The Pickering House
Welcome to Salem’s Oldest Home!
When seeing Salem, start where it all began. The Pickering Foundation welcomes you to an extraordinary place!
It is not only Salem’s oldest House, but also America’s oldest Home: home to a single family for over three and a half centuries; home to carpenters, farmers, patriots, military leaders, deacons, diplomats, linguists, scientists, and statesmen. And as homes will, it changed with the times.
Built in 1660 by settler John Pickering — a carpenter form Coventry, England — and his wife Elizabeth, it was once just a two-room farmhouse on a vast plot of land that ran all the way down to the seaport on the North River, encompassing what is today Chestnut Street and the McIntire District.
Over the next 350 years, the succeeding John Pickerings and their wives added wings, gables, and Gothic peaks. They raised ceilings, extended the roofline, and created the distinctive fence, to evolve into the warm and gracious home it is today.
You are cordially invited to come and see a piece of Salem history that is very much alive!
Donate with Paypal to help support this Home and Mission:Upcoming Events
Old Salem in Ballad and Song
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Bob Strom will present from his book Old Salem in Ballad and Song, reflecting on Salem’s diverse musical heritage. Each song, with roots in Salem, gives a hint of Salem’s past and its influence in helping to shape America, both economically and socially, while many of the sea songs will reflect Salem’s rich maritime history […]
11:30 am at Pickering House: 18 Broad Street, Salem
Members: $20, Non-members: $25
250th Anniversary of Leslie’s Retreat Forum and Discussion
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Join us for an afternoon discussing one of the lesser-known skirmishes of the early Revolutionary War. Colonel Timothy Pickering was present on that day and at his home 250 years later, we’ll gather together local historians and pull out objects from our archives and more as we discuss the events of that storied day and […]
11:30 am at Pickering House: 18 Broad Street, Salem
Members: $20, Non-members: $25