Salem Maritime National Historic Site-The modest house in front of you is one of the oldest in Salem. Built here in 1672, the Narbonne House is also one of America’s few surviving middle-class homes of the 1600s.The builder and first owner was a”slaughterer,” or butcher, Later, residents included a weaver, a shoreman, a tanner, and several seamen. One of the last owners was Sarah Narbonne, a seamstress, who operated a tiny “Cent Shop” in the lean-to on the side of the house. Their lives have all left traces, which recent archeological investigations have brought to light.
By 1760, a small brick-floored dairy in the backyard kept milk and cheese cool. Between 1780 and 1820, prosperous owners put up a handsome carriage house and narrowed the lean-to so a carriage could get past it.
In the 1870s, when the house hooked into city water mains, residents began filling their outmoded backyard wells with discards and trash. In all, the Narbonne lot has yielded more than 142,000 artifacts of middle-class in Salem.
Narbonne House in 1913 (photo to the right): 1. Original home (1672). 2. Gambrel-roof addition (1730s). 3. Lean-to (ca. 1800). 4. Carriage House (demolished 1965).
(Colonial Era • Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
