Salem is a place of many histories. The witch hysteria of 1692 is undoubtedly the most significant in our collective memory, but Salem was much more than Puritanical paranoia. At one point, Salem was the 6th largest city in the country, something of a shock when you actually visit the area today. As a once crucial center for the maritime trade, the city was like a younger sibling of Boston. That part of Salem history is preserved through the efforts of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site along with the Friendship, a replica of an East India trading ship which is available to tour.
Naturally we also know Salem through Nathaniel Hawthorne's writings, and a visit to the the House of Seven Gables (pictured above) was a highlight of my excursion, so much so, that I have begun re-reading Hawthorne's novels with a newfound appreciation. To commune with the writings of Hawthorne is to grasp an indelible mood of our American past.
But there is also Historic New England's Phillips House to visit and Pioneer Village, along with perhaps an over excessive amount of witch-related sites, not to mention the Peabody Essex Museum.
There's comfort in Salem's expected gothic tone and even more pleasure by the surprise of colorful homes that you believe would be gray; and the visitor is reassured to find not only the reflected beginnings of New England in its streets, but also reminders of her subsequent development through the ages.
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