The Thomas Ives–Narbonne House is a historic First Period house in Salem, Massachusetts.
Built in 1672, the house is a two-story, clapboard house with a gable roof. It features a one-and-a-half-story ell with a gambrel roof and also has a rear lean-to and windows that come right up to the roof eaves.
The house was built for Thomas Ives, a local butcher, and the structure originally consisted of one room on the first floor, one room on the second floor, a garrett (a habitable attic), a brick chimney, and an original lean-to with a large fireplace.
In 1699, the house was owned by local weaver Simon Willard. The lean-to was built in 1725. Between 1750 and 1780, it was owned by Captain John Hodges, who is believed to have built the ell and the central portion of the lean-to. The lean-to was enlarged again at a later date.
On March 6, 1780, Captain Hodges sold the house to local tanner Jonathan Andrew for 200 British pounds.
When Andrew died on April 18, 1844, the house passed down to his niece Sarah Narbonne, whom the house was partially named after, and she lived there with her daughter Mary. The two women ran a small shop in the lean-to, where they sold ribbons, buttons, and pins.
Sarah Narbonne died on March 13, 1895, and the house passed down to Mary, who continued to live there alone. On December 13, 1903, Mary Narbonne was attacked in the house by an intruder in what was believed to be a botched robbery. The attacker got away and was never found.
Mary died on March 21, 1905, and the house then passed down to her nephew Gardner Narbonne, of Los Angeles, California, who rented it out to his cousin, Frank Hale.
Also in 1905, the North Bridge chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution tried to acquire the house for the use of their headquarters but were unsuccessful due to a lack of funds.
In 1909, the Boston Transcript and the Boston Herald reported that Gardner Narbonne was planning to accept an offer on the house from the North Bridge chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It appears that the deal was never made official because the house was later passed down to Hale’s daughter, Margaret Hale.
In 1964, the National Park Service purchased the house for $18,000 and incorporated it into the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, which also includes Hawkes House, Derby House, Derby Wharf, the West India Goods Store, and the Custom House.
Senator Ernest Gruening of Alaska objected to the purchase of the historic house at the time, stating, “I don’t see the point of adding this old shack to the maritime site…I can’t see that it’s worth doing.” The senator went on to argue that he didn’t believe the house was either pretty or of great historical value.
Between 1973 and 1975, the house and grounds were excavated, during which 140,000 artifacts, such as tools, plates, bottles, bowls, etc., from the 18th and 19th centuries, were discovered.
The Narbonne House is now open to the public as a historic house museum.
Sources:
The Essex Antiquarian, Volume 10, Edited by Sidney Perley, 1906, pp. 126-128
Moran, P. Geoffrey, Edward F. Zimmer, Anne E. Yentsch. Archaeological Investigations at the Narbonne House. National Park Service, 1982.
“Burglar’s Brutality.” The Boston Herald, 14 Dec. 1903, p. 1.
“Hopes to Save Narbonne House.” Salem Gazette, 14 Dec. 1905, p. 4.
“Will Get Narbonne House.” The Boston Transcript, 17 May. 1909, p. 5.
“Old Salem House ‘Shack’ to Senator.” The Boston Globe, 8 Oct. 1963, p. 4.
“Salem House 228 Years Old.” St. Tammany Farmer, 21 Nov. 1908, p. 5.
“North Bridge Chapter, D.A.R., Seeks Narbonne House for Headquarters.” The Boston Globe, 10 Dec. 1905, p. 15.
“Narbonne House Historical Marker.” Historical Marker Database, hmdb.org/m.asp?m=233306
“Cries in the Night: A Vicious Assault in the Narbonne House, One of Salem’s Oldest.” New England Historical Society, newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/cries-in-the-night-a-vicious-assault-in-the-narbonne-house-one-of-salems-oldest/
“Historic Building Detail: SAL.2593 Ives, Thomas – Narbonne House.” MACRIS, mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=SAL.2593