Neha Patil (Editor)

Salem Athenaeum

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Opened
  
1907

Architectural style
  
Federal architecture

Phone
  
+1 978-744-2540

Salem Athenaeum

Address
  
337 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970, USA

Hours
  
Open today · 1–5PMWednesday1–5PMThursday5–9PMFriday1–5PMSaturday10AM–2PMSundayClosedMondayClosedTuesday1–5PMSuggest an edit

Similar
  
Peabody Essex Museum, Hamilton Hall, Phillips Library, House of the Seven Gables, Gedney and Cox Houses

Profiles

The Salem Athenaeum, founded in 1810, is one of the oldest private library organizations in the United States. The Athenaeum is located at 337 Essex Street in Salem, Massachusetts in the McIntire Historic District.

Contents

History

The Salem Athenaeum was founded in 1810 by the merger of two antecedent organizations: the Social Library, founded in 1760, and the Salem Philosophical Library, founded in 1781. The first president was Edward Augustus Holyoke.

The Athenaeum's first permanent building was constructed in the 1850s with a large bequest from Caroline Plummer. In 1905 the Athenaeum sold that building, known as Plummer Hall, to the Essex Institute (now the Peabody Essex Museum), and with the proceeds constructed the building it currently occupies, at 337 Essex Street, which was dedicated in 1907.

The collections include over 50,000 volumes on diverse topics.

Notable proprietors

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Nathaniel Bowditch
  • Frank Weston Benson
  • References

    Salem Athenaeum Wikipedia