Jerathmiel Peirce's home, the Peirce–Nichols House at 80 Federal Street, faces you here in Salem. This historic house museum was designed early in the career of noted Salem builder Samuel McIntire (1757–1811), and was modified later by him; the building gives a unique view into the methods and styles of McIntire. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 for its significance as an early masterwork of one of the country's first recognized master builders, and it is now owned by the Peabody Essex Museum.
The house was built for Jerathmiel Peirce (1747–1827), who began his career as a leather dresser and, about 1778, formed a partnership with Aaron Waite. They purchased a two‑gun schooner, the Greyhound, to serve as a privateer against British merchant vessels in the Revolutionary War. That partnership prospered: over the next half century they purchased or built at least ten vessels, sending them to ports around the world.
In 2000 the National Park Service had a full‑scale replica of one of the Waite & Peirce ships built, the Friendship of Salem, now the centerpiece of Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Notice the façade, then the street and harbor stretching beyond.