Derby House

Derby House, built in 1762 by wealthy merchant Richard Derby, Sr. as a wedding present for his second son, Elias Hasket Derby, is the oldest surviving brick building in Salem and one of the city's finest examples of Georgian architecture. The house helped Elias Hasket Derby and his wife Elizabeth maintain the prosperous appearance that was important to a merchant's business credit in the 18th century, and Elizabeth's management of the home and the seven children they raised there was vital to his establishment as a merchant. The wealth he earned through privateering during the American Revolution enabled the family to move to a larger house on Essex Street about 1780, and as their wealth grew further through his leadership in the East Indies trade, they built a magnificent mansion in the center of town. The family first rented out this house and then sold it in 1796 to local merchant Henry Prince. In the following century it became home to mariners and factory workers before becoming part of Salem Maritime NHS in 1938. Elias Hasket Derby was already one of Salem's wealthiest merchants when he sent his first ship to the East Indies, and his ships opened trade for Salem around the world, including ports in Russia, India, China, and the Philippines; the house itself was filled with elegant furniture, imported fabrics and ceramics, and other trade goods.

Salem, Massachusetts · United States