Ropes Mansion and Garden

The Ropes Mansion is a historic house museum on Essex Street in Salem, owned by the Peabody Essex Museum and recognized as one of New England’s most thoroughly documented historic homes. Built between 1727 and 1729 in the Georgian style, it was remodeled in 1894 in the Colonial Revival style. Inside, 15 rooms are filled with original Ropes family furnishings, including 18th- and 19th-century furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, kitchenwares and textiles.

Three generations of the Ropes family lived here. In 1893 three unmarried Ropes sisters living in Cincinnati inherited the house and a fortune, moved to Salem and planned for it to become the city’s first historic house museum. After a 2009 fire, the house was fully restored and reopened in 2015 with self-guided, hands-on exhibits. The Colonial Revival garden, laid out by John Robinson in 1912, is planted with nearly 5,000 annuals each year following his original notes.

What to Know

• The garden is open to the public every day from dawn to dusk at no charge, and dogs are welcome.
• The exterior appeared as Allison’s house in the 1993 Disney film Hocus Pocus and has been decorated for Halloween to echo its on-screen look.
• The property can be rented for garden weddings and small events.
• October tours can sell out, and new tour dates are posted in May.
• A PEM Walks audio episode tells the story of the property.