Built in 1675 for butcher Thomas Ives, the Narbonne House is named after its longest occupant, Sarah Narbonne.

Her grandfather, tanner Jonathan Andrews purchased the house in 1780. Sarah was born in the home, and lived there her entire life. She died in 1895 at the age of 101. Her unmarried daughter, Mary, continued to live there until she died in 1905.

Mary’s nephew, Frank Hale, sold the house to the National Park Service in 1963. It is part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, along with other structures we’ll share in future posts.

The tallest part of the house is the oldest, with a kitchen and other additions made by later owners. It has not been restored to any one time period, but rather highlights the ways the structure changed over its 330 years.

“One of the things that makes this building so special is its history of nearly 300 years of occupation, 200 years of which are members of one family,” says the National Park Service website.