Some people think the House of Seven Gables is a fictional house in an 1851 novel by the same name.
But it was for a time the real home of the book's author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, born there in 1804.
He based the book upon his experiences living in the house. Its proper name is the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion.
The House of Seven Gables consists of five structures built between 1655 and 1830, including Hawthorne's birth house. They still exhibit all three centuries of architecture.
The mansion itself was once put up for auction in 1782 and sold for only 500 pounds…the American equivalent of about $300 today.
The House of Seven Gables' entire property is a National Historic Landmark District and a must-see when visiting Salem.
