FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2025
The House of the Seven Gables Announces New Mission & Vision
Salem, Mass. – The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association is proud to announce new mission and vision statements as part of its recently completed strategic planning process. In its planning efforts, the 115-year-old historic house museum and social service organization prioritized building on its legacy to meet the challenges and opportunities of the present day.
The House of the Seven Gables began the process of updating its strategic plan in 2023, with assistance from Dan Yaeger of Museum Leadership Partners. An initial step was to gather feedback from stakeholders and community partners on the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Respondents were also asked how they would like to see the organization grow in the future. Executive Director Dakota Russell said some strong themes emerged in the feedback. “Several people noted that our prior mission statement did not reflect the whole of our operations,” Russell said. “They felt our immigration work and history work should receive equal billing.”
Assisting new immigrants to the United States has been a primary goal of The House of the Seven Gables since the museum’s opening in 1910. Activist Caroline Emmerton purchased the 1668 Turner-Ingersoll Mansion to establish a Settlement House; a community center where social workers offered education, recreation, and public health services to their working-class immigrant neighbors. The museum, centered on the house’s role in inspiring Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel, provided funding for the Settlement House mission.
The Settlement program at The House of the Seven Gables has changed in the decades since, but the work continues to this day. In 2015, the organization began offering free English Language and Citizenship Preparation classes for North Shore residents. Over 500 students enrolled in classes in 2023, and 65 students became US citizens.
The stories visitors hear at The House of the Seven Gables have also changed. They still learn about Nathaniel Hawthorne and Salem’s maritime history, but they also hear stories about Indigenous history and individuals who were enslaved on the site. The addition of a Settlement worker’s bedroom to the tour in 2024 offers space to discuss immigration and the organization’s social work history.
The new mission statement, Russell said, reflects these changes. It reads: “As stewards of this iconic historic site, we aim to follow the tradition of Nathaniel Hawthorne and tell stories that reckon with the hard truths of our past, acknowledge our unique individual journeys, and remind us of our dependence on one another. As inheritors of the legacy of Caroline Emmerton and the Settlement House Movement, we aim to provide meaningful support for new immigrants, challenge misleading narratives that limit their opportunities, and empower them to write their own pages in our ongoing American story.”
A new vision statement was also approved as part of the process. “We envision,” it reads, “a nation where storytelling is a pathway to empathy, and history is a tool for transforming our present; where immigrants are supported and valued; and where positive change begins in our own neighborhood.”
Leadership at The House of the Seven Gables used this mission and vision to craft a set of strategic goals for the future. These goals address the growth of the Settlement program, the increasing threat of climate change to the historic campus, and more. The strategic plan is available to read online at www.7gables.org/mission-vision.
About The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association
The House of the Seven Gables is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located at 115 Derby Street, Salem, MA. For more information, visit www.7gables.org