By Tom Dalton
Staff writer
April 29, 2008 05:45 am SALEM — Salem residents will be admitted free to the grounds of The House of the Seven Gables beginning this week. Anita Blackaby, the new executive director, said she initiated the "The "Witch City Welcome" program as a way to reconnect with city residents. Anyone showing a valid identification with a local address can tour the gardens, take in the harbor views and visit the gift store at no charge. Tickets are still required to tour the Gables mansion and Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace. "The House of the Seven Gables has a great deal to offer both tourists and residents alike," Blackaby said in a press release. "By opening our grounds to residents for free, we hope to reintroduce ourselves to our neighbors and encourage their participation in our membership and Settlement House programs." The Settlement House runs a preschool, summer camp and other programs for children. Free admission to the grounds begins Thursday. The House of the Seven Gables is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 7 p.m. from July through October.
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