Salem, Massachusetts

While Kenny and I were back east this September, we were able to catch a glimpse of the city I have longed to see ever since I read "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" and "The Crucible" - Salem, Massachusetts. While the city really has grown up around its humble beginnings, there are still pockets here and there of Puritan New England that thrilled the eager eyes of this American Humanities student. Since this was the part of our trip I most looked forward to, I'll share it with my beloved readers first.

When we arrived in this quaint and quirky seaside town, our first stop was at the Witch Museum, which, while we didn't get to tour the building itself, served as our start-out point.





From the Witch Museum, I could see a house that I remember from my Humanities classes, the John Ward house (built after 1684), an excellent example of Puritan architecture.



The jutting upper story was a recognizable trait, as well as the small diamond-paned windows and multiple gables:



From the John Ward house, we made our way to the "Witch House," the only house still standing with direct connections to the Salem witch trials. The house was purchased in 1675 by Jonathan Corwin, a wealthy merchant and a local magistrate. In 1692, Corwin was called upon as a magistrate and then as a judge to participate in the witch trials, which saw the examination of over 200 people and the execution of 19.

This was by far my favorite experience in Salem.



The pendants at the corners of the overhanging upper story are typical Puritan adornments. While ostentation and frippery were frowned upon as vain and worldly, decorative accents nonetheless made their way into Puritan life.



Even in early September, the leaves are beginning to turn in brilliant fall colors.



A gorgeous Salem home that made me instantly think of Megan - how she would love it! Again, the leaves are just barely starting to turn.



The first church in Salem, founded in 1629. I admit I was a bit crestfallen that we could not find someone to let us in to look around a bit.





The main street we used to navigate through town. Notice the quirky little shops (some of which I chose not to patronize):



Cranky Massachusetts drivers yelling at one another in an intersection. (I believe the popular term is "Mass-holes.")



At the old Burial Plot in Salem, we roamed through rows of gravestones, some from the earliest years of the Puritan colony. The rather gloomy art can surprise the historian, as Puritans were known for viewing the next life with hope and even longing.





And a descendant of the famous (or infamous) Judge Hawthorne of the Salem witch trials:



I loved these homes:







The House of the Seven Gables, which featured in a ghost story by Nathaniel Hawthorn. Seen from the visitors center and as close as I could get from a side street, as I turned up my nose at their $12.00 entrance fee.







A whimsical restaurant near the water:



The gorgeous view toward the House of the Seven Gables from our restaurant: