Grimshawe House

From Salem Links and Lore

This house, which stands at 53 Charter St. is linked to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne courted his future wife Sophia while her family lived there.

Doctor Nathaniel Peabody (a dentist) and his daughters Sophia, Amelia and Elizabeth lived in this house at 53 Charter Street when Nathaniel Hawthorne courted his future wife Sophia. The house appears in two works of Hawthorne's; the "Dolliver Romance" and "Dr. Grimshawe's secret".

It is still used as a residence and is situated just east of the Charter Street Burial Ground

The house was built approximately 1680 and added on to 6 times through the 1920's. . From 1935-1974 the house was owned by George and Christine Xiahros. Since 1974, it was owned by H. Berkley Peabody.

In 2019, a company called Essex Restoration began plans to remodel the house to include apartments.

GrimshaweHouse.jpg

See Also

  • Postcard Image courtesy of CardCow.com
  • Vertical File in Salem Collection - Peabody, Sophia
  • "Historic house renovation sparks some fears, controversy" Salem News, Feb. 5, 2019, p.3