Salem MA is located at the mouth of the Naumkeag River and was settled by Europeans in 1626 by Roger Conant with a group who had arrived two years earlier on Cape Ann. Two years later, The Massachusetts Bay Colony assigned John Endecott as leader, who had arrived with the “New Planters.” The name of the settlement is translated as “peace” in Hebrew. The city is the official birthplace of the U.S. National Guard.
First Period houses of Salem, Massachusetts - Salem, MA has about 18 First Period houses (built during the first century of English settlement, approximately 116-20-1720). In his landmark studies, “Massachusetts and its First Period Buildings” (1979) and The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725 (1979), architectural historian Abbott Lowell Cummings demonstrated that eastern Massachusetts contains the greatest concentration of First Period structures … Continue reading First Period houses of Salem, Massachusetts
Glen Magna and the Joseph Peabody Family of Salem - Article by Helen Breen Before the advent of the modern transportation, affluent city dwellers often built their summer residences within a few miles of home. Such was the case when shipping magnate Joseph Peabody (1757-1844), “the richest man in Salem,” chose Glen Magna in Danvers as his county seat during the War of 1812. Over … Continue reading Glen Magna and the Joseph Peabody Family of Salem
Hannah and Samuel Loring, a Christmas romance and tragedy, 1809 - Hannah Gwinn Loring (1791 – 1847) kept a diary when she was living in Salem, Massachusetts with her parents, Thaddeus and Mercy Gwinn. In September 1807, Hannah wrote: “I left school with regret. My parents think it is time for me to commence assisting in domestic affairs for they think it very essential for a female to … Continue reading Hannah and Samuel Loring, a Christmas romance and tragedy, 1809
“We walked in the clouds and could not see our way” - In 1690, the governor of Massachusetts, William Phips asked the 54-year-old pastor Rev. John Hale of Beverly to accompany the campaign against the French in Quebec as chaplain, and Hale willingly agreed. Hale returned home in 1690, but a crisis soon erupted that would test his convictions. It was January, 1692, that the witch hysteria began in Salem. Hale was … Continue reading “We walked in the clouds and could not see our way”
The witchcraft accusations against Sarah Buckley and Mary Witheridge - Sarah Buckley was brought from England to Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a child with her parents. She joined the Ipswich church around 1650, and married a local yeoman, William Buckley. The couple moved to the Marblehead area of Salem where they acquired a home, and Sarah transferred her church membership to Salem. In … Continue reading The witchcraft accusations against Sarah Buckley and Mary Witheridge
Postcards from Salem - Click on any image to begin the slideshow. To leave the slideshow and return to Stories from Ipswich hit the Esc button or click on the X in the top left corner.
Legendary ships of Salem - The photos and text below are from Old-time Ships of Salem, published by the Essex Institute, 1917. “From the year of its settlement in 1628 until the middle of the 19th century, Salem, in the Massachusetts Bay, was a maritime port surpassed in size and importance by only two or three other seaports along the Atlantic coast. Within … Continue reading Legendary ships of Salem
The Great Salem Fire, June 25, 1914 - Salem, Massachusetts burned on June 25, 1914. It began with a series of explosions at the Korn leather factory on Boston street, and burned 253 acres, cut a swath a half-mile wide and a mile-and-a-half long through the city. Almost half of the population of 48,000 people lost their homes. Read more at the New England Historical Society site and … Continue reading The Great Salem Fire, June 25, 1914
Ipswich and the Salem witchcraft trials - In his book Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Thomas Franklin Waters wrote about Ipswich involvement in the Salem witch trials: The evidence was of the usual absurd character; Sarah Good had been confined in Ipswich jail. Joseph Herrick, the Constable of Salem, testified that she had been committed to his charge to carry to … Continue reading Ipswich and the Salem witchcraft trials
The Spectre Ship of Salem - Cotton Mather related the tale of a doomed ship called “Noah’s Dove” which left Salem during the late 17th century for England. Among the passengers were “a young man and a passing beautiful girl pale and sorrowful, whom no one knew and who held communion with no one.” Many people in Salem supposed them to be demons … Continue reading The Spectre Ship of Salem
The North Shore and the Golden Age of Cycling - The American popularity of bicycles originated in Boston, which held the first U.S. bicycle race on May 24, 1878. In 1883, Abbot Bassett of Chelsea set out on the first recorded 100 mile bike ride, meandering on an adult tricycle along the North Shore to Ipswich and back home. George Chinn of the Beverly Citizen … Continue reading The North Shore and the Golden Age of Cycling
Leslie’s Retreat, or how the Revolutionary War almost began in Salem: February 26, 1775 - In our struggle for Independence, the British military received its first setback from the inhabitants of Salem in an episode that could not have been more ludicrous or entertaining if it had been written for Monty Python. A mural at the Salem Armory portrays Leslie’s Retreat.
The Witchcraft Trial of Elizabeth Howe - Featured image: Examination of a Witch, by T. H. Matteson, 1853 The 1996 movie “The Crucible” is based on Arthur Miller’s award-winning 1953 play about the Salem Witch Trials. It was filmed on Choate Island, part of the Crane estate in Ipswich and Essex. The story and movie are based on accusations against John and Elizabeth Proctor of Salem … Continue reading The Witchcraft Trial of Elizabeth Howe