This brick Town Hall was built by Joshua Upham, perhaps using plans by Charles Bulfinch. The building replaced a handsome Adamesque Federal mansion built between 1795 and 1799 for Salem merchant, Elias Hasket Derby using plans by Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844) and Samuel McIntire (1757-1811). E.H. Derby's son, E.H. Derby, Jr. had the mansion razed in 1815 because it was too expensive to maintain. In 1816 the lower floor was a market, and in 1817 the upper floor was first used when President James Monroe visited Salem in July of that year. The Salem City Hall was built in 1836-37, replacing the Old Town Hall as the seat of local government. Today the Salem Chamber of Commerce has its offices on the first floor of Old Town Hall.