Tours
Tour Salem's oldest house, one of the oldest in America and called Home by a single family for nearly 400 years.
A family lives in the house and has been for 366 years. Please respect their privacy outside of scheduled tours.
Admission
$16.60
Pickering Foundation Members*: Free
*Members also receive a 20% discount on items in our on-site gift shop.
See below for current schedule of English-language tours.
Pour le calendrier des visites en français, cliquez ici
For thousands of years the land under our home was known only to Native Americans. Since 1637 it has been under one family; Pickering. Tour their home built by hand using 400 year old timbers cut from the property. Cross the same threshold George Washington did to visit his old friend Timothy Pickering. Gain a new perspective on Salem, and America's history.
The House that John Built; a tour of the Pickering House
Events
Join us for a variety of events designed for all ages, come experience a rare piece of history and community.
Upcoming Events
July 28, 2026
7:30pm - 9:00 pm
Vita: Exploring Italian American Identity through the Arts
Embracing the Intertwined Life
Joe Cultrera, Linda Dini Jenkins, Joanne Mattera, and Victoria Sirianni—all with a connection to
Salem—grew up navigating between identities in the languages they spoke, the foods they ate, the
references they understood, and the often vastly different expectations Italian and American cultures held
for them. The Pickering House invites you to an evening in which these storytellers gather to talk about their
bicultural upbringing.
Event is free but registration is required, space is limited.
Past Event Recordings
An Update from Ukraine by Kenneth Glover - March 8, 2025
Judy Anderson's "Four Colonel's and One Retreat" about Leslie's Retreat - March 9, 2025
The Kidnapping of Timothy Pickering - Kathleen Earle - March 23, 2025
History of the Broad Street Cemetery of Salem, Massachusetts
Online Art Exhibit:
Keeping the Peace
New Outlooks on the Sumatra-Salem Friendship
During a recent conversation surrounding the image of the Sumatran figure in the Salem City Seal in Salem Massachusetts, some locals claimed that the Sumatran people should not have a say in the conversation. So artists from Sumatra created these pieces to ensure their voices and perspectives are included in the process.
