Salem

Jerome M. Curley, Nelson L. Dionne

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780738562575
• eBook ISBN: 9781439637012
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Salem, Massachusetts, is a little city steeped in history. Known as the Witch City for the Puritan witchcraft trials of 1692, Salem boasts a rich heritage as a major East India seaport. Trading with China made Salem the richest city in America, generating a living architectural history. As Salem developed, it preserved much of its history.

Known as the Witch City for the Puritan witchcraft trials of 1692, Salem boasts a rich heritage as a major East India seaport. Trading with China made Salem the richest city in America, generating a living architectural history. As Salem developed, it preserved much of its history.

CHAPTER 1

ALONG WASHINGTON STREET

Salem City Hall, seen here in a 1920s photograph, at 93 Washington Street, was built in 1837 and designed in the Georgian Revival style by Richard Bond. The gold eagle perched on the roof is a copy of the Samuel McIntire carving from the Washington Square gate that was on Salem Common for many years before its removal.

The Salem Depot was built in 1847. With its imposing size, it dominated downtown until it was torn down in 1954. Even though it was architecturally worthwhile, most residents who remember it recall its odorous interior. A parking plaza replaced it when the depot was relocated to the entrance of the new tunnel that rerouted the train beneath downtown. In the 1980s, the station was again moved to the other end of the tunnel on Bridge Street.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Salem Post Office is seen being built in 1933. When Philip Horton Smith designed this building, he used the Colonial Revival style, which fit well with the architecture of Salem. This was a major construction for Salem where some 50 businesses and homes were removed for this block-size building. Noteworthy in the photograph is the Salem Flatiron Building on the right of the chimney. This was removed with the Riley Plaza construction.

The Hawthorne Building on Washington Street at the beginning of the 20th century was home to Ropes Pharmacy. Washington Street was divided by the depressed railroad, which was later enclosed in a tunnel. With the removal of the Salem Depot and the tunnel extension, Washington Street was widened. When New Derby Street was laid out in 1913, the Flint Building beside it was removed. For many years, Eaton’s Apothecary dominated the building, which is now a bank and stores.

Washington Street looking toward Town House Square was very different at the start of the 20th century. It was divided by the railroad tunnel that ran from the depot. The oldest street in Salem, it was here that the South and North Rivers connected. They were filled in when building the train depot. At the time of this photograph, the Joshua Ward House, a Federal mansion at No. 148, was behind a commercial building. It has since been restored.

Known as the Peabody Block when built in 1891, this building started out as mixed use with stores and offices. The two upper levels housed the Salem Commercial School, which had a great reputation for training clerks and secretaries. The lower floors had offices for the Pickering Coal Company and the Salem News. The building now houses two popular restaurants and an Irish pub. The top floors are used as municipal offices by the city.

At 125 Washington Street was the Salem Savings Bank in the early 1920s. This building was originally the Asiatic Building, built in 1855. When built,...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Dedication
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER 1 - ALONG WASHINGTON STREET
• CHAPTER 2 - ALONG ESSEX STREET
• CHAPTER 3 - AROUND THE CITY
• CHAPTER 4 - ALONG THE COAST
• CHAPTER 5 - STREETSCAPES
• CHAPTER 6 - INDUSTRIAL SALEM