town Pump (modern fountain) at the intersection of Washington Street and Essex Street pedestrian mall.
- You can request a different meeting location (for example, your hotel) during the checkout process.
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3 hours
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3 hours
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If your tour is valued over $200 USD and booked at least 45 days before the tour date, you can book with a deposit!
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- Your credit card will be authorized only for the deposit amount.
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