In this episode, we discuss the life and work of novelist and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne’s paternal ancestors were some of the first Puritans to arrive in America—one of his ancestors was even a judge who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials. He was educated at Bowdoin College where he became friends with poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and future president Franklin Pierce, among others.
His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828, followed by several collections of short stories, including Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an Old Manse. His later novels include The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun.
For this episode, we are joined by our friends at The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, a museum and settlement house that preserves Hawthorne’s birthplace while providing support for local immigrant communities. Our guests are Dakota Russell, Executive Director; and David Moffat, Visitor Services Specialist and Researcher. You can read their full bios below.
If you would like to learn more about the effort to build a Hawthorne Museum at The House of the Seven Gables, please contact Dakota Russell at drussell@7gables.org.
Dakota and David are interviewed by Nate King, Content & Exhibits Manager at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place January 10, 2025 and was recorded over Zoom.
About our guests:
DAVID MOFFAT is a Visitor Services Specialist and Researcher at The House of the Seven Gables. He studied English at Bucknell University and in his time at The Gables has worked in interpretation, exhibit planning, research, and training. He is a board member of the Salem Historical Society and has consulted on historical research and exhibit design for Historic Salem, Essex National Heritage, and The City of Salem.
DAKOTA RUSSELL is the Executive Director of the House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association. Founded in 1910 as a museum and Settlement House, The Gables preserves an iconic piece of American and literary history, while providing services and support for local immigrant communities. Prior to joining the House of the Seven Gables, Russell led the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, operating a museum on the site where over 14,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during World War II. He began his career with Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites, where his work in interpretation and cultural resource management took him everywhere from Native American village sites to frontier homesteads to Civil War battlefields. Russell believes that history benefits from a plurality of voices, and throughout his career has worked to ensure that diverse viewpoints and the stories of marginalized groups are better represented on the cultural landscape.