Checked out of hotel early (wonder why) and headed to
downtown. We learned there was a play,
entitled “Cry of Innocence” performed by drama students at the local
college. It was amazing – it really
opens your eyes to the danger of extremism.
We then took a trolley tour which was very good, pointing out the architecture of the town, the maritime roots, the literature historical importance and a brief discussion of 9 months of hysteria. One thing about the “Witch trials” which I did not remember was the fact that the 20 who were executed were not buried in the local cemetery. In fact they were buried in unmarked graves outside the city. After the “Witch trials” were determined to be mass hysteria and that innocent people had been executed there was a memory wall built around the cemetery, with an outcropping stone engraved with their name and a short explanation of their life. Not surprisingly, James found a special friend - I'll have to admit that in this wind my hair looks as bad as hers.
At the visitor’s center a gentleman had recommended the Park Service
tour of the Customs House, the candy store, and a café nearby. We went to the Customs house and learned that
Nathaniel Hawthorne worked for the Customs office and also wrote most of “The
Scarlet Letter” in that office.
We
learned that the original Eagle from the roof had been moved inside and
completely refurbished – with Gold Leaf!
We also learned the real importance of Salem. Initially Salem was the largest manufacturer
of sailing ships IN THE WORLD. At one
time the duty collected at Salem provided 97% of the Federal budget! As the ships got bigger it was necessary to
move ship building to ports with deeper water and that left Salem as a small port
in Massachusetts. Different eyes!
We went to the candy shop which is the oldest
in the U.S. where we met a guy that drives the team bus for the Boston Red Sox.
He knew Sam and Beth Perlozzo (friends of
Stacey – Sam was manager of Baltimore Orioles). We then ate dinner at the café recommended –
The Witch’s Brew – which was excellent food at reasonable prices. As we were walking back to the car, we went
by the House of Seven Gables – which we previously toured. Although there was still other things we
could have seen, I really didn’t want to try to find another hotel room in
Salem for the night. Much easier to find
one on the road. On the way as we drove into New Hampshire, we saw the most beautiful rainbow.
.JPG)
A reminder of God's promise. Very good day.
We then took a trolley tour which was very good, pointing out the architecture of the town, the maritime roots, the literature historical importance and a brief discussion of 9 months of hysteria. One thing about the “Witch trials” which I did not remember was the fact that the 20 who were executed were not buried in the local cemetery. In fact they were buried in unmarked graves outside the city. After the “Witch trials” were determined to be mass hysteria and that innocent people had been executed there was a memory wall built around the cemetery, with an outcropping stone engraved with their name and a short explanation of their life. Not surprisingly, James found a special friend - I'll have to admit that in this wind my hair looks as bad as hers.
He knew Sam and Beth Perlozzo (friends of
Stacey – Sam was manager of Baltimore Orioles). We then ate dinner at the café recommended –
The Witch’s Brew – which was excellent food at reasonable prices. As we were walking back to the car, we went
by the House of Seven Gables – which we previously toured. Although there was still other things we
could have seen, I really didn’t want to try to find another hotel room in
Salem for the night. Much easier to find
one on the road. On the way as we drove into New Hampshire, we saw the most beautiful rainbow. A reminder of God's promise. Very good day.
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