The Crowninshield-Bentley House is a Georgian-style house on Essex Street in Salem, Massachusetts.
Built in 1727, it is a three-story wood frame house built for ship captain John Crowninshield. It features a gambrel roof with small dormer windows. The house was originally located across the street at 106 Essex Street.
After Captain Crowninshield died at sea in 1766, the house passed to his widow and son. When they both died in 1774, the son’s widow supported herself by renting out rooms in the house for the next 35 years.
The Crowninshields lived in the house for four generations until 1832. Local reverend William Bentley rented two rooms on the second floor of the house from 1791 to 1819.
In the 1940s, the Hawthorne Hotel purchased the Crowninshield-Bentley House to use as additional accommodations for guests.
In 1959, the Hawthorne Hotel donated the house to the Essex Institute (now known as the Peabody Essex Museum) on the condition that it be relocated to make way for a parking lot. That summer, the house was relocated across the street to its current location at 126 Essex Street, adjoining the Pingree House and the Andrew Safford House.
On July 26, 1960, the Crowninshield-Bentley House officially opened to the public as a historic house museum. The house is furnished with pieces from private donors as well as from the Essex Institute’s collections.
In 2006, the Crowninshield-Bentley House was temporarily closed for renovations while it was restored to its 1794 appearance, which is when Reverend William Bentley lived there. It reopened in the summer of 2010.
Sources:
“Historic Building Detail: SAL.2456 Crowninshield-Bentley House.” MACRIS, mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=SAL.2456
“Peabody Essex Museum Announces Re-Opening Of Crowninshield-Bentley House.” North Shore Magazine, 25 Jun. 2010, nshoremag.com/community-news/peabody-essex-museum-announces-re-opening-of-crowninshield-bently-house/
McGregor, Amanda. “Opening the Doors to 1794.” The Salem News, 29 Jul. 2010, salemnews.com/news/lifestyles/opening-the-doors-to-1794/article_a0a5fe5c-46f2-5c7c-b17d-812859cb5dd9.html
“Essex Intitute Acquires Historic Salem Building.” The Boston Globe, 21 May. 1959, p. 8.
“Restored House Opens in Salem.” Newburyport Daily News, 2 Aug. 1960, p. 7.
“Society:” The Boston Globe, 26 Jul. 1960, p. 30.
Palma, Kristi. “Salem visitors can learn about this 1729 home by scanning a code.” Boston.com, 25 Oct. 2024, boston.com/travel/travel/2024/10/25/salem-visitors-can-learn-about-this-1729-home-by-scanning-a-code/
“A Big Move.” Streets of Salem, streetsofsalem.com/2023/06/26/a-big-move/
“History.” Hawthorne Hotel, hawthornehotel.com/the-hawthorne/history/#next