We left Rockport after lunch on September 16 bound for Salem where we took a mooring ball in Salem Harbor. The next day we took a launch into this historic town. Ironically, everyone thinks of Salem and the witch hunts that took place there. We were reminded that the Salem witch trials constituted only a nine month period in their history. There is a lot more to the town than that infamous period.
Salem is very tourist oriented and we followed a red line that was painted throughout the historic district and saw some interesting sights.
In the visitor’s center, we watched a very interesting movie about the town’s history and that of Essex County in general. Salem has a very rich history having been one of the largest international trading ports prior to and just after the Revolutionary War and before the emergence of other major ports such as Boston and New York. Many of the handsome buildings throughout the town are from that period.
Unfortunately we did not have time to visit the very impressive Peabody Essex Museum. It is part of a large and beautiful complex located on a red brick pedestrian walkway. We did succumb to a tour of the House of Seven Gables which was quite interesting and added to our knowledge of the town’s history and the background leading to Nathanial Hawthorne writing of that famous book.
Lynn discovered that her sister, Lisa, loves Salem so she had to be sure to find a suitable gift for her while there.
After a surprisingly good lunch overlooking the water, we had to leave to make our way to our next stop – Boston!
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