Christmas in Salem Part 9 – The Daniels House (Salem, MA)

Date Of Event: December 2, 2023 (event is held annually the first weekend of Dec)

Location: 1 Daniels St, Salem, MA

Cost: Tickets for Christmas in Salem are available online at www.historicsalem.org at a cost of $40 for non-Historic Salem, Inc. members and $35 for HSI members.  Tickets purchased the day of the tour are $45.  Tour tickets including the Friday night candle-lit preview are $120 for non-HSI members and $100 for members of Historic Salem, Inc.  Christmas in Salem proceeds support the preservation mission of Historic Salem, Inc. 

Hours: Sat & Sun 10-4

Parking: there are several parking lots and metered street parking throughout the city.

Website: Christmas In Salem

Summary: The Christmas In Salem event consists of a tour of historic homes and buildings in Salem, MA. Each year, home owners and building management open their doors to visitors to get a glimpse into what these historic homes look like and what stories they may have.

The ninth house, and really the *last* historic home on the tour (more on this later) is the Daniels House.

One of the oldest homes in Salem, MA, the Daniels House was constructed by Stephen Daniels I or Stephen Daniels II between 1667 and 1693. The home was occupied by mariners and shipbuilders until the mid 1800s. In the mid 1700s Stephen Daniel’s daughter Mary married into the Silsbee family and lived in the house until 1803. Mary’s son, Samuel Silsbee (who was a carpenter), remodeled and enlarged the house around the time of his marriage to Martha Prince in 1756

Silsbee’s heirs divided the house into two properties listed as numbers 1 and 3 Daniels Street in the mid 1800s. When Samuel’s daughters died in the 1860s, the properties were sold to other families. For about a century after the sale, the house went through what Samuel Chamberlain, a photographer who spent some of his life in Massachusetts, said was a period of “many vicissitudes. The house was subdivided into a double house of at least 4 apartments, served as a day nursery and boarding house. There was an ever rotating group of laborers, widows, railroad and shoe workers living in the house for the better part of 50 years. The house then went into foreclosure after the Great Depression and was vacant for almost 20 years. Eventually, the house was owned by Theodore Perry and Winifred Halter. They operated a historic tea room in the first floor. In 1962, the Halters sold the house to Thomas and Catherine Gill. Catherine “Kay” Gill operated the house first as a bed and breakfast and then an inn for 55 years until her death in 2018.

The house is a three story clapboard and wood frame home. It has a closed in front entrance that is covered by a half hipped roof. Over the years, the home has gone through a constant growth and changing architectural styles.

From the decorated Christmas tree to the tasteful decorations of the fruit bowls (no pun intended), the Daniels House was an especially fun home to photograph.

There was also an assortment of dolls, figurines and other holiday decor throughout the home.

This home had not one but two cozy fireplaces. I really wanted to sit by the fireplace and take in the warmth and history of this home.

As much as I wanted to stay there for a longer visit, I had to hurry off to the next and last home on the tour. Luckily, they did allow people to visit slightly after 4 pm which was the time the tours were supposed to end. In fact, I was one of the last people admitted to the last home on the tour. The tour lasts 2 days (Saturday and Sunday). But, I had plans for the following day. So, it all worked out! But, as I mentioned earlier, the last house on the tour was very…different. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see for yourself in the 10th and final installment of this series of posts!