Narbonne House, Salem

The Narbonne House's taller section, which remains today, is the original structure. It boasts its authentic pointed roof and a brick chimney that have endured the test of time. In its earliest days, the house was modest, featuring just a single room on each of its two floors-the hall and the hall chamber. An attic and a shallow root cellar completed the home's layout.

Subsequent owners made significant changes to the house, expanding it to accommodate changing needs. A kitchen was added to the rear of the house, while a smaller addition on the side featured a parlor on the first floor and a chamber on the second. These alterations tell a compelling story of how the house adapted to the evolving lifestyles of its inhabitants over the years.

The house earned its name from Sarah Narbonne, whose grandfather Jonathan Andrews acquired the property in 1780. Sarah herself was born in the Narbonne House and spent her entire life within its walls. Remarkably, her life spanned nearly the entire 19th century, and she passed away in 1895 at the age of 101. Her unmarried daughter, Mary, continued to reside in the house until her own passing in 1905.

In 1963, the National Park Service acquired this historic dwelling from the family of Mary Narbonne's nephew, Frank Hale. What makes the Narbonne House truly exceptional is its nearly 300 years of continuous occupation, with one family calling it home for 200 of those years. Rather than restoring the house to a single time period, it is preserved as an architectural study house. This approach allows visitors to witness how the structure evolved over its remarkable 330-year history.