Because of fear of witches in Salem Maule was swiftly executed, and the property was taken by Colonel Pyncheon, who spent a small fortune to create his new home. When its seven gables were complete, he decided to celebrate, inviting the entire town. On the day of its completion, the "the iron-hearted Puritan, the relentless persecutor, the grasping and strong-willed man, was dead!" (20) .
The rather lengthy introduction of the Colonel goes to show his role in the Pyncheon version of domestic ideology. The Colonel being the man of the house, the figurehead of the family was in charge. He took up the mantle of being the provider, which is a typical male role. He built a huge extravagant home at a rather high cost for the sake of his family and name. His treacherous task of murdering Maule was passed off as being necessary in a way. Maule stood in the way of a man and his family living their lives. To the Pyncheons, the Maules were just a bump in the road. In an askewed way, the murder of Maule could be seen as a means of progression in the eyes of Pyncheon domestic ideology. After all the term holds a strong connotation to family and could contain as well, a sub connotation of security pertaining to the right vs. wrong way to build a household, secure a household and rule overit. All of which the Colonel was more than capable of doing since he was following the Pyncheon version of domestic ideology.
After the death of the Colonel the house was passed down and inhabited by four people, one of whom isn't a Pyncheon. These characters include Phoebe, a young country girl with spirit, Clifford, a feeble-minded old gentleman, Holgrave, a young daguerrotypist, and Hepzibah, the matriarch forced to earn her living in a small cent-shop. All of these characters are bound by two things: the foreboding curse of the house in which they inhabit, and the evil atmosphere created by Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, the Colonel reincarnated.