Weekend Road Trip: Salem, Massachusetts

Then came the scarlet letter

 

Salem Witch Museum

Statue of Roger Conant, the first settler of Salem. This statue stands in the intersection in front of the Witch Musem.

A short walk from the museum led to some interesting discoveries.

Hawthorne Hotel

House of Seven Gables, home to relatives of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne visited the home many times as a child which gave influence for the book, House of Seven Gables.

Courtyard inside the grounds of the House of Seven Gables. The red building is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s childhood home. It was originally a few blocks from this site, but was moved to be a part of the museum.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s home until he was four.

9 replies
  1. Peg H
    Peg H says:

    Don’t you dare go outside and shovel! I’m sure there will be a few enterprising kids knocking on your door that you can pay to do the work.

    Get better!!!

    Love the pictures!

  2. Erika Mailman
    Erika Mailman says:

    Great photos, Lee! What was the Witch Museum like?
    I can’t look at the statue of Roger Conant without thinking of the scene in Brunonia Barry’s book where she talks about how at certain angles his staff looks rather phallic.
    From the other comments, it seems you have a neck injury. I’m so sorry! Heal quickly.
    Erika

  3. Lee Lofland
    Lee Lofland says:

    Linda – You’re exactly right. The house was put together with wooden pegs. The ones in the attic are visible. The family living in the house were quite wealthy (unlike Nathaniel Hawthorne’s immediate family) so they had to be careful of thieves.

    Looks like it might be a long road back to full recovery, but as least I did feel like being on the computer the last two days. I need to feel well enough to shovel snow tomorrow. We’re supposed to get our first of the year tonight and tomorrow. Ho, ho, ho…

  4. l.c.mccabe
    l.c.mccabe says:

    Lee,
    We visited Salem about twenty years ago. We went there without any certain plans in mind and wound up visiting the House of Seven Gables.

    I remember being impressed that iron nails were considered to be a sign of wealth and that the builders didn’t want to waste them in the construction of the house, so they used wooden nails for structural needs and then nailed thousands of them on the front door for show.

    There was also a secret passage used for smuggling with a steep first step downward that might cause someone unfamiliar (or unwarned ) with the idiosynchrosies of the house to fall and break their neck.

    Speaking of neck…do take it easy my friend. I want to be able to pester you again without any feelings of guilt, that means you have to be back to yer old self first.

    So take it easy and get well!

    Linda

  5. Lee Lofland
    Lee Lofland says:

    SZ – I liked that alley shot, too.

    Jonathan is going to be blogging again, maybe as soon as next week. He had…well, I’ll let him explain. But he’s definitely coming back.

    Unfortunately, no, I’m not back to normal. Not even close. But the doctors are working on it. I’ll be back at the hospital again on Monday. Thanks for asking, though.

  6. SZ
    SZ says:

    The shot in the alley with the water reflection is my fav.

    Witch museum ? !

    btw Is Jonathan Hayes going to blog again ? The tattoo blog was great.

    Hope you are all the way better now.

  7. Lee Lofland
    Lee Lofland says:

    Sheila – It’s there. I just couldn’t get them all in the picture. Too many angles. I did hear some people saying there were nine gables, but they were referring to two dormers, and they don’t count because dormers don’t touch the roof line.

    Nice gift shop for a museum, too.

  8. Sheila Connolly
    Sheila Connolly says:

    Nice pictures, as always. And I’m still looking for that blinking seventh gable. Does the gift shop count?

Comments are closed.