Obsession With Salem, Massachusetts

   I was not feeling well when we visited Salem, but it did not detract from my feeling of awe when seeing it for the first time. The sadness of the Trials memorial. The awesomeness of The Burying Point Cemetery, this rich history, the sense of familiarity from having seen the area on so many television shows. There were times I would just stand and look around, trying to take it all in, hardly believing I was really there. I know that I really, really want to return.


   History tells us that it all happened here in Salem, the witches, the trials, the hangings. That is not entirely true. The original "afflicted" girls lived in Salem Village-which is not modern day Salem, it is the nearby town of Danvers. Many of those accused also lived there. But the trials did take place in Salem, the gallows were in Salem, Giles Corey was pressed to death in a cemetery in Salem. It isn't like Salem has "stolen" the thunder from Danvers, who maybe wanted to forget its connection altogether. Salem indeed has embraced their history and certainly their tourism draw reflects that.

   The Witch Trials of 1692 Memorial is here in Salem, featuring 20 rocks, each bearing the name of a person killed. It is located next to the old Burying Point cemetery, oldest graveyard in Salem and one of the oldest in all of the United States. One of the judges of the trials is buried there. A Mayflower passenger as well.

   Rebecca Nurse is buried on her farm in Danvers, Wilmot Redd was taken and buried near her home in Marblehead(south of Salem). But most of them were tossed in a ravine near the gallows, not being allowed to have a proper Christian burial.
   No, the television show that has been airing the last few years is not even close to what really happened. I haven't seen all of the episodes of that show, but what I have seen frankly is not even close. In their case, they have used the factual names, but have almost completely changed the circumstances. In this cemetery is the grave of the younger brother of Cotton Mather, Nathaniel. He was a very smart boy who enrolled at Harvard in his teens and essentially worked himself to death. I was fascinated by his epitaph:

An Aged person that had seen but Nineteen Winters in the World

   Salem has so much more history than just witches though. It was a busy shipping port for many years and even had a famous museum that housed exotic items returned from the far east. It was the home of famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was nearly the site of the first battle of the American Revolution a full month before Lexington and Concord.

   The East India Marine Hall, a museum opened in 1825. It sits next to and was succeeded by the Peabody-Essex Museum, one of the oldest museums in the United States. The street in the photo is Essex Street, now closed to vehicle traffic. Most of the shops along here are for tourists, much like Gatlinburg or other tourist-heavy areas. The area also has just as many stores that seem to cater to modern day "witches"(whether actual Wiccan or not).

    On the way out of town I spotted the sign below. I love unusual and old signs, so it caught my attention and I snapped a photo, not knowing the significance of the name. Another instance of "take the photo, look up the info later". Turns out "Leslie's Retreat" isn't just an interesting name. February of 1775 and British Colonel Alexander Leslie is sent to Salem to confiscate cannons that had been acquired by local militia. Salem locals pulled up a drawbridge, halting the troops and forcing a standoff. At the end of the day, the locals allowed Leslie to come across the bridge, but agreed that he would not find any weapons. After crossing, the troops retreated to their ships and back to Boston. The Revolution could have happened right here instead of in Lexington in April.

    So much to see in Salem, so little time. There will be more posts about the Salem area, including Marblehead and filming locations of the Disney movie "Hocus Pocus". To see more photos from Salem and more Massachusetts, check out my Flickr Massachusetts album.