The house is listed on the National Register for social and African-American history, as well as for the local notoriety of its namesake, Daniel Howell Hise.

[3] He strongly agreed with the philosophies of William Lloyd Garrison, and from 1849 to 1855, Hise made his home available to fleeing slaves as well as abolitionists including Oliver Johnson, Henry C. Wright, Parker Pillsbury, and Charles C. Burleigh.

[4] Notably, Hise did not consider himself a “suitable leader for the reform movements in existence,” but rather acted as an ardent supporter of abolitionism, in addition to other causes like women's suffrage and temperance.

Published by a local book company in 1933 at the request of Hise's daughter, Nora, the entries have provided a window on the history of Salem and its role in the Underground Railroad.

[5] The American watercolorist Charles E. Burchfield featured the House in a painting made during his life in Salem.