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
*SOLD OUT* 250th Anniversary of Leslie’s Retreat Forum and Discussion *SOLD OUT*
Saturday, February 15, 2025
NOTE: THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. 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 […]
11:30 am at Pickering House: 18 Broad Street, Salem
Members: $20, Non-members: $25
Tours of the House
Sunday, February 16, 2025
On Sunday February 16, we’ll be offering intimate tours of the Pickering House at 12:00pm and 2:30pm. Presentation of our Leslie’s Retreat artifacts and history will be a part of the tour. Ticket fees are by-donation, and registration is required.
12:00 pm at Pickering House: 18 Broad Street, Salem
By Donation, registration is required