The Father Mathew Total Abstinence Society was founded in 1875. Named after Reverend Theobold Mathew (1790-1856), an Irish Catholic temperance reformer from Cork, Ireland, the Society's goal was to encourage abstinence from the "use of all intoxicating liquors and ciders as a beverage." In 1887, the Society dedicated a monument (located on Central and Charter Streets, Salem, Massachusetts) honoring Father Mathew. The monument was moved to the corner of Derby and Hawthorne Boulevard in 1916. The Society headquarters used the former Gideon Tucker house at 129 Essex Street, remodeling it in 1910. In 1981-1982 the Tucker house was partially restored and rehabilitated for apartments.