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Salem’s Split Legacy
By Mary AshcraftMention the name of Salem in Massachusetts, and people’s eyes open wide, a false shiver is produced and the word Witch is on everyone’s lips. Thanks in no small part to a play written in 1953 by Arthur Miller called The Crucible. His play puts Salem Village dead center on the map as the place not to be in the year 1692, in New England in the New World. The story is not new. It simply happened in a different time and a different place in an atmosphere of religious intolerance. A small group of emotionally repressed Puritan girls began to play a dangerous game that became all too real. Colonial New England was a dangerous place where attacks from Indians were common and many people died from incurable diseases. To top all this off, Puritan eternal damnation was right around the corner, and the pleasures or evils of singing and dancing were forbidden. What’s a young girl to do?
Well, one winter’s evening by the fire, just for fun, two little girls (Betty age nine and Abigail eleven) broke an egg into a glass of water and waited for it to settle into a shape. According to an old English custom, the shape would tell them the occupation of a future husband. They knew that this forbidden act would produce a terrifying rage of disapproval in the high strung Reverend Samuel Parris, who was one girl’s father and the other girl’s uncle. So, when the shape settled into something looking like a coffin, they went into hysterical fits, choking, and were “taken dumb.” The fits did not stop. Moreover, they spread like a contagious disease to other young girls living nearby. When neighbors were unable to make sense of their peculiar behavior, they whispered that the girls must be bewitched, or “under an evil hand.” The fanatical Reverend in a fury claimed, “the devil hath been raised.” Things went very quickly downhill from this point. The name of the village of Salem, shortened from the biblical Jerusalem or “city of peace” became a city of horror.
As news spread of the goings on in Salem, criticism began to arise from all corners. A turning point came when a letter denouncing the girls’ visions as nonsense was written by Thomas Brattle. A respected merchant, an eminent scientist, a member of the Royal Society, and the treasurer of Harvard College, Brattle circulated his letter among people with power, and, ”With his letter, one of the last nails in the coffin of bigotry and superstition in the Witch Hunt was hammered in.”
The notable Witch Museum in Salem housed in its sturdy Gothic Revival building will broaden the picture for you with voiceover tableaux of this unfortunate time, and a history of witchcraft from earliest times to the present. The last wall in the exhibition, designed by Allison D’Amario, highlights one of our most recent witch hunts with a powerful accounting of the 1954 communist hysteria in the United States and the witch-hunts of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Then, as in old Salem, many lives were ruined. The other half of the building is chock full of “witch kitsch” where witch hunts, and Halloween begin to blend together, even though one has nothing to do with the other. There are pointy witch hats, skull rings, false faces, Green Men, and books telling of the legend and lore of Druids, the solstice seasons, and Salem and its Witch Trials.
There’s no denying this stain on the community happened, however the event, bad as it was, should be viewed as a drop in the bucket of Salem’s amazing history. The Counting House is a good place to begin learning about Salem’s golden age, and at the same time the early history of the United States in which it played such a large part. The important Counting House is a sturdy brick building with an imposing golden eagle perched on the roof overlooking the old wharves of Colonial Salem. From this location under the golden eagle, Peter LaChapelle, chief of visitors services for the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, will guide you through the history of this relatively small coastal community. Trading in rum and salt Cod were big business before the Revolutionary War with a growing Clipper ship navy. During the Revolutionary War Salem continued its lucrative trading over the ocean, and at the same time gave its blessing to privateers--- a nice word for pirates. These privateers sailed the sea with abandon capturing 455 British ships from all over the world and seizing their cargoes as prizes of war.
The war ended, the colonies separated from the mother country, and England said to its former colony, “Now that you have signed the Treaty of Paris and ended the revolution, you may no longer trade with any other British colonies. Survive as an independent nation. Develop your own military force. Find places with which to trade.” This dealt the young nation an unexpected blow. It learned to grow up very quickly, however, sending ships around the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn developing trade with China, India, and the Malay Archipelago. Cargoes included tea and silks from China, cotton goods from India, sugar, hemp, and indigo from the Philippines, pepper, from Sumatra, and spices from Batavia. Unbelievable fortunes were made overnight, and in 1918 custom duties coming into the Salem Counting House supplied 95% of all federal revenues for the newly formed nation which paid for the purchase of Alaska and Louisiana, and a new independent army and navy.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem is at once the oldest continually operating museum in the country, and on the cutting edge of contemporary museums at the same time. It was founded in 1799 as an exclusive club for Salem sea captains who were members of the East India Marine Society. To become a member one had to sail around Cape Horn or Cape Hope and bring back from some far flung shore a “curiosity” or “object of wonder” to share with the other members. Their understanding was that in order to become active traders on the world stage, they should learn how people in different parts of the world lived, so the curiosities were admired and studied, and eventually there were too many for the original building. Now the PEM has a spectacular $125 million expansion designed by internationally acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie. The soaring new glass and metal wing with natural light streaming in, reminds one of a sailing ship on the high seas. It is definitely a world class museum with extensive collections from China, Japan, Korea, the Pacific Islands, and Africa, as well as Native American art and artifacts. One of its distinctions is having the largest collection of objects designed strictly for the purpose of export to America. As you might expect, it holds major collections of Maritime history and art, and the nation’s premier collection of American decorative art from New England.
A highlight of the Peabody Essex Museum is the recently inaugurated Yin Yu Tang house. Originally located in the country village of Huang Cun, about 250 miles southwest of Shanghai, for 200 years it was the home of the Huang family. This home of a middle class family of tradesmen was well preserved and a prime example of Anhui style architecture from the historically rich Huizhou region of China. Nancy Berliner, curator of Chinese Art for the museum lived in China for many years and speaks fluent Mandarin, happened to be in the area when she heard that the Huang family were gathering at the house to discuss its sale. When one of the family members asked Ms. Berliner as a joke, “Why don’t you buy it?” She immediately saw the possibilities. After convincing the directors of PEM to make the purchase, the house was dismantled and shipped to Salem in 2,700 crates, along with a small army of American and Chinese preservation architects, traditional carpenters, artisans and scholars to prepare it for exhibition. The beauty of the resulting structure is that it is not like an exhibit. The house was put back together just as it was in the village when the real family lived in it. Everything is in its familiar place. Chairs, sewing baskets, writing paper and pen, crowded little bedrooms, plus the original wallpaper as background to a fading poster of Mao would be recognizable by the family.
An echo of one of the agile privateer ships rests in the harbor today. It is an accurate replica of the highly successful fishing and privateer vessel Fame that was built in Gloucester before the war of 1812. In 2002, Michael Rutsin, along with dedicated friends and crewmembers, undertook the challenge of researching the original Fame down to the smallest detail in order to give this historic ship a second life. Two years ago the construction of the ship was turned over to Harold Burnham, scion of a noted ship building family with 350-year-old credentials for designing and building wooden boats. Today, visitors may board and cruise Salem Sound, and get a taste of what it was like to sail on a genuine Privateer.
Last but certainly not least is the House of Seven Gables, made famous by noted American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne grew up in Salem, the son of a Salem sea captain and descendent of Judge John Hathorne who was involved in the 1692 witch trials. Nathaniel was ashamed of this last connection, and added a “w” to his name to disassociate himself from his Puritan ancestor. The house that he made famous in his novel, “The House of the Seven Gables”, was built in 1668 and is the last remaining post-medieval house in America. It was owned by the Turner-Ingersoll families for most its existence. It is an elegant, charcoal-gray structure with slate tiled roof overlooking a cheerful Colonial Revival garden and the seaside which has always been the life-blood of Salem. The journey through the house spans three centuries of architecture, Salem’s maritime history and literature. The mansion has some secrets and the guide will take you through some surprising detours as you explore hidden stairways, passageways, and rooms. In the stately dining room with Sheridan furniture, are walls covered with authentic 1725 bright floral wallpaper, stylish at the time. Some might almost call it garish, but anybody who was anybody had papered walls in these bright and cheerful colors. The house originally had five gables, but Hawthorne persuaded the owners to add two more gables to match the title of his novel, noting that seven gables looked better than five. His birth house, plus four other historic buildings are clustered on the property.
Though Salem would like the world to appreciate its place in history with its magnificent maritime past, it is difficult to shake its infamous connection with witch-hunts. In acceptance of that fact, Salem puts on a Halloween like no other. First in the month of Haunted Happenings is a Grand Opening Parade where marchers show off their spooky costumes to cheering crowds. Each night Salem trolley cars take visitors to such places as the “Terror Trail”, “ Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour”, and candlelit tours through Salem’s narrow streets and cemeteries. There is also Halloween programming at the Salem Witch Museum, Salem Witch Village, Salem Wax Museum, New England Pirate Museum, Witch Dungeon Museum, Witch History Museum, and The House of Seven Gables. A “Bizarre Bazaar” tempts celebrants on October 16 and 17 with food, crafts, and music. The October 31st Halloween celebrations culminate with the crowning of the festival’s King, Queen, Prince, and Princess, with live music, fire jugglers, and other exciting street entertainers. It would be hard to top a Halloween in Salem.
If you will be staying in Salem for Halloween or any other time of year, a convenient place to hang your hat would be the Salem Inn. The Inn has three historically significant buildings located in the heart of the city’s historic residential district. The three buildings are authentic examples of 1854 wood frame Italianate architecture. They are surrounded by blocks of handsome restored town houses that are a testament to the wealth amassed from the China Trade in this seafaring New England village. It is also an easy walk to almost all of Salem’s historic, cultural, and recreational sights. Salem is a city that accepts its name recognition with witches. People in Salem say, “Come and have fun in our city, witches and all, but don’t overlook our history and the importance our small coastal city played on the world stage.” PHOTO CREDITS: Crucible photos = Courtesy of Upper School Drama Production, St. Andrews, Austin, TX; Fame Schooner = Courtesy of Capt. Michael Rutstein; Courtesy of Destination Salem; Rod Lopez-Fabrega and Mary Ashcraft; Halloween Revelers = Christine Danko.
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The “possessed” girls began pointing fingers at people
who looked different, or were misfits in any way, or someone they might not
have liked. Why everyone believed the girls and none of the victims is a
mystery. The girls themselves confessed later that they knew what they were
doing but were afraid to stop for fear of heavenly retribution. One of the
judges was chief magistrate, John Hathorne, grandfather of author National
Hawthorne. Another judge, Jonathan Corwin, held hearings during the
witchcraft trials that led to the hanging of 19 innocents. His house, now a
museum, is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to
the witchcraft trials. Ultimately, one-hundred-fifty men and women were
hanged, one man was crushed to death under heavy rocks, and many other lives
ended in ruins. 
