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diff --git a/old/68614-0.txt b/old/68614-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fb8d8da..0000000 --- a/old/68614-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2948 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Historic doorways of Old Salem, by -Mary Harrod Northend - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Historic doorways of Old Salem - -Author: Mary Harrod Northend - -Photographer: Mary Harrod Northend - -Release Date: July 26, 2022 [eBook #68614] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Steve Mattern, Amber Black and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORIC DOORWAYS OF OLD -SALEM *** - - - -HISTORIC DOORWAYS OF OLD SALEM - -[Illustration: THE DODGE-SHREVE HOUSE] - - - - - HISTORIC DOORWAYS - OF OLD SALEM - - BY - - MARY HARROD NORTHEND - - ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS - BY THE AUTHOR - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON AND NEW YORK - - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - - The Riverside Press Cambridge - - 1926 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1926, BY MARY H. NORTHEND - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - - The Riverside Press - - CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - - PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. - - - - - THIS BOOK - - IS DEDICATED TO MY NEPHEW - - FRANCIS SEYMOUR BENJAMIN - - - - -FOREWORD - - -Salem Doorways! How they awaken romantic memories of a glorious -past, linked as they are with the days when merchantmen and clipper -ships slipped from the ways to trade in foreign lands. Days when -old-fashioned gardens, gay with hollyhock and fragrant with sweet -brier, were laid out at the rear of the great Colonial houses of the -ship-owners. Doorways that were first designed for the Derby Street -houses, later appearing on Chestnut Street, when ship-owners removed to -this part of the city. - -These doorways were the work of ship carpenters or men who carved -figureheads, although the most beautiful of all were those designed -by Samuel McIntire, the wood-carver of Salem. Many of them display -a marked individuality, the result of McIntire’s skill in combining -various types of architecture, and adapting them to the Georgian style. -Some show pilasters with Doric or Corinthian feeling, supporting a -pediment often triangular in design, gaining in effect through the use -of hand-tooled ornamentation. - -Nathaniel Hawthorne graphically describes a simple example on the -house on Charter Street, where he wooed Sophia Peabody, who later -became his bride. - -Another notable one adorns the Pickering house, built by John Pickering -in 1650. This was the birthplace of Colonel Timothy Pickering, who -served in four Cabinet offices. - -The Cook-Oliver house on Federal Street shows rare bits of -hand-tooling, in part taken from the Elias Hasket Derby mansion on -Market Square, considered the finest house of its day. - -Salem has just reason to be proud of these doorways which have given -to her a distinctive name in the field of architecture. Little wonder -that architects from all over the country are copying these historic -doorways for reproduction in modern-day homes, with a realization that -they have never been excelled by modern-day work. - -Acknowledgment should be rendered to Edward Colton Fellowes, of -Cambridge, Massachusetts, for assistance in arranging the material of -this book. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - I. CHARACTER IN DOORWAYS 1 - - II. OLD SALEM AS A CENTER OF COLONIAL DOORWAYS 3 - - III. THE EVOLUTION OF THE SALEM DOORWAY 5 - - IV. THE DOOR ITSELF 10 - - V. OLD SALEM HOUSES AND THEIR DOORWAYS 15 - - THE REBECCA NURSE HOUSE 15 - - THE JOHN WARD HOUSE 17 - - THE TUCKER-RICE HOUSE 19 - - THE ROPES MEMORIAL 20 - - THE LINDALL-BARNARD-ANDREWS HOUSE 22 - - THE CABOT-ENDICOTT-LOW HOUSE 24 - - THE PICKERING HOUSE 25 - - THE POYNTON HOUSE 26 - - THE EDEN-BROWN HOUSE 28 - - ‘THE LINDENS’ 29 - - THE PIERCE-JOHONNOT-NICHOLS HOUSE 31 - - THE HOSMER-TOWNSEND-WATERS HOUSE 33 - - ASSEMBLY HALL 34 - - THE BOARDMAN HOUSE 36 - - ‘OAK HILL’ 36 - - THE KIMBALL HOUSE 38 - - THE COOK-OLIVER HOUSE 38 - - THE GEORGE M. WHIPPLE HOUSE 40 - - THE NATHAN ROBINSON-LITTLE HOUSE 42 - - THE DODGE-SHREVE HOUSE 43 - - THE WHITE-LORD HOUSE 44 - - THE SALEM CLUB 45 - - THE BALDWIN-LYMAN HOUSE 47 - - THE ANDREW-SAFFORD HOUSE 48 - - THE GARDNER-WHITE-PINGREE HOUSE 50 - - THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES 51 - - THE J. FOSTER SMITH HOUSE 52 - - THE GRACE MACHADO HOUSE 53 - - THE STEARNS HOUSE 53 - - THE TIMOTHY ORNE HOUSE 55 - - THE CROWNINSHIELD-DEVEREUX-WATERS HOUSE 56 - - THE MANSFIELD-BOLLES HOUSE 58 - - THE RICHARD DERBY HOUSE 59 - - THE HODGES-PEELE-WEST HOUSE 60 - - THE SILSBEE-MOTT HOUSE 61 - - THE HODGES-WEBB-MEEK HOUSE 61 - - THE PICKMAN-SHREVE-LITTLE HOUSE 62 - - THE HOME FOR AGED WOMEN 64 - - THE HOME FOR AGED MEN 66 - - THE BENJAMIN PICKMAN HOUSE 67 - - THE ELIAS HASKET DERBY HOUSE 68 - - THE NEAL-KITTRIDGE-ROGERS HOUSE 70 - - THE ARTHUR WEST HOUSE 72 - - THE HOFFMAN-SIMPSON HOUSE 73 - - THE DOYLE MANSION 74 - - DERBY STREET AND CHESTNUT STREET 75 - - FAMOUS NAMES IN SALEM 81 - - PALLADIAN WINDOWS 83 - - VI. OLD SALEM KNOCKERS 88 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - THE DODGE-SHREVE HOUSE _Frontispiece_ - - THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES: BATTEN DOOR 10 - - THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES: ANOTHER DOORWAY 11 - - THE REBECCA NURSE HOUSE 16 - - THE JOHN WARD HOUSE 17 - - THE TUCKER-RICE HOUSE 20 - - THE ROPES MEMORIAL 21 - - CLOSER VIEW OF THE ROPES DOORWAY 22 - - THE LINDALL-BARNARD-ANDREWS HOUSE 23 - - THE CABOT-ENDICOTT-LOW HOUSE 24 - - PORCH OPENING ON OLD-FASHIONED GARDENS ON THE - PICKERING ESTATE 25 - - THE POYNTON HOUSE, KNOWN AS THE ‘PINEAPPLE - HOUSE’ 26 - - THE EDEN-BROWN HOUSE 27 - - ‘THE LINDENS’ 30 - - THE PIERCE-JOHONNOT-NICHOLS HOUSE 31 - - THE FRONT DOOR OF THE PIERCE-JOHONNOT-NICHOLS - HOUSE FROM THE INSIDE 32 - - ASSEMBLY HALL 33 - - THE BOARDMAN HOUSE 36 - - ‘OAK HILL’ 37 - - THE KIMBALL HOUSE 38 - - THE COOK-OLIVER HOUSE 39 - - THE GEORGE M. WHIPPLE HOUSE 40 - - THE NATHAN ROBINSON-LITTLE HOUSE 41 - - THE WHITE-LORD HOUSE 44 - - THE SALEM CLUB 45 - - THE BALDWIN-LYMAN HOUSE 48 - - THE ANDREW-SAFFORD HOUSE 49 - - THE GARDNER-WHITE-PINGREE HOUSE 50 - - THE J. FOSTER SMITH HOUSE 51 - - THE GRACE MACHADO HOUSE 54 - - THE STEARNS HOUSE 55 - - THE MANSFIELD-BOLLES HOUSE 58 - - THE RICHARD DERBY HOUSE 59 - - THE SILSBEE-MOTT HOUSE 60 - - THE HODGES-WEBB-MEEK HOUSE 61 - - THE HOME FOR AGED WOMEN 66 - - THE HOME FOR AGED MEN 67 - - THE NEAL-KITTRIDGE-ROGERS HOUSE 72 - - THE ARTHUR WEST HOUSE 73 - - THE HOFFMANN-SIMPSON HOUSE 74 - - THE DOYLE MANSION 75 - - HOUSE OF MRS. EMERY JOHNSON 78 - - HOUSE OF MRS. GEORGE WHEATLAND 79 - - THE CUSTOM-HOUSE 82 - - OLD SALEM KNOCKERS 92 - - OLD SALEM KNOCKERS 93 - - - - -HISTORIC DOORWAYS OF OLD SALEM - - - - -CHAPTER I - -CHARACTER IN DOORWAYS - - -Of all the external features of a dwelling, the doorway, with or -without its porch, possesses most interest and character. - -Architecturally speaking, it is usually the feature upon which the -chief emphasis is placed; and thus it expresses not only the taste and -personality of the architect, but to a certain extent also those of the -occupant of the home to which it belongs. - -For the doorway is more than a mere entrance and exit to a dwelling. It -assumes a human aspect, as standing for personal and social elements, -and as revealing something of personal and social ambitions and ideals. -It ceases to be merely utilitarian, and becomes suggestive, with an -atmosphere of romance and poetry, as being intimately connected with -basic human experiences both of joy and sorrow; and associates with -itself memories of historic personages who have passed through it, and -of historic events which have taken place within the house itself. - -If every man could choose his own doorway, what revelations there would -be, not only of artistic taste or the lack of it, but of personal -character, disposition, and temperament as well. Thus, one doorway -would express caution, reserve, a nature prone to watchfulness and -suspicion. It might bespeak a certain narrowness and penuriousness in -its owner, a lack of sympathy with breadth and joyousness, a desire -to remain as much as possible aloof from the great currents of human -life. Another doorway, on the contrary, would inevitably reveal warmth -of human feeling, a willingness to mingle with people, an eagerness -for human companionship, a welcoming spirit which included not only -the familiar guest, but the casual stranger who might seek admittance -through its hospitable portal. - -Still another doorway might betray, through its design and proportions, -and the nature of its accessories and embellishments, the elements of -vanity, pomposity, and self-conceit; another would show extravagance; -another mere fussiness without due regard for system and order; while -still another would impress the beholder with a sense of the dignity of -mind, the seriousness of purpose, and the integrity of heart of the man -who selected it as the architectural keynote of his home. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -OLD SALEM AS A CENTER OF COLONIAL DOORWAYS - - -Old Salem, Massachusetts, has long been the Mecca of all pilgrims who -seek what is purest and most distinctive in Colonial architecture; for -here as nowhere else is to be found a collection of old-time houses -bearing the stamp of those traits of simplicity, dignity, reserve, and -permanence which we believe to be most typical of the character of the -American people. - -The explanation of this fact is found in a number of circumstances. -First, in the location of the town, which led to its early importance -as a shipping center and port of entry; second, in the quality of its -settlers, who were of earnest purpose and serious determination in -the business of home-making; third, in their continuous intercourse -with the mother country, resulting in a familiarity with her own -architectural renaissance during the period involved, from 1626, the -date of the founding of Salem, up to the year 1818, when the Colonial -vogue began its decline and the Greek style gradually took its place; -fourth, in the occupation of the people, which became more and more -commercial, their merchant flags appearing in every harbor in the -world, leading to increasing wealth, a familiarity with comfort and -style, together with the means of securing and maintaining them; and -last, but by no means least in importance, in the presence in Old Salem -of that remarkable man Samuel McIntire, who as designer, builder, and -cunning craftsman in wood, for a period of thirty years, from 1782 to -the date of his untimely death in 1811, so guided the architectural -taste of the Salem people, and so contributed to their building -activities by the ingenious and beautiful productions of his own hands, -as to leave upon the town a stamp of genius hardly paralleled in the -world. - -The doorways and porches of the loveliest old Salem homes owe so much -either directly or indirectly to the influence of McIntire, that he -might almost be termed the architect of Salem beautiful--as for over -a quarter of a century he was its master-craftsman, working with an -originality of conception, an ingenuity of combination, a freedom from -hampering tradition, yet with a restraint and refinement of taste, -which render his productions individual, beautiful, and noble, the true -notes of the Colonial style at its very best. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE EVOLUTION OF THE SALEM DOORWAY - - -The Salem doorway, like all institutions, architectural or otherwise, -was the fruit of a gradual process of evolution or development from -simple forms to those more elaborate and complete, and kept pace more -or less evenly in this process with the changing character of the -buildings of which it formed a part. Almost two hundred years elapsed -between the hasty erection of the first log cabins at Naumkeag in 1626 -to the culmination of the Colonial vogue in 1818. Yet, two hundred -years is a very brief time in which to complete a process of evolution -such as this--comparing the rude aperture closed by its swinging shield -of slabs, which formed the doorway of the earliest Salem dwelling, -with the ornate, dignified, and beautiful entrance to a typical Salem -home at the expiration of the period, with classic columns, fluted -pilasters, carved rosettes and festoons, spreading fanlight with its -spider-web tracery of leading, and paneled door set off by latch and -knocker of shining brass. The truth is that this was a process of -assisted evolution; for skilled English craftsmen, workers in wood and -in iron were among the earliest settlers at Salem; they were familiar -with the architectural forms and designs of the homeland; and working -in the tractable material of white pine, they reproduced with increased -effect the patterns which in the old country were necessarily wrought -in stone. - -The business of ship-building, rapidly increasing in the port, gave -occupation to large numbers of carvers in wood, who produced ornate -decorations in the captains’ cabins, and the famous figureheads which -graced the bows of the old-time clippers. At off-seasons, these -craftsmen found occupation in the builders’ trade; and thus in many -ways the evolution of the ornamental doorway and porch was hastened. - -It is possible to roughly divide the architecture of Old Salem into -four or perhaps five general periods, which are determined by the -type of dwelling most frequently erected during the time. As a matter -of fact, these periods blend or overlap so that there is no sharp -and distinct demarcation between them; it is sufficient to say that -the doorways of Old Salem took form and character in keeping with -the changing type of dwelling, simple with the simplicity of the -structure, becoming more elaborate as the house became more ambitious -and pretentious, and reaching their climax in ornateness with the -three-story square mansions of brick which characterized the closing -years of the Colonial period. - -The earliest houses at Salem were, of course, mere cabins of logs, -roughly and hastily built, utility being the only consideration. They -were for shelter from the weather, and for protection against enemies, -whether beasts or men. The doorway, therefore, was a mere opening in -the log wall, which could be barred at a moment’s notice, converting -the little hut into a sturdy fortress. In the first rude architecture -of the colonists no thought was given--for in the exigencies of the -situation none could be given--to style and attractiveness, utility -being, through stern necessity, the prime factor in the construction of -their simple homes. - -A love of beauty, however, was by no means wanting; and this soon -became evident in the beginning of decoration, simple enough, it is -true, as was natural, but showing a desire to make the doorway, always -architecturally speaking the keynote of the dwelling’s exterior, as -attractive as possible. - -The first period of Salem’s architectural development, passing over the -very earliest years as of little or no value, was characterized by the -construction of gabled houses of various kinds, from the simple story -and a half cottage to more complex and rambling structures, of which -the famous ‘House of the Seven Gables’ is a conspicuous example. Others -are the Deliverance Parkman house and the Governor Bradstreet mansion -(1638) pictures of which may be seen in the Essex Institute at Salem; -the beginnings of the ornamental doorway are to be found in both these -instances, recessed somewhat to afford protection from the weather, and -possessing an arched lintel of the characteristic Elizabethan type. -The door of the Bradstreet mansion is ornamented by a lozenge pattern, -corresponding with the diamond panes of the casement windows, the -intersections of the pattern being marked by large-headed nails. The -trim of the early doorways was simple in the extreme, the architrave -and pediment tentatively emerging as though feeling their way. Some of -the oldest houses of the second, or lean-to period, possess enclosed -porches with gable roofs and small sashes in the sides for lighting the -dark entry. - -But with the advent of the gambrel-roofed house, an adaptation of the -French Mansard, about the beginning of the eighteenth century, Salem -doorways become at once important in architectural value. Pilaster and -architrave, pediment and column, come boldly to the front and assume -their rightful place. Top-light and side-light come into general use. -With the appearance of the square wooden house of three stories, soon -after the Revolution, these historic doorways and porches may be said -to reach almost their full development, the genius of Samuel McIntire -carrying this on to its peak, the full fruition of his work being seen -in the entrances to the red-brick mansions of the beginning of the -nineteenth century, against whose mellow background the pure white -classic forms of porch and doorway stand out in striking and delightful -contrast. After 1818, the Colonial style began to suffer its decline. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE DOOR ITSELF - - -The Salem Colonial door, while an integral part of the entrance, -possesses nevertheless such distinctive characteristics as to deserve a -chapter of its own. - -The log cabins of Naumkeag, as has been seen, had primitive doors -of vertical slabs hung on iron strap hinges and backed perhaps by a -curtain of skins to keep out the draft. These doors were ‘battened’ -within by transverse pieces at top and bottom, the whole fastened -solidly together by spikes clinched on the inside, or perhaps by means -of wooden pins. A heavy oaken bar falling into sockets on either -doorpost further barricaded the entrance at need. - -With improvement in the type of Salem houses, the batten door still for -a time persisted, though in a more finished form, and with some attempt -at ornamentation. A notable example of this later batten door is found -in the Rebecca Nurse house at Danvers, formerly a part of Salem. This -house was built in 1636, the door being embellished with regular rows -of nails so arranged as to form a diamond pattern, the outline of -which is scratched upon the planks. Another example is found in one of -the entrances to the famous ‘House of the Seven Gables’ in Salem, known -through Hawthorne’s novel by that name. - -[Illustration: THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES - -Batten Door] - -[Illustration: THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES] - -The so-called ‘Dutch door’ often appears in Old Salem houses. Made in -two sections, so that the upper half might be opened for light and -ventilation, while the lower remained closed for protection against -vagrant children or animals, it afforded special advantages of -convenience, and was frequently accompanied by attractive architectural -embellishments. An old example of this type of door is to be found in -the Narbonne house at 71 Essex Street, Salem, built about the middle of -the seventeenth century, this door being in four sections instead of -two. Sometimes a blind, made to cover the upper opening as a protection -against insects or to keep out the glare of the sun, and hinged at the -top so that it might be fastened up out of the way, accompanied these -Dutch doors. - -The typical Salem door, however, was in one piece, set in a frame and -ornamented with panels. These panels were usually six in number, two -near the top, nearly square in shape, the others arranged in pairs at -the center and lower part of the door, these four being of practically -the same size, narrow rectangles set vertically. Doors with less than -six panels are seldom though occasionally found. A few are in existence -having as many as eight panels, a notable example being that in the -front entrance of the Pierce-Johonnot-Nichols house at 80 Federal -Street. Panels are of various types, sunken and beveled or moulded and -raised, with or without beading. - -In some doorways of unusual width, the door was made with double -leaves--and now and then with three leaves, two only of which were -ordinarily in use, the third being opened upon special occasions. An -example of this latter is seen in the Pickman-Shreve-Little house at 27 -Chestnut Street, built in 1816. - -In color, Salem doors were usually painted white. Only rarely is -one found which is stained instead of painted. With the increasing -elaborateness of doorways and porches, in which so much pure white was -necessarily used, doors were often for the sake of contrast painted -dark green--an effective background for the brightly polished brass -knocker and latch. Very rarely was the entrance-door of mahogany. A -notable example is on the Andrew-Safford house, 13 Washington Square, -built in 1818 by John Andrew, uncle of War Governor John A. Andrew. -This beautiful six-panel door had been discarded, and lay forgotten -for a hundred years amongst the lumber of the cellar, where it was -discovered by accident. Rescued and restored, it now fittingly adorns -the entrance of this fine old brick mansion--at the time when it was -built probably the most expensive private residence in New England. - -It has been said above that the typical Salem door is solid. Very -early in the history of the Colony, with the advent of square-paned -sash, the entire upper half of a door was sometimes replaced by one -of these sashes. A door in the ‘House of the Seven Gables’ possesses -this feature, as did the house of Lewis Hunt, which was built about -1698 and razed in 1863. To admit a little light into the tiny entries -of the early houses, sometimes the two upper panels of the door were -replaced by panes of glass. Top-lights--narrow windows running across -just above the door--soon followed, and these again were improved upon -by the introduction of the beautiful and elaborate fanlights, with -their delicate leaden tracery, balanced by side-lights of similar -design, which so artistically embellish the doorways of the best period -of Salem architecture, and in the designing of which Samuel McIntire -especially distinguished himself. - -The earliest Salem door, as we have seen, was fastened by means -of a bar, or, if it possessed perhaps a rude wooden latch, this -was operated by means of the latch-string, which by day hung -outside through a hole in the door, and was drawn in at night. ‘The -latch-string is out’ has become a proverbial expression denoting the -spirit of hospitality. The oaken bar was followed by the huge bolt -of brass or iron, this again by clumsy locks with enormous keys. The -latch-string was supplanted by the quaint thumb-latch, and very late -in the Colonial period glass door-knobs and bell-pulls made their -appearance. Outside the door, double blinds with shutters faced on the -inner side with screen cloth were commonly used. Thus the tiny stuffy -entries and hallways managed to receive something of the breath of life. - -Too many old Salem doorways, beautiful otherwise, have been spoiled by -the addition of modern ugly or inappropriate doors. It is to be hoped -that a revival of the old-time Colonial taste may correct this fault. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -OLD SALEM HOUSES AND THEIR DOORWAYS - - -THE REBECCA NURSE HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE REBECCA NURSE HOUSE] - -Belonging to the earliest period of Salem architectural history is an -old house standing in what is now the town of Danvers, originally a -part of Salem, as were also the present towns of Marblehead, Beverly, -and Peabody. This house is usually called the Rebecca Nurse house, for -the reason that Rebecca, the wife of Francis Nurse, who lived here at -the time of the infamous witchcraft delusion, was one of the victims -of the cruel fanaticism of the Court, and condemned by the judges to -be hanged as a witch, although the jury had rendered a verdict in her -favor. Architectural interest centers in the fascinating batten door, -with its pattern of diagonal squares scratched upon the planks, studded -at the points of intersection with round-headed nails, and adorned by -a heavy handle or door-pull of iron. The sill is a simple heavy plank -and the casing absolutely plain. Above the doorway, and several inches -off center, is a unique and curious sun-dial, on which the shadow of -an iron rod, placed slantingly upon a background of plank resembling -the heavy square shutter of a window, falls along carved lines -radiating from the center and marked at their extremities with Roman -numerals indicating the hours from five to two. On the upper edge of -the sun-dial are carved the initials ‘T. B.’ and between them the date -‘1636.’ Townsend Bishop, the original owner of the house, built it in -the above year. Later the estate changed hands several times, being in -turn the property of no lesser personages than Governor John Endicott, -the son of the Governor, John Endicott, Jr., and the Reverend James -Allen, pastor of the First Church in Boston. In 1692, from the curious -doorway above described, with the inexorable shadow upon the sun-dial -above it crawling slowly toward her hour of doom, brave Rebecca -Nurse passed to her execution. In the dooryard one still sees the -old-fashioned garden which she once tended, and just beyond is shown a -solitary grave where she rests in peace--history having vindicated her -in her steadfast declaration before her judges--‘I can say before my -Eternal Father I am innocent, and God will clear my innocency.’ - - -THE JOHN WARD HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE JOHN WARD HOUSE] - -In the picture, two Salem maids of Colonial times are shown gossiping -at the huge door-stone of the lean-to of this interesting old house, -built in 1684 and originally located at 38 St. Peter Street. The -illustration is taken from the restored building as it now stands in -the grounds of the Essex Institute in Salem. Fallen into neglect and -disrepair, the old house once came to have a forlorn aspect. But it now -presents a most attractive appearance, with its latticed casements, its -huge central chimney-stack, its batten front door, and its cheerful -surroundings of lawn and flowers. - -The steep pitch of the roof and the overhang of the main second story -are indications of the age of this fine old house. English cottages -were commonly thatched, and a very steep pitch of the roof was -necessary to carry off the water. For a considerable time after the -founding of Salem, many houses were thatched; and even when the roofs -began to be covered with shingles or tiles, habit still retained the -steep slope from ridge to eaves. As to the overhang, tradition persists -in declaring that the purpose of this was to provide floor loopholes -through which a musket might be fired at Indians who had come too -close to the building to be reached from openings in shutter or wall. -This may possibly be true. But the overhang was quite common in -Elizabethan dwellings in the old country; and builders may have used it -here without conscious purpose, but simply from custom. - -In the John Ward house, the main part was at one time used as a -bakery. Our picture shows a window display in the lean-to addition, of -apothecaries’ supplies on one side and on the other of striped candy -in glass jars, and other unknown dainties, perhaps that flint-like -rock candy imported by Salem merchants from the East, or the strange -confections known as ‘Black Jacks’ and ‘Gibraltars,’ dear to the -childish heart in early times. Other rooms both upstairs and down are -furnished in Colonial style and contain interesting relics. The house -is innocent of paint, inside and out, and takes its only color from the -mellowing touch of weather without and of time within. - -Altogether, with its gables, its lean-to, its batten door and lozenge -casements, its overhang and its silvery weathered walls, the John Ward -house presents a most interesting example of the Old Salem dwelling of -the second period. - - -THE TUCKER-RICE HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE TUCKER-RICE HOUSE] - -The young Salem dames whom we saw at the doorway of the John Ward house -a few moments ago, have apparently transferred themselves, by means of -some witchcraft, from the seventeenth century, to which the Ward house -belongs, to the beginning of the nineteenth, in which was built the -Tucker-Rice house, upon the steps of which we now find them. They are -still, however, in the garden of the Essex Institute, for this fine -portico has been removed from its original location, on the house at -129 Essex Street, and brought here for preservation. - -In changing hands in 1896, the Tucker-Rice house became subject to -alterations which considerably detracted from its original character, -architecturally speaking. The previous year, its classic porch had -been pronounced by an eminent authority the best-proportioned porch in -Salem. It had at the time, too, an ugly modern door, and the adjacent -glasswork was not appropriate. In its present location, as we note in -the photograph, the fanlights and side-lights are graceful and artistic -in Colonial design, while the door itself presents a rare example of -the three-piece pattern belonging to the proper period. - -The porch itself, the work of Samuel McIntire, is in the semi-oval -composite style. The tall, slender, fluted columns with their flanking -pilasters seem almost to spring into the air, so light is the effect -produced by their perfect proportions. The roof of the porch is borne -aloft without a semblance of effort, while the easy grade of the stone -steps with their wrought-iron railings provides a solid and handsome -base for the whole. - -Directly across the street from the Tucker-Rice house stands the -Gardner-White-Pingree mansion, with a porch of similar design, without -the fluting of the columns. This was erected in 1810, also the work of -McIntire, perhaps his last, and considered the best of his brick houses. - - -THE ROPES MEMORIAL - -[Illustration: THE ROPES MEMORIAL] - -At 318 Essex Street stands a complete and beautiful example of the -Salem residence at its best, the house now known as the ‘Ropes -Memorial,’ erected in 1719, and continuously occupied by successive -generations of this famous family over a period of nearly a hundred -and fifty years. The Honorable Nathaniel Ropes, Judge of the Superior -and Probate Courts, and a stubborn Loyalist, and after him in regular -descent four other Nathaniels, lived here from 1768 until 1893, when -the last one died. - -In 1912 a board of trustees, under the instructions by will of Mary -Pickman Ropes and Eliza Orne Ropes, assumed the care of the house and -its rich content of Colonial treasures, under the name of the ‘Ropes -Memorial.’ - -As originally built, like so many dwellings of its period, the Ropes -house stood close to the front of its lot. After the death of the fifth -Nathaniel, it was moved back some distance from the street--the effect -of the mellow brick walk, the richly carved and ornamented gate-posts, -and the intervening lawn being greatly to enhance the dignified and -simple beauty of the Ionic entrance with its six-paneled door. - -[Illustration: CLOSER VIEW OF THE ROPES DOORWAY] - -This doorway was added in 1807. An original treatment of the fanlight -and side-lights of leaded glass, which show a pattern of alternate -ovals and circles, is to be noted. The supporting columns rest -upon massive plinths of granite, lending an effect of solidity and -permanence to the entire construction; the pure white of the woodwork -being pleasantly relieved by the green shutters which back the -side-lights. - -Colonial hospitality took thought for the comfort of its guests even -before they passed the hospitable threshold; and this is evidenced by -the recession of the doorway in many old houses, so that visitors, -lifting the heavy knocker to announce their arrival, and waiting for -Abigail or Nancy to answer the summons, might find shelter under the -broad lintel from searching east wind or pouring rain. The doorway of -the Ropes house is of this type. - -Tradition relates that in 1774 the Loyalist dwelling was attacked by -a mob of patriotic enthusiasts. The death of the old judge, who at -the time was lying upon a sick-bed, may have been expedited by the -excitement of the occasion. Be that as it may, his end came on the day -following. - - -THE LINDALL-BARNARD-ANDREWS HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE LINDALL-BARNARD-ANDREWS HOUSE] - -Popular tradition has it that the unjust aggressions of Great Britain -first met armed resistance in the Colonies at Lexington and Concord. -But nearly two months previous to Paul Revere’s famous ride, on Sunday, -February 26, 1775, British troops were reported approaching North -Bridge at Salem, in search of cannon which were known to be concealed -somewhere in the town. The Reverend Thomas Barnard, pastor of the -Old North Church, was in his pulpit. To him appeared a breathless -messenger: ‘The regulars are coming!’ From all directions the excited -citizens flocked to the bridge, where the open draw frustrated the -further advance of Colonel Leslie and his troops. Barnard, in the -forefront, calmed his excited townsmen; Leslie was allowed to cross the -bridge; but his search for the concealed guns proved fruitless and he -retired discomfited to Boston. - -At the time in question, the Reverend Mr. Barnard lived at -393 Essex Street, in the handsome mansion now known as the -Lindall-Barnard-Andrews house. This was built in 1747 for Timothy -Lindall, for several years Speaker of the House of Deputies. Much of -the elaborate carving in the interior of this old dwelling is from the -hand of Samuel McIntire, the famous architect and worker in wood. - -The doorway of the Lindall house is almost sternly plain, the sole -attempt at decoration being found in the fluting of the pilasters, -repeated in the posts which flank the gateway, these also supporting -interesting urns. Similar urns grace the posts at the gate of the Ropes -Memorial, these being much more elaborate, though perhaps no more -effective, than the ornaments at the Lindall house. - -The style of this doorway is Doric, the pediment utterly without -carving or ornament of any description. It possesses a unique feature -in its door, the panels being seven in number instead of six, the extra -one very narrow, and running horizontally across directly above the -lower pair. A rectangular top-light with five square panes completes -the fine Colonial _ensemble_. - - -THE CABOT-ENDICOTT-LOW HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE CABOT-ENDICOTT-LOW HOUSE] - -Distinctive among Salem residences is the Cabot-Endicott-Low house at -365 Essex Street. It is clapboarded, but possesses white corner-boards -which simulate the marble quoins used later in brick houses, which did -not begin to appear in Salem until about 1800. - -This house was built in 1748 by Joseph Cabot, the architect being -unknown, though tradition attributes to his hand a number of other -famous dwellings in Salem. It is universally considered to be a -typical example of the best in Colonial architecture at the time when -commercial prosperity was at its height. Unlike most of the large -square houses of the period, it stands at some distance back from the -street, this lending it through proper spacing additional charm. Its -rooms are crowded with rare furniture and china, the latter brought -home by famous Salem clippers from foreign parts over a century ago; -and its garden is the finest in Salem. Once the home of six hundred to -seven hundred varieties of tulips imported from Holland by its original -owner, the garden is now largely given up to peonies, of which a -thousand have been counted in bloom at one time. - -The doorway of the Cabot house is a later addition, and its effect -is marred by the presence of inappropriate doors. It possesses Doric -pilasters, and the pediment is ornate with carving. - -The Cabot house has many historic associations. Its original owner, -Joseph S. Cabot, was Mayor of the town from 1843 to 1845. The Honorable -William C. Endicott, Secretary of War under President Cleveland, and -a Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court from 1873 to 1882, lived -here for thirty years. Through this doorway entered as a guest the -Right Honorable Joseph Chamberlain, who afterward married the daughter -of his host. In 1890 General W. T. Sherman was entertained here. Later -the house was bought by Daniel Low, the well-known silversmith, who -occupied it until his death. - - -THE PICKERING HOUSE - -[Illustration: PORCH OPENING ON OLD-FASHIONED GARDENS ON THE PICKERING -ESTATE] - -This ancient dwelling is said by many to be the oldest of all Salem -houses. One of the first Colonists, John Pickering, built it in 1660. -The Essex Institute shows an iron fire-back taken from the old house -which bears this date. - -The averting of bloodshed at North Bridge in February, 1775, has -been mentioned above. Colonel Timothy Pickering, born in this house -in 1745, was at that time on service with Continental troops, and -remained actively engaged until after Yorktown. He achieved honorable -distinction, first as Colonel, and later as Adjutant-General of the -army. Returning from military service, he entered the doorway of -this ancient house, soon to pass from it again as Representative and -Senator. In Washington’s Cabinet he held office in three different -capacities, and in all of them acquitted himself with credit--as -Secretary of War, Secretary of State, and Postmaster-General. This -record is hardly surpassed in American annals. - -Colonel Pickering was interested also in other issues. He it was who -led the schism which founded the North Church in Salem, as the result -of differences in the Tabernacle Church. One imagines that he was -versed in the classics as well, for John Pickering, his son, afterward -became the well-known linguist and Greek lexicographer. - - -THE POYNTON HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE POYNTON HOUSE, KNOWN AS THE ‘PINEAPPLE HOUSE’ - -Built in 1750] - -In an old painting in the Essex Institute is shown the famous Governor -Bradstreet mansion, with its numerous gables, its batten door flanked -by curious latticed towers, and its lozenged windows. At the tip -of each gable and tower perches a carved ornament in the shape of a -pineapple, the ancient symbol of hospitality. Over the doorway of the -Thomas Poynton house at 7 Brown Street Court, on a pedestal between -the members of a broken arch pediment, was once to be seen a similar -pineapple, most elaborately and delicately carved, and resplendent in -its appropriate tints of red and green. Captain Poynton was a merchant, -and some foreign port may have supplied this famous ornament, which -for years lent its name to the ‘Pineapple House.’ The illustration -shows the doorway in its original condition, though the door itself -is modern. Note the cutting-out of the blinds, made necessary by the -height of the pineapple. - -Now removed for safe-keeping to the Essex Institute, this beautiful -entrance has always attracted the attention of architects and -connoisseurs. The simplicity of the fluted Doric pilasters leads the -eye upward to a sudden surprise, albeit an agreeable one, in the -unusual character of the decorations above. Altogether the effect is -unique and charming, and is well brought out against the gray walls of -the house itself. - - -THE EDEN-BROWN HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE EDEN-BROWN HOUSE] - -In 1762, Thomas Eden built a house at 40 Summer Street. In 1804 the -original doorway was replaced by one designed and executed by the -famous McIntire, possessing one unusual feature, the elliptical -fanlight unaccompanied by other glasswork. The doorway is of simple -design, showing plain Doric pilasters, over each of which appears a -carved rosette or floret, with festooned drapery between. Once more, -the use of modern doors lends an unpardonably discordant note to this -otherwise artistic composition. - -Much interesting history centers in the Eden-Brown house. Thomas Eden -was the first signer of the roll of the famous Salem Marine Society, -founded in 1766, membership in which was conditioned upon a man’s -having sailed his ship at least around the Cape of Good Hope. The -quality of Salem ship-masters is seen in the fact that eighteen charter -members were thus enrolled at the first meeting. Robert Hooper, of -Marblehead, was a partner of Eden in his commercial ventures, and was -familiarly spoken of as ‘King’ Hooper because of his Royalist leanings. - -How many vigorous and adventurous figures must have passed through -the Eden-Brown doorway! ‘King’ Hooper himself, owner of a house at -Marblehead and another at Danvers, the well-known ‘Lindens,’ occupied -as a summer home by the Royal Governor Gage, the year before Lexington. -Many a wealthy captain, perhaps, and trader to the East, who in the -spirit of the bold motto on the Salem official seal, ‘Unto the utmost -bounds of wealthy Ind,’ had driven his fifty-ton schooner across the -mysterious ocean, returning laden with silks, rugs, and shawls, mulls -and muslins, jade, crystal, spices, and if not, like the far-famed -navies of Solomon, with ‘ivory, apes, and peacocks,’ at least with many -a comical monkey and gaudy parrot--the latter commonly past-master in -the use of a certain deep-sea vocabulary not to be repeated here. - -Such cargoes made Salem owners wealthy, and paved the way for the -erection of the spacious and dignified residences, with their noble -pillars and pediments, so many of which are still standing to-day as a -memorial of by-gone greatness. - - -‘THE LINDENS’ - -[Illustration: ‘THE LINDENS’] - -‘King’ Hooper, partner of Thomas Eden, as just stated above, beside his -Marblehead home, had a fine residence at Danvers, once a part of Salem, -which is one of the most pretentious of the time. Now called ‘The -Lindens,’ it was built in 1754, the siding scored and beveled so as to -present the appearance of granite blocks, a resemblance still further -carried out in the gray paint of the surface and the white of the -beveling. The doorway is of special dignity and beauty, two Corinthian -columns supporting a large gable containing a window, which rises to -the deck of the roof. Of similar appearance was the John Hancock house -on Beacon Street, Boston, now destroyed. - -At the time of his governorship of the Province in 1774, this handsome -house was used by General Gage as a summer home. Colonel Leslie, -commanding officer of the 64th Regulars opposed at North Bridge by the -Salem citizens in February of the following year, pitched the tents -of his regiment across the road. One may imagine how gay were the -goings-on, as scarlet uniforms, rich with gold lace, passed in and -out of the stately portal, through which might be heard the hum of -conversation and the strains of music--for the British officers were -good entertainers, and made the most of what society they had in a -hostile environment. - -It was perhaps during some such festivity that an indignant patriot -fired a shot from his musket through the panel of the door--the hole -being still visible where his messenger of protest made its entrance. -‘The Lindens’ was lately the home of Francis Peabody. It is now owned -by Ward Thoran. - - -THE PIERCE-JOHONNOT-NICHOLS HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE PIERCE-JOHONNOT-NICHOLS HOUSE] - -At 80 Federal Street, Salem, stands this fine old residence, frequently -referred to as the best specimen of its kind now existing. It is the -work of Samuel McIntire, the master-craftsman of Salem, and represents -possibly the first of his efforts, as it is surely one of his best, -although he was at the time only twenty-five years of age. - -The house is square in shape, close to the sidewalk, with an L and -stable in the rear. The front porch is of simple classic design, the -architect having freely combined the Tuscan and the Doric, with unique -effect. The door itself possesses the rare number of eight panels, with -a graceful fanlight above. The approach to the steps is flanked by -handsome gate-posts of the Tuscan order, surmounted by ornamental urns -carved from a single block of wood. - -At the side of the house, and serving as a carriage entrance, is an -enclosed porch, similar in type to that at the front, and admirable -in its effect upon the eye. This enclosed porch as a side-entrance -is indeed characteristic of Old Salem houses--the particular one in -question being of exceptional attractiveness. Oval side-windows afford -light, and the door itself is of the correct ancient pattern. - -Although dating from 1782, this old mansion is of no particular -historical interest. It possesses, however, human interest of a genuine -sort, drawn from the vicissitudes and disappointments, as well as the -joys, of its successive tenants. - -Jerathmiel Pierce, the original owner, was a wealthy merchant, -successful in his ventures in foreign trade. To the wharf at the rear -of his house came his returning ships, to discharge their cargoes -at his warehouse, reached by a path through the garden. Financial -reverses, however, came upon him; and in 1827 the property was acquired -by George Johonnot. From the handsome doorway of his beloved home, -where he had spent forty years of a happy life, went forth the broken -old man to find shelter with George Nichols, his son-in-law, who had -also suffered business reverses; and after a brief time he died. - -[Illustration: THE FRONT DOOR OF THE PIERCE-JOHONNOT-NICHOLS HOUSE FROM -THE INSIDE] - -At the death of the Johonnots, twelve years after, George Nichols and -his wife inherited, under a deed of trust, the famous old mansion. -At the age of seventy, Nichols retired from business and spent his -declining years in tending the famous old garden which he loved. In -1917 the property was bought by the Essex Institute, as a memorial -of the old days when Salem was known for her prosperity due to foreign -trade. - - -THE HOSMER-TOWNSEND-WATERS HOUSE - -Chimneys on Salem houses were customarily built to rise from the center -of the roof--huge structures of brick, containing many flues from the -fireplaces opening from the rooms arranged about them on all sides. In -later periods they were placed wherever convenience dictated. A fine -example of the former style is seen on the Hosmer-Townsend-Waters house -at 80 Washington Square, Salem. This building dates from 1795, designed -by McIntire, for Captain Joseph Hosmer. Near it, at 82 Washington -Square, East, is the Boardman house, where Washington was entertained -when in Salem in 1789, and which elicited from him an exclamation of -wonder that the people of Salem could build such handsome residences. - -In Virginia, the Colonial type was also in vogue, but with a -difference. The General’s surprise was apparently at the fact that in -towns, as well as upon the great estates of the South to which he had -been accustomed, so large a degree of taste and comfort could prevail. - -The side-door of the Hosmer dwelling has an attractive enclosed porch, -almost hidden by a huge wistaria which clothes it in a tangle of -leafage and bloom. It resembles that already described in the Johonnot -house in the presence of oval side-lights, although differing somewhat -in architectural features. The front entrance of the Hosmer house -closely corresponds with that at the side in design, and both possess -the correct six-panel door, relieved by brass latch and knocker. - -Historical interest attaches to the Hosmer-Waters house in that it -was once the home of Henry FitzGilbert Waters, whose genealogical -researches and writings are well-known. These include ‘John Harvard -and his Ancestry,’ ‘An Examination into the English Ancestry of George -Washington,’ ‘Genealogical Gleanings in England.’ Connoisseurs have -stated that Mr. Waters’s collection of antique furniture was surpassed -by none in New England. - - -ASSEMBLY HALL - -[Illustration: ASSEMBLY HALL] - -Not long after the Revolution, the Federal Party in Salem desired a -meeting-place, and Samuel McIntire was commissioned to design for this -purpose the Assembly Hall. In 1782 the building was erected at 138 -Federal Street. Not to be outdone, the Democrats also, though somewhat -later, built Washington Hall, likewise the work of McIntire. - -Social festivities of all sorts immediately found their center in -the Assembly Hall. In 1789, when Washington, for whose personal use -the Boardman house had been designated during his stay, paid a visit -to Salem, a ball was arranged in his honor, and this took place in -Assembly Hall, where he opened the festivities with Miss Abbot, -daughter of General Abbot, his host of the occasion. Washington, -however, turned his fair partner over to General Knox when the dancing -began, asserting that this was out of his line. At Assembly Hall a -banquet was tendered Lafayette on his first tour of America some years -earlier. - -Curiously enough, and contrary to the usual order of things, after a -brief period of only thirteen years, Assembly Hall became a private -residence, in the year 1795. - -Instead of being clapboarded, the front of this building is laid flat, -giving a rather bare effect. This impression is somewhat relieved by -the elaborate decorations--four handsome Ionic pilasters rising above -the roof of the porch nearly to the eaves, while a gable or pediment -extends across almost the full width of the façade. The porch itself -is of generous breadth, Ionic pillars with a beautifully ornamented -frieze, representing grape leaves and clusters, forming a fitting frame -for the hospitable entrance just behind. Probably the porch is of more -recent date than the building itself, although this is a matter of -conjecture. The sides and back of the house differ from the façade in -being clapboarded instead of flat. Elaborate iron railings on either -side guard the ascent from the sidewalk. - - -THE BOARDMAN HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE BOARDMAN HOUSE] - -Reference has already been made to the Boardman house at 82 Washington -Square, East, as offered to Washington on his Salem visit in 1789. -The porch is of the enclosed type, of the Tuscan order, with fluted -pilasters, oval side-lights and a picket fence with tall gate-posts -surmounted by the familiar urns. A light and homely touch is added in -the trellises with their climbing vines which are set close against the -house upon either side. - - -‘OAK HILL’ - -[Illustration: ‘OAK HILL’] - -The present town of Danvers was originally part of Old Salem, and -after its separation in 1752, Danvers included the present town of -Peabody, which was set off in 1855. In the year 1800, while McIntire -was producing his most beautiful and finished work, ‘Oak Hill,’ -now in Peabody, was erected from his designs. It is now the summer -residence of Mrs. J. C. Rogers, and contains throughout as complete -and elaborate a wealth of detail from the wood-carver’s hand as can -anywhere be found. - -Reference has been made to the fact that craftsmen from the shipyards -of Salem, skilled in the carving of figureheads and cabin decorations, -sometimes found employment ashore in the service of architects and -builders. The year when ‘Oak Hill’ was built marked the climax of -Salem’s maritime importance. Carvings suggesting the familiar rope -mouldings of ships’ cabins are found upon the balusters. - -The porch of this beautiful house, with the exception of the modern -doors, is a most complete and graceful composition. Fluted Ionic -columns, four in number, support in pairs the front edge of the roof, -while its rear rests upon pilasters grouped in the same way. The -columns, as often in McIntire’s work, are slender for their height; but -instead of appearing spindling, they seem to assume an airy grace which -lightens and relieves the whole. A spider-web fanlight surmounts the -door, and the leaded glass in the side-lights is heart-shaped--a unique -and charming feature. - - -THE KIMBALL HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE KIMBALL HOUSE] - -Another of McIntire’s porches, placed in 1800 upon the Kimball house -at 14 Pickman Street, is interesting, as illustrating the architect’s -characteristic freedom in the combination without discord of the -various orders. The columns are Ionic--the entablature is Corinthian -style, although incomplete. Side-lights flank the six-paneled door, but -the usual fanlight is missing, paneling taking its place. Door-frame -and side-lights are decorated by a border of garlands, which are of -composition applied to the surface of the wood--although the capitals -of the columns are painstakingly carved by hand. - - -THE COOK-OLIVER HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE COOK-OLIVER HOUSE] - -One of the most elaborate examples of the work of Samuel McIntire is -found in the Cook-Oliver house at 142 Federal Street. The amount of -detail upon the entrance-posts and about the doorways is unusual, and -is carried to a point where it just misses being overdone. Originally -carved for the Derby house on Market Square, much of this work was -transferred to the Cook-Oliver house about 1804, at which date this -mansion was begun, although unfortunate commercial ventures delayed its -completion until about 1814 or 1815. This delay may have worked out -as a blessing in disguise, as was also perhaps the use of material from -the Derby house, which was finally razed in 1815, although the work of -demolition had begun at an earlier date. - -Samuel Cook was a sea-captain, the father-in-law of General Henry K. -Oliver, who was prominent in political and industrial affairs, being at -various times Mayor of the city of Lawrence, Mayor also of Salem at the -advanced age of eighty years, Treasurer of the State of Massachusetts, -Treasurer of the Lawrence Cotton Mills, and Adjutant-General. With the -present-day public, however, his chief claim to recognition lies in the -fact that he was the composer of many familiar hymns, notably ‘Federal -Street,’ named from the thoroughfare where he then lived. - -The Cook-Oliver house is a three-story square clapboarded structure -save on the eastern side, which is constructed of brick to keep out the -east wind. An old-fashioned ‘jut-by,’ with flat boarding, projects from -the rear L, with a side-entrance--an arrangement seldom found in houses -of this late period, though common in lean-to days. - -The porch of the Cook-Oliver house exemplifies once more that -characteristic quality of McIntire’s genius--freedom of combination -conjoined with restraint of artistic taste--which lends his work -so much of originality, while it never approaches the bizarre. Here -we find Tuscan, Corinthian, and Doric motives all present, yet -without discord. The garlands and festoons about the door-casing and -side-lights relieve the severity of the right angles, while elliptical -fanlight and side-lights with unique leading complete the harmonious -whole. The modern door is again the sole jarring note. - -A word must be added regarding the gate-posts, which are the most -ornate among many of similar design in Salem. The medallions, carved -knots and garlands, the cornice directly below the urns, and the -moulded urns themselves with their flames at the top, represent a -veritable labor of love on the part of the master-craftsman. The final -touch is found in fence and gate, which, simple to plainness, modestly -concede to the remainder of the work its proper importance. - - -THE GEORGE M. WHIPPLE HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE GEORGE M. WHIPPLE HOUSE] - -Erected in the year 1804, the George M. Whipple house at 2 Andover -Street is a typical example of the three-story square wooden dwelling -of the period. The enclosed porch with its balustraded roof is of -more recent construction, but in keeping with the best architectural -traditions. Rather shallow as to depth, light is admitted by means -of leaded side-lights of unusual design, as well as by the glazed upper -panels of the door itself. Pilasters of Doric order support a dentiled -entablature, while the door is divided after the Dutch fashion into -upper and lower leaves. - -Above is a fine Palladian window of design harmonious with that of -the entrance, surmounted by an arched pediment enriched by a carved -ornament representing a basket of flowers. - -In many of the old houses of the earlier Salem times, the location of -the doorway with relation to the façade was dictated by considerations -of convenience rather than a desire for symmetry. Sometimes, as in the -cabins of the first period, it was placed as far from the fireplace -as possible, so that the smoke might not be blown about the room. -Structural arrangements of the interior sometimes determined its -position, as well as that of the windows, which in many instances -seemed to be placed haphazard. - -In the Whipple house the front entrance is at the left of the center as -one faces the building, with two windows on one side of it and one upon -the other--an unusual arrangement in houses of this type. - - -THE NATHAN ROBINSON-LITTLE HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE NATHAN ROBINSON-LITTLE HOUSE] - -One of the most pleasing porches and doorways of all in Old Salem is -that of the house at 10 Chestnut Street, built by Nathan Robinson -about 1804. Resting upon the massive granite plinths so favored by the -famous McIntire, fluted Ionic columns support a simple entablature with -dentiled cornice above. The fanlight and side-lights are artistically -designed, the latter showing a pattern of alternate circles and -diamonds. Above the door itself is a curious and unusual strip of -dentil character, and this is supported by four slender half-round -pilasters which constitute the framework of the door. - -Close to the plinths at the base of the porch columns are set the -handsome gate-posts with their surmounting urns. The posts themselves -are paneled, and adorned by carved rosettes within a paneled square. -They possess flat capitals with a fine dentil member just beneath, and -the bodies of the urns are delicately fluted. - -In making some changes within this old house, it was discovered that -there were in the hallway three fireplaces, one within the other, in -the thickness of the wall. Successive alterations had changed the -dimensions of the opening, until it narrowed finally to culminate in a -small modern grate. It now stands as at first constructed, its narrow -mantel adorned with rare bits of old pewter. - - -THE DODGE-SHREVE HOUSE - -This splendid old house at 29 Chestnut Street deserves to be called -sumptuous in architectural detail, as no part of doorway, porch, or -Palladian window lacks its elaborate decoration--with the single -exception of the side-lights, which are chastely simple. - -Both supporting and engaged columns are of the Corinthian type, these -being reproduced in miniature in others which form the framework of the -doorway itself. - -The porch roof has a handsome balustrade, and above this we find -once more slender Corinthian columns in the frame of the Palladian -window. The arched pediment of the latter has a keystone bearing a -carved emblem, and frames a fanlight of original design. The windows -of all three stories receive special attention in the addition of -carved lintels, embodying the familiar ‘Grecian border’ _motif_, with -interesting variations. - -The beautiful paneled door of this fine old mansion is of the true -Colonial pattern, and has three leaves, with a handsome brass knob. A -spear-head iron fence curving gracefully inward to the granite steps, -and iron hand-rails of a different design, complete the architectural -whole, which is said to have been imitated more than any other in Old -Salem. - - -THE WHITE-LORD HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE WHITE-LORD HOUSE] - -Like other old New England towns, Salem once possessed a ‘Common,’ -originally a pasture for cattle. The Salem Common consisted of eight -acres of land. In early days this tract was swampy, containing several -small ponds, and thick with blackberry bushes. At the eastern end was -an enclosure in which animals might be shut up at night. The herdsman -was a regular functionary of the town, like the ‘fence-viewer’ and -‘herring inspector,’ and under bonds for the honest performance -of his duty. In 1770 the almshouse was erected upon the northeast -corner of the plot; but in 1801 this was much improved by grading -and the setting-out of trees, Colonel Elias Hasket Derby heading -the subscription-list for the purpose. A few years later the field -was fenced in, with four entrances or ‘gateways’ consisting of tall -wooden arches with suitable ornamentation. The ‘Western Gateway’ was -crowned by one of McIntire’s famous eagles, gilded; while upon the -face of the arch appeared a medallion of Washington in profile--the -‘Common’ having been dedicated in 1802 to the General under the name -of Washington Square. This famous medallion measured thirty-eight by -fifty-six inches, and was carved from McIntire’s sketch of Washington -made while he stood on the porch of the City Hall to receive the -welcome of the citizens of Salem in the Square below. - -On the various sides of Washington Square stood many of the chief -mansions of the old town. Among these were the Boardman house, the -Hosmer-Townsend-Waters house, the Crowninshield-Devereux-Waters -house, the Baldwin-Lyman house, and that now under consideration, -the White-Lord house. This, erected in 1818, stands at 31 Washington -Square. Its doorway has been said to embody reminiscences, -architecturally speaking, of two famous houses in Germantown and -Philadelphia. - - -THE SALEM CLUB - -[Illustration: THE SALEM CLUB] - -Closely resembling in its architectural features the Baldwin-Lyman -porch at 92 Washington Square, East, and the Dodge-Shreve porch at 29 -Chestnut Street, the porch of the Salem Club at 29 Washington Square -presents a fine example of the Corinthian style which came into vogue -in Salem about 1816. A wrought-iron balustrade on the porch roof adds -an unusual touch. - -Like so many old family residences in Salem, which in time became -converted to public use through their acquisition by societies, homes, -and lodges, the building now housing the Salem Club was once a private -dwelling. It was built in 1818 for John Forrester. After this fine -mansion passed out of the Forrester family, it was owned by Colonel -George Peabody, whose daughter married the Honorable William C. -Endicott, Secretary of War in Cleveland’s Cabinet. - -Colonel Peabody owned many art treasures, one of which, housed in this -dwelling, was Murillo’s ‘Immaculate Conception,’ valued by connoisseurs -at the sum of $100,000. - -The story is told of one Salem citizen, named Simon Forrester, father -of the original owner of the house in question, that he projected -a plan for the decoration of his own residence, including the -representation upon the walls of drawing-rooms and hallways, not of the -favorite scenes so often found on the costly wall-papers of the time, -such as Cupid and Psyche, Roman ruins, Venetian lagoons, the English -hunting-fields, the adventures of Don Quixote, etc., but rather a -series of episodes from his own life, ‘showing his rise from poverty -to grandeur; the place of his birth, a humble cottage in Ireland; his -various places of business, with the wharves of Salem, and the vessels -which had brought his merchandise to them.’ - - -THE BALDWIN-LYMAN HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE BALDWIN-LYMAN HOUSE] - -Also on Washington Square, at Number 92, the square three-story brick -house in question, standing well apart from other buildings, its mellow -façade almost completely hidden by ivy, deserves far more than passing -mention. The date of its erection is 1818. It bears a peculiar and -charming air of self-respecting reserve, to which effect the simple -wooden picket fence with ornamental posts contributes by seeming to -supply an appropriate frame to the picture. - -The windows of the top floor, as was customary at the period, are -shorter than those of the other tiers, giving the desired effect of -foreshortening. The windows themselves, however, have been modernized -by the use of four-panel sashes, and this substitution detracts from -the Colonial _ensemble_. - -The porch of the Baldwin-Lyman house, supported by four smooth -Corinthian columns and surmounted by a pleasing wooden balustrade, -with its white six-paneled door, its plain square-panel side-lights, -simple fanlight, and complete absence of embellishment or decoration, -presents a singularly pure and distinctive appearance. In contrast to -this simplicity, the gate-posts are in full dress--they are fronted by -small Ionic pilasters with a wide reeded band above, and are further -embellished with carved diamonds or lozenges, some placed in a vertical -and some in a horizontal position, in the space immediately below the -capital. The surmounting urns again are purely designed. Their covers, -however, have a beaded edge; and the details of the flames which they -emit are more deeply and carefully carved than usual. - - -THE ANDREW-SAFFORD HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE ANDREW-SAFFORD HOUSE - -The mahogany door was discovered in the cellar and replaced in its -original position] - -Another fine example of the old brick mansion of the closing period of -Colonial Salem is the Andrew-Safford house at 13 Washington Square. -Erected in 1818, it was reputed to be the most costly private residence -in New England. Thanks to successful commercial ventures in foreign -trade, money was plentiful in Salem, and it was freely spent in the -provision of comfortable and indeed luxurious homes for those who had -earned it. It seems, perhaps, a wonder that there was so little in the -architecture of the time which was merely ornate or pretentious, and -so much which exhibited refinement and restraint. But we must remember -that for thirty years the genius of Samuel McIntire dominated Salem in -this field, and his tradition lived after him; so that up to the -time of the so-called Greek revival, about the second quarter of the -nineteenth century, there was no inclination, as there was indeed, no -occasion, for departure from the best artistic ideals in building and -decoration. - -The Andrew-Safford estate comprises the house itself, an extensive -garden of old-fashioned flowers at one side, and out-buildings and -stables in suitable style. The house has suffered from a coat of paint; -four-paned sashes have replaced the quaint twelve-paned style of the -period. At the rear a beautiful portico resting upon fluted columns -extends to the full height of the three stories. The Andrew-Safford -house as a whole is as well worth study as any of equal age in Salem. - -A thing of genuine beauty is the stately porch at the front entrance. -Elaborate almost to overloading, it still avoids this, maintaining an -air of pride and dignity almost reaching the majestic. - -Six mighty Corinthian columns hold aloft the heavy elliptical roof, -with a rectangular element at either side. Smaller columns frame the -side-light and door. The pattern of side-lights and fanlights repeats -the suggestion of the ellipse; while a heavy balustrade about the -roof-edge crowns the work, with a total impression of nobleness and -power. The handsome granite steps and iron hand-railings below, -and the charming and appropriate Palladian window above, complete a -harmonious whole. - -This dwelling was built by John Andrew, whose famous nephew John A. -Andrew, War Governor of the Commonwealth, frequently enjoyed its -hospitable welcome. - -Here Hawthorne was a favored guest, as was his charming cousin Susan -Ingersoll, familiarly known as ‘The Duchess.’ Henry Clay was at one -time entertained here. - - -THE GARDNER-WHITE-PINGREE HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE GARDNER-WHITE-PINGREE HOUSE] - -Samuel McIntire, the famous Salem architect, died in 1811. The -Gardner-White-Pingree house was designed by him in the previous year, -and was possibly his last achievement. The shape of the building is -oblong, most of the best houses of the period being square. The windows -of the top story are foreshortened. The narrow bands of white marble -running across the façade at the height of the first and second floor -deceive the eye, and make the building appear lower than it is. - -In the front doorway and porch we have a notable specimen of McIntire’s -work, illustrating the freedom with which he employed original ideas -in the use of the various architectural orders. Corinthian columns -support the porch roof, but they are without the usual fluting; -while the pilasters farther back are fluted. The slender grace of the -tall columns is most pleasing and the elliptical roof with its simple -mouldings well crowns the whole. A spider-web fanlight of beautiful -proportions surmounts the doorway, which is flanked by side-lights of -pleasing design. The wide door itself, though not of original Colonial -type, is not a discordant note in the _ensemble_. - -A most elaborate cast-iron fence with square openwork posts resembling -tree-boxes, standing at the foot of the steps and continued by simpler -hand-rails, lends a proper finish to the approach; while the marble -sills and keyed lintels of the windows relieve the plain expanse of the -façade. - - -THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES - -Reference has been made to two of the doorways of the famous ‘House -of the Seven Gables’ at the lower end of Turner Street, close to -the harbor. This romantic old dwelling dates from the year 1662, a -fact gleaned from an ancient iron fire-back standing in one of the -fireplaces, bearing this date. - -The many gables doubtless belong to sections of the house, built at -different times, and the assemblage as a whole is rendered charming by -the many irregularities of its composition. It was for four successive -generations occupied by the Turner family, from whom Turner Street -received its name; they were wealthy citizens, prominent in the civil, -military, and mercantile life of the town. - -Captain Turner was a representative in the General Court, or -legislature, and was once sent with a detail of militia to prevent -the town of Andover from falling into the hands of hostile Indians, -bringing back as a trophy, as told by his great-granddaughter, a string -of scalps which were for many years in his possession. - -After the passing of the Turners, the house was occupied by the -Ingersoll family. Susan Ingersoll, termed by Hawthorne ‘The Duchess,’ -was a favorite cousin. Tradition has it that a chance remark of hers -confirmed him in the choice of the name for his famous novel ‘The House -of the Seven Gables’--one that has immortalized the old house. - - -THE J. FOSTER SMITH HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE J. FOSTER SMITH HOUSE] - -In Old Salem at Christmas-time a charming custom prevails of decking -entrance-door and porch with greens and garlands. - -A typical enclosed porch, with the favorite oval side-lights, fluted -Tuscan pilasters, and triangular pediment adorned with a hand-tooled -wooden wreath, is shown, with the Christmas greens gracefully draped -about it. This is the residence of J. Foster Smith, at 132 Federal -Street, and is about a hundred and fifty years old. - - -THE GRACE MACHADO HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE GRACE MACHADO HOUSE] - -Most of the old-time houses in Salem stood bare and unadorned, except -for the beauty of their architectural embellishments. In a few cases, -however, vines and creepers have been encouraged to embower the porch, -or even to cling to the façade itself. Examples of this are: the -Hosmer-Townsend-Waters house on Washington Square; the Studio at 2-4 -Chestnut Street; the Mansfield-Bolles house at 8 Chestnut Street; the -Baldwin-Lyman house at 92 Washington Square; the Mack and Stone house -at 21 and 23 Chestnut Street; and the home of Miss Grace Machado at 5 -Carpenter Street, where a gorgeous wistaria covers the entire front of -the building with its clusters of purple bloom. - - -THE STEARNS HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE STEARNS HOUSE] - -Houses of the period following the gambrel-roofed type were in shape -commonly either square or rectangular. Almost always the third-story -windows were nearly square, as compared with the taller ones of the -first and second floors--an architectural device by means of which -the building appeared lower than it actually was. This was called -‘foreshortening.’ The severity of outline presented by these simple -structures was relieved by various devices--sometimes by quoined -corner-boards, an ornamental cornice, a balustraded roof, or decorative -lintels above the windows; very rarely by rusticated front-boards in -imitation of stone blocks. The chief glory of the house as one viewed -it from the outside was of necessity the entrance, with its porch, open -or enclosed; and it was hither that the loving attention of architect -and wood-carver was most assiduously directed. - -The Stearns house, built in 1776, stands at 384 Essex Street, and -presents a notable example of the Revolutionary style. - -As was very often the case with Salem houses, the plain character of -the original structure of the Stearns homestead was later relieved by -the addition of a porch of most artistic design, again from the hand of -Samuel McIntire, regarding whom one is continually led to wonder that -in the short period of his activity he could achieve so much. This new -porch was put in place in 1785, and is of especial dignity due to the -use of flanking pilasters in addition to the engaged columns at the -rear of the structure. The order is Doric and the effect is one of -strength and permanence. - -At the North Bridge affair in February, 1775, when Colonel Leslie’s -troops met armed resistance from the Salem citizens, one of the leading -spirits on the patriot side was ‘Major’ Joseph Sprague. It was for -him that this house was erected, later passing into the hands of the -Stearns family, connections of the Major by marriage. Colonel Sprague, -as he later became, died in 1808, since which time this has been known -as the Stearns house. - - -THE TIMOTHY ORNE HOUSE - -Belonging to the same period as the Stearns house, but a few years -earlier in origin, having been built in 1761, the Timothy Orne house -at 266 Essex Street makes a somewhat more painstaking attempt at -decoration than most of those of the time. - -It has balustraded roof, quoined corners, and ornamental cornice; its -chimney-stacks taper at the top; while the handsome porch presents a -center toward which the eye naturally reverts as the keynote of the -whole. - -The activities of the Committee of Safety just prior to the Revolution -are well-known, as is the fate which commonly befell those persons who -were suspected of Royalist leanings. Tarring and feathering was the -usual method of exhibiting patriotic distaste for such proclivities; -and Timothy Orne, owner of the house in question, seems to have fallen -under the ban, inasmuch as some old-time correspondence relates that he -narrowly escaped this humiliating ordeal, being released on condition -of good behavior. - -The Orne house possessed a ‘decked’ roof--the original purpose of -which was to afford the Salem merchant an elevated platform from which -through his glass he might scan the horizon for his incoming ships. -This type of roof is found upon many of the houses of that period. The -‘belvedere,’ a small balustraded platform at the center of the roof -at the summit, was a variation of the cupola idea, both of these as -found upon Salem houses having their origin in utility--a lookout-place -rather than an architectural feature. Nevertheless, as on the -Baldwin-Lyman and Pickman-Shreve-Little houses and others, a gratifying -decorative effect was secured. - - -THE CROWNINSHIELD-DEVEREUX-WATERS HOUSE - -Crowninshield, in early days pronounced ‘Grounsell’--was a great name -in Old Salem. The house of George Crowninshield stood on the present -location of the Custom-House, its cupola surmounted by a weather vane -in shape of a man with a telescope. This George, a famous ship-owner, -was the father of three sons, Benjamin, member of Congress and -Secretary of the Navy under Presidents Madison and Monroe; Jacob, also -a Congressman; and Captain George, owner of Cleopatra’s Barge, one of -the first pleasure yachts ever built in America. - -Clifford Crowninshield in 1805 erected a house after designs by -McIntire at 72 Washington Square, East. This building was square, with -a long L at the side, an enclosed porch being placed in the angle -formed by the two buildings. - -Clifford Crowninshield might be called a ‘merchant plunger.’ He amassed -great wealth by fortunate ventures. His ship Minerva was the first -Salem vessel to carry the flag around the world. In 1809 he died, and -his house was occupied by his brother-in-law, Captain James Devereux. - -Devereux was of the same type as Crowninshield. As captain of the ship -Franklin, of Boston, he traded with Japan half a century before Admiral -Perry opened the door to American commerce. In 1808 he paid $26,618.25 -customs duties on a single cargo of coffee. Dying in 1846, he left the -house to Captain William Dean Waters, his son-in-law. Waters died in -1880, and in 1892 the property passed out of the family. - -The entrance of this huge homestead, with its elliptical porch -surmounted by a handsome balustrade, its solid Tuscan columns, -spreading fanlight, and paneled door, is in scale with the rest of the -building. The tiny square windows on the third floor add a quaint touch -to the whole. - - -THE MANSFIELD-BOLLES HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE MANSFIELD-BOLLES HOUSE] - -Oblong houses in Old Salem stood sometimes with the front to the -street, sometimes with the end; the latter is the case with the -Mansfield-Bolles house at 8 Chestnut Street, built in 1810. The house -is of brick, painted, which has spoiled the mellow effect. It is -entirely covered as to the front with a close growth of ampelopsis. At -the center is the handsome doorway, nearly flush with the façade, the -spreading fanlight, oval-paned side-lights, and proper Colonial paneled -door producing a most pleasing effect. The windows of the upper story -are not foreshortened--an unusual feature in houses of this type. This -is probably due to the fact that this story was a later addition, the -building having previously been used for commercial purposes. - -The late Reverend Dr. E. C. Bolles, professor at Tufts College, and -formerly pastor of the Universalist Church in Salem, lived here for -many years. - - -THE RICHARD DERBY HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE RICHARD DERBY HOUSE] - -This is the oldest brick residence in Salem, being built in 1761 by -Richard Derby, whose son, Elias Hasket Derby, became the greatest -merchant of the time, owning the Grand Turk of 300 tons, originally -built for a privateer, but turned to commercial uses, and one of the -fastest sailing craft afloat. His ship Atlantic was the first of the -famous Indiamen, trading with Calcutta and Bombay before the eighteenth -century had come to a close. The house in question is said to have -been built for him. It was Elias Hasket Derby who headed the popular -subscription for redeeming Salem Common from its unkempt condition and -converting it into Washington Square. - -Richard Derby had formerly occupied a gambrel-roofed wooden house -which, erected in 1738, still stands at the corner of Herbert and Derby -Streets. The brick house we may imagine represented a great advance -in building. There had been one attempt, as early as 1700, at a brick -house, but the owner’s wife considered it unsanitary, and prevailed -upon him to demolish it. - -An interesting feature of the Derby house is the location of the four -chimneys in pairs at either end. This was no doubt an improvement over -the old style of a huge central stack, with fireplaces opening into it -from all sides. The entrance is most attractive, though unpretentious. -One notices the fluted pilasters with Doric capitals, the severe -square-paned top-light, the elaborate paneling of the door, and the -very unusual effect of the rusticated jambs. - - -THE HODGES-PEELE-WEST HOUSE - -Beautifully shaded by huge elms, the Hodges-Peele-West house at 12 -Chestnut Street affords a typical illustration of the square brick -house of the early years of the nineteenth century. This was erected in -1804 for Captain Jonathan Hodges, and was remodeled in 1845 by its then -owner, Willard Peele. The warm red-brick, so effective as a background -for the pure white of the Colonial porch, has here been hidden by a -coat of gray paint. A light and artistic iron fence encloses the yard, -stables of a design harmonious with the house itself are located at the -rear, and a most attractive and handsome porch invites entrance. - - -THE SILSBEE-MOTT HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE SILSBEE-MOTT HOUSE] - -Although fallen out of favor at the beginning, as unsanitary and damp, -brick houses in Salem finally triumphantly came into their own, and the -opening of the nineteenth century found them the prevailing type. - -It was some time before so-called double houses, or ‘semi-detached’ -houses, began to be erected; but a first attempt had already been made -in 1814 and soon after we find a number of examples. - -Notable among these is the Silsbee-Mott house, built for two families, -at the corner of Oliver Street and Washington Square. Instead of a -double house, however, we seem to have two single houses of similar -design joined together. - -Our plate shows the handsome porch and entrance of the Mott side of the -house. - - -THE HODGES-WEBB-MEEK HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE HODGES-WEBB-MEEK HOUSE] - -The Hodges-Webb-Meek house stands in the heart of the business district -at 81 Essex Street, built in the latter part of the eighteenth century. -Located just back from the street, it has been for many years the only -one left of the row of houses where the exclusive set of Old Salem -formerly lived. It is a gambrel-roofed building of architectural -importance and is closely connected with the early history of the -city. Would that these old porches could relate the many romances and -tragedies they have witnessed since coming into being--to tell us of -the days when Salem was a social center, composed of the ship-owners -and their families, of which there were a sufficient number to make -a story which links itself with her wealth and ventures. It is -interesting to trace as far as possible the incentive which they had -in designing their homes, with their wide hallways and large, square, -white paneled rooms opening on either side, often ending with the -old-fashioned garden, laid out at the rear of the houses. - - -THE PICKMAN-SHREVE-LITTLE HOUSE - -Along tree-shaded Chestnut Street stand houses that were built just -after the decline of commerce, and it is to these that we turn -for the study of the different periods. Notable among them is the -Pickman-Shreve-Little house at 27 Chestnut Street, a large three-story -brick mansion with both front and side porches; but it is that which -faces the residential street of Old Salem of which we wish to speak. - -The house was built in 1816, and, while similar in style to the -Dodge-Shreve house, has the distinction of having the very best -Corinthian porch on Chestnut Street, impressive with its hand-tooled -lintels, displaying central vertical bead-moulding. - -Originally it was built for one of the most daring of the intrepid -ship-owners who had amassed a fortune in the days when the East Indies -opened up trade which brought glory to the old seaport town--days when -level-headed merchants vied with each other in competing in foreign -lands. It has been said of young Pickman, the first owner of this -house, that he was a man with a mind as keen as a Damascus blade, -faithful in friendship and an absolute genius in financial affairs, -especially during the days when forests of masts rose at the wharves, -when men worked with a will, aided by their wives and daughters, who -were willing to assist them with wise economies. - -In the years to come the history of Salem and her commerce will -have faded from the minds of the younger generation. This makes it -imperative that accurate facts be culled from the oldest inhabitants, -through which we may learn narratives never told concerning the days -and ways when ships were linked with her business life. - -Salem architecture will never fade--it will grow more valuable as -time passes on; therefore, it behooves us to cherish not only her -porches and her houses, but her wall-papers, her hand-tooling, and the -treasures brought over by merchantmen and clipper ships just after the -Revolutionary War. - - -THE HOME FOR AGED WOMEN - -[Illustration: THE HOME FOR AGED WOMEN] - -Many buildings in Salem which now house various charities and -organizations were originally private houses, with which is associated -much interesting history. - -One such instance is found in the Home for Aged Women at 180 Derby -Street. - -Erected in 1810 from designs by McIntire, this was the home of the -Honorable Benjamin W. Crowninshield, Secretary of the Navy under -Madison and Monroe, to whom reference has already been made. William C. -Endicott, Secretary of War during Cleveland’s administration, was born -here in 1826. - -When the property passed into the hands of the Association for the -Relief of Aged and Destitute Women, alterations and improvements were -made, but the main portion of the house remains as originally built. - -Notable among all McIntire’s entrances and porches is that which adorns -and dignifies this fine old house. Standing at the head of a flight -of six granite steps, fluted Doric columns support the porch roof, the -architrave and cornice being severely chaste, in the absence of any -carving or ornament whatsoever. Plain pilasters flank the charming -doorway, which is wide and hospitable, with a generous and beautiful -fanlight, and leaded side-lights of graceful design. - -The door itself is of unusual size, but bears the characteristic -Colonial panels, six in number, and is painted white. The total effect -is one of purity and taste, with a certain note of nobility which -inevitably impresses the beholder. - -This house, then owned by Secretary Crowninshield, was occupied by -President Monroe when he visited Salem in 1817. - -Guests at the time included a number of notable men from every -department of public service--Judge Joseph Story, General Dearborn, -Commodores Bainbridge and Perry, Senator Silsbee, Lieutenant-Governor -Gray, and General James Miller among them. General Miller became -Collector of the Port in 1835, and continued in this office until 1849. -Nathaniel Hawthorne held the position of Surveyor of Customs for the -last three years of General Miller’s administration, when a political -overturn ousted both Surveyor and Collector. Spare time with Hawthorne -was partly spent in preparing the manuscript of ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ -in the introduction to which he describes the old Custom-House. - -General Miller fought at Lundy’s Lane--his historic reply on that -occasion, ‘I’ll try, sir,’ being afterward by governmental order -engraved upon the buttons of his famous regiment. - - -THE HOME FOR AGED MEN - -[Illustration: THE HOME FOR AGED MEN - -Turner Street Doorway] - -As late as 1806, in spite of the general exodus from Derby Street to -Chestnut, a few new houses were being built in the old territory. -One of these was put up by Captain Joseph Waters, on the corner of -Derby and Turner Streets, and possesses some unusual and attractive -architectural features. The window lintels are of white marble with -keystones, and this produces a striking effect. The main entrance is -on the side, and the portico is two stories in height, supported by -huge Corinthian columns. Both the main entrance and the smaller one -on Turner Street have a note of something a trifle different from the -prevailing Salem idea. - -Through the generosity of Captain John Bertram, this commodious house -was in 1877 donated as a Home for Aged Men. - - -THE BENJAMIN PICKMAN HOUSE - -Somewhat resembling that famous mansion ‘The Lindens,’ at Danvers, -described elsewhere, is the Benjamin Pickman house at 165 Essex Street, -built in 1743. It has the same two-story pilasters supporting a gable -in the gambrel roof, the same rusticated boarding and groined corners. -The dormer windows have alternately arched and pointed gables. - -The doorway is unusually ornate, with rusticated jambs, and a broken -arch pediment in which stands a sculptural bust. This doorway is of the -enclosed variety and was added by McIntire in 1800. - -The Pickman house was formerly adorned with much beautiful interior -carved woodwork, little of which remains. The owner, out of compliment -to the industry by which he prospered, caused a carved and gilded -codfish to be mounted on each of the stairways, but these, too, are -missing. The erection of other buildings in front of the Pickman house -hides its real character. Still it repays careful study. - - -THE ELIAS HASKET DERBY HOUSE - -Among all the residences of Old Salem, that which was most ambitious -and pretentious no longer exists, save in picture and memory. This was -the famous mansion built by McIntire in 1798 for Elias Hasket Derby, -Salem’s greatest merchant, at a cost of $80,000. Derby lived only a -few months after taking possession, and the upkeep of so expensive an -establishment deterring prospective purchasers, this splendid house was -dismantled and finally razed in 1815--the land being donated to the -town for a public market. Derby Square, where the present Market House -now stands, was the location of the famous house. - -McIntire was in 1804 erecting a house at 142 Federal Street for Captain -Cook. Business reverses greatly delayed its completion, and McIntire -continued it at his leisure, taking advantage of the dismantling of the -Derby mansion to utilize much of its beautifully carved woodwork in the -interior. The result was the Cook-Oliver house, as it is now known--one -of the most satisfying to the artistic sense of any in all Salem. - -Existing plans and sketches of the Derby mansion show us a huge -rectangular building, suggesting a court-house, or some such public -structure, standing well back from the street, its great doorway -flanked by double columns supporting a balustraded balcony. Above -this is a splendid Palladian window, and above this again hand-tooled -festoons of drapery. The door itself has ornate fanlight with -side-lights to correspond, and stands at the head of a flight of -massive steps. - -The flat roof with its elaborate cornice and heavy balustrade is -supported by pilasters, six in number, having carved capitals; and -these in turn at the second floor level rest upon plain pilasters. A -huge cupola surmounts the roof, with bell-shaped top, carved garlands, -and arched windows. The lintels of the first two tiers of the house -windows are heavy with ornament, while the third tier illustrates the -familiar plan of foreshortening. A great deal of iron fencing with -ornamental posts surrounds the spacious yard. - -With all the prodigality of architectural detail embodied in this -great mansion, it must still be admitted that it was not overdone, -as the large proportions and wide spaces pleasantly distributed the -ornamentation over a broad field. - -The Derby mansion doubtless represented the climax of effort in the -line of house-building in Salem--the sudden death of its owner, -followed by its own demolition, being a melancholy comment upon the -uncertainty of human plans. - - -THE NEAL-KITTRIDGE-ROGERS HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE NEAL-KITTRIDGE-ROGERS HOUSE] - -This fine residence, at 13 Chestnut Street, is closely associated with -the subject of Salem’s unprecedented commercial activity and success -from the earliest date, to which some reference has already been made. - -The adjacent waters swarmed with fish, cod, sturgeon, and salmon; and -for a hundred years this was the chief article of export. So plentiful -was North River salmon that the articles of indentured apprentices -contained a proviso that they should not be obliged to partake of it -more than three times a week. - -Other items of export were ‘lumber, horses, whale- and fish-oil, -whalebone, furs, elk- and bear-skins.’ - -The Revolution halted Salem’s commerce, and with patriotic devotion and -Yankee ingenuity, the ketches and ships of trade were quickly converted -into privateers. All told, these numbered upwards of 158; and during -the war they took 445 prizes--an average of three apiece. - -At the close of the war, Salem found her fleet upon her hands; and her -merchants began to look farther from home for the trade to which their -newer and larger vessels were better fitted than for their previous -short voyages to the mother country or to near-by European ports. - -The daring spirit of American sailors turned toward Oriental countries, -with their glamour of romance and danger and their lure of wealth; and -soon the ports of all the East became familiar with Salem vessels, -and Salem warehouses were filled with the products of foreign lands. -India, Sumatra, China, Zanzibar, Batavia, and Africa all made their -contribution to Salem’s increasing wealth; and her name became the -synonym for commercial enterprise the world over. - -When one recalls the fact that early vessels were usually not over -sixty tons burthen, while their skippers were commonly no more than -boys--the captain and mates of the first Salem India-man being still in -their teens--the wonder grows. Interesting touches are found here and -there; as, for example, that the first elephant ever seen in the United -States came over from Bengal in 1796, in the ship America, of which -Captain Jacob Crowninshield, of Salem, was owner and master. - -One of these old-time merchant adventurers was Captain William H. Neal, -for whom was built the house at 13 Chestnut Street. Directly across -from Hamilton Hall, one might catch glimpses from the upper windows -of the festivities in that famous social center. Later, the property -was bought by Dr. Thomas Kittridge, and is now the residence of his -daughter, Mrs. Foster Rogers. - -The doorway and porch are of severe and simple beauty, the fluted -pilasters, plain architrave, and rectangular-paned top- and -side-lights, together with the six-paneled green door, ornamented with -old-time brass knocker and latch, presenting a most harmonious and -pleasing effect. - - -THE ARTHUR WEST HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE ARTHUR WEST HOUSE] - -The name of West in Salem is closely associated with her commercial -enterprise. Nathaniel West was part owner of the Minerva, the first -vessel from this port to circumnavigate the globe. The family was -connected by marriage with the Peabodys, Crowninshields, and Derbys, -Nathaniel West marrying Elizabeth, a daughter of Elias Hasket Derby, -and building the handsome residence at Peabody now known as ‘Oak Hill.’ -Lieutenant Benjamin West was the only man from Salem to lose his life -at the battle of Bunker Hill. - -The doorway of the West house at 12 Chestnut Street maintains the best -traditions of Colonial architecture. The fluted columns, dentiled -architrave, plain top- and side-lights, and fine old six-paneled -door, present a pleasing _ensemble_. The capitals contain a hint of the -Egyptian in the use of the lotus-leaf. - - -THE HOFFMAN-SIMPSON HOUSE - -[Illustration: THE HOFFMANN-SIMPSON HOUSE] - -Captain Charles Hoffman, original owner of the handsome brick mansion -at 26 Chestnut Street, was a prosperous merchant, whose hobby when -ashore was the care of his famous garden. He was the importer of the -first azaleas known in America, the old conservatories which he used -being still in existence. - -The present occupant of the house, Dr. James Simpson, has kept the -beautiful old-fashioned garden intact, with the same varieties of -flowers which Captain Hoffman originally planted. The central feature -of the garden is an ancient summer-house, covered with a thick growth -of ‘Dutchman’s Pipe,’ the vine being over eighty years old. - -For sheer beauty and taste, the porch and doorway of this old mansion -are scarcely surpassed by any in Salem. The fluted columns are Ionic, -the architrave directly above ornamented with guttæ, while beneath the -cornice is a line of ball moulding. The fine old door bears a brass -knocker; the leaded glass of top- and side-lights is of exceptional -charm. The casing of the doorway is finely moulded; and the designer -has added a unique completing touch by painting the adjacent brickwork -white. - - -THE DOYLE MANSION - -[Illustration: THE DOYLE MANSION] - -The ‘Doyle Mansion,’ always so-called, stands at 33 Summer Street, and -possesses a most interesting history. - -Its original owner was a Captain Doyle. Incurring serious losses -through unfortunate ventures in trade, the family took in two or three -‘paying guests.’ This plan proving successful, it was enlarged by -gradual additions until a second, and soon a third, house was needed to -care for the growing business. Recently a fourth house--that standing -next door, once the residence of Samuel McIntire, the famous craftsman -and architect--has been included in the establishment, which has -carried on its business continuously for ninety-seven years. - -It is gratifying to be able to record the fact that all the old -furnishings of the house have been kept intact. In the hallway, as -fresh as when originally hung, is a beautiful wall-paper of the -familiar ‘castellated’ pattern. - -The doorway is severely plain, the sole ornamentation being in -the brackets which support the porch roof, and the dentils and -modillions beneath the cornice. - - -DERBY STREET AND CHESTNUT STREET - -Visitors to Old Salem who try to identify the scenes of the little -town’s ancient glory will find small comfort on Derby Street. - -Stretching for the distance of half a mile along the water-front, -this was once the center of the thriving commerce of the place. Along -one side of the street were the counting-houses of the merchant -princes, around which hung the atmosphere and flavor of thrilling -maritime romance. Practically the entire male population, young and -old, was engaged directly or indirectly in the business of such as go -down to the sea in ships. Ship-builders and sailors, craftsmen and -navigators--Derby Street hummed with their activities. Before the ports -of New York and Boston had acquired touch with Oriental trade, Salem -had already dipped deep into the coffers of the East; and the ambition -of her bold adventurers was well expressed in the motto upon the seal -of the town--‘Divitis Indiæ usque ad ultimum sinum’--‘Unto the farthest -bay of wealthy Ind.’ - -Some idea of the volume of the trade whose center was in Derby Street -may be gained from the fact that in thirty years customs duties -totaled more than eleven million dollars, while over two hundred and -fifty vessels flew the flag in every corner of the seven seas. - -All this brought into Salem an element not only of wealth and comfort, -but of culture and refinement as well; and so on Derby Street, across -from the counting-houses where the money was made, arose the handsome -homes of those who had made it, and to whom it brought the means of -maintaining a high standard of living. Here were to be found all the -finest residences of Salem; it was in truth the ‘Court end’ of the town. - -But to-day all is changed. With but a single exception here and there, -Derby Street presents a squalid and forlorn succession of shabby frame -houses, occupied mostly by foreigners. Commerce consists in such humble -trade as goes on in Greek restaurants and Polish markets. The splendid -homes of merchants and ship-owners no longer gratify the eye; and what -is of note to-day in architectural beauty and taste in Salem must be -sought elsewhere than in its original location. - -With the advent of the railroad, the maritime commerce of the town -began to decline. The counting-houses gradually closed. No longer did -the boys of the town, on the lookout for returning ships, descrying -a familiar rig or figurehead at the harbor’s mouth, race for Derby -Street to bring the earliest news and claim the customary reward. No -longer did the ship-owner pace the ‘Captain’s Walk,’ glass in hand, to -raise on the distant horizon the topsails of some overdue vessel. The -ancient glory was departed; and unwilling to linger where reminders of -past grandeur continually met the eye, the men of wealth and standing -with one accord took thought for a spot where they might rebuild, -and form a sort of neighborhood community where the traditions of -maritime greatness should be maintained in an atmosphere all their own. -A move was first made in the direction of Beverly, but meeting some -obstacles connected with land titles, another selection was made, and -Chestnut Street, with its double row of beautiful and artistic Colonial -mansions, stretches its half-mile under the arching trees. - -Some account such as the foregoing is necessary for the understanding -of the grouping of so large a number of splendid residences in one -quarter of the town. Washington Square, to be sure, presents a somewhat -similar case; but it was Chestnut Street which was considered the most -choice and exclusive section. It ‘kept itself to itself,’ as the saying -was: and woe to the social climber who might unsponsored seek to make -his way into the royal group. - -As at first laid out, the land upon which each house on Chestnut Street -was located extended through to Essex Street on the one side and to -Broad Street on the other. The regret often finds expression that these -fine homes are built so close to the sidewalk as to lose the setting -of lawn and shrubbery at the front. The chief reason for this probably -lies in the fact that the garden was very dear to Salem hearts, and -all the space possible was desired for its development. In the rear -of many an old mansion may still be found, somewhat shrunken in size, -an old garden which is a veritable spot of beauty. Some of these were -laid out in the formal Italian manner, like that of the Ropes Memorial -on Essex Street; of the old-fashioned sort are those of the Cabot-Low, -the Pierce-Johonnot and the Cook-Oliver houses. The Cabot garden used -to boast of over six hundred varieties of tulips, imported by its owner -from Holland. On the street itself, the handsome shade-trees were all -set out by the owners of the houses on either side. - -[Illustration: HOUSE OF MRS. EMERY JOHNSON - -362 Essex Street] - -Walking down Chestnut Street to-day, one is impressed by the beautiful -porches and doorways which face one another across the broad avenue -between. They seem to speak of cordial hospitality and to extend a -welcome to expected guests. - -Such hospitality was a well-known characteristic in fact of Salem -homes; and on Chestnut Street it was notably exemplified, though in its -own exclusive way. - -Socially Chestnut Street was exceedingly gay. Many were the -‘parties’ which took place within those beautiful homes, and many -the distinguished guests entertained there. Invitations were always -delivered by the children, who went from door to door with note or -message telling of the place and time. Often the party was an all-day -affair, to which the ladies went each with her beaded bag containing -her work. Tea was served at four o’clock, out-of-doors if the weather -permitted, indoors if necessary. ‘Nimble-cake’ was a favorite adjunct -of the cup of tea. In the evening the gentlemen appeared; and one may -imagine the effect of small-clothes and ruffles, silken gowns and India -shawls, amid the handsome furnishings and lavish architectural beauty -of the spacious Colonial rooms and hallways. - -Public balls and receptions were equally gay and equally exclusive. -Usually held in Hamilton Hall, on the corner of Chestnut and Cambridge -Streets, they included only such persons as were socially vouched for -by the proper authorities. - -On these occasions the finest silver and linen were sent over for the -table, as were rugs for the floor, by the housewives. Refreshments were -available all the evening, and later on dinner was served, featuring -the favorite dainties of the time--not forgetting ‘sangaree,’ for the -mixing of which there was always abundance of imported stock. - -[Illustration: THE HOUSE OF MRS. GEORGE WHEATLAND - -374 Essex Street] - -At these Assemblies the students from Harvard College, as it then -was, were very popular, and found many a fair partner among the Salem -beauties, of whom there was no lack. No less a personage than President -Washington himself commented, at the time of his reception at Assembly -Hall in 1789, upon the large number, upwards of a hundred, of handsome -ladies present. - -Mention of the Chestnut Street festivities would hardly be complete -without reference to the Salem Cadets, an exclusive military -organization resembling the famous Seventh Regiment of New York. They -had an armory at 136 Essex Street, formerly the residence of Colonel -Francis Peabody, to which a drill-shed was added. In the ‘Banqueting -Hall’ of the Peabody mansion Prince Arthur of England, in the country -for the purpose of attending the funeral of George Peabody, the London -banker, in 1870, was entertained at dinner. This handsome room was -finished in carved oak in the Elizabethan Gothic style. The figure of -Queen Victoria appears over the fireplace, supported by mailed figures. - -This woodwork has been removed to the Masonic Temple on Washington -Street, where it adorns one of the smaller rooms. The Peabody house was -demolished in 1908. - -Wearing their famous scarlet uniforms, and swinging down Chestnut -Street, their favorite parade-ground, with handkerchiefs waving from -the classic porches on either side, the Salem Cadets lend a touch of -color and life which is most attractive against the Colonial background. - - -FAMOUS NAMES IN SALEM - -The house is nothing without its inhabitant; and thus Salem -architecture, however beautiful, would lack in significance if -dissociated from the persons, men and women, who have passed in and -out of these hospitable doors, or spent years of life beneath the -sheltering roofs. - -As one scans the roster, he is led to wonder that so many famous names -are found upon it--both inhabitants and guests--considering the size -of the place: ‘infinite riches in a little room.’ For among those who -were born in Salem, or lived here long enough to call it home, are -Nathaniel Hawthorne; Nathaniel Bowditch, the famous mathematician; -the Honorable Jacob Crowninshield and his brother Benjamin, Secretary -of the Navy under two Presidents; Colonel Timothy Pickering, of -Revolutionary fame; General Henry K. Oliver, the well-known musician; -President E. C. Bolles, of Tufts College; Colonel George Peabody, -art-lover and merchant prince; William Bentley and William H. Prescott, -the historians; General Israel Putnam; Count Rumford; Henry FitzGilbert -Waters, the genealogist; Charles T. Brooks, essayist and poet; the -Honorable Rufus Choate; John Singleton Copley, the artist, whose son -became Lord Chancellor of England; the Honorable George B. Loring, -Congressman and Minister to Portugal in Harrison’s administration; -Benjamin Peirce, eminent among the scientists of his day; the Honorable -Nathaniel Read, Congressman and inventor of the cut nail; John Rogers, -the sculptor; Jones Very, the poet; Joseph E. Worcester, of dictionary -fame; General Frederick T. Ward, organizer of the Chinese troops which -in the Tai-Ping Rebellion were called the ‘unbeatable army’--and many -others. - -Among the noted visitors who were at various times guests of the town -appear the names of the Marquis de Lafayette, President Washington, -Alexander Hamilton, Henry Clay, President Monroe, General W. T. -Sherman, the Right Honorable Joseph Chamberlain, War Governor John A. -Andrew, President Chester A. Arthur, King Edward VII of England (then -Prince of Wales), President Andrew Jackson, Louis Kossuth the Hungarian -patriot, General George B. McClellan. - -Wealth accumulated in Salem, but men did not decay. Few towns in -New England can boast of such striking history and such valuable -achievements on the part of their citizens, within a like period of -time, as can Old Salem by the Sea. - - -PALLADIAN WINDOWS - -The earliest hallways in old Salem houses, as we have seen, whether at -front or rear, were not hallways in any real sense of the term, but -were entries, tiny and dark, receiving a dim illumination from the -bull’s-eye or square-paned windows in the upper panels of the door, or -from the narrow horizontal transom which was later placed above it. -There was little of convenience, and still less of hospitality, in -these cramped spaces, which were usually just large enough for the door -to swing back against the wall, while the entering guest squeezed by -into the room opening at the side. - -But with enlarging ideas of comfort and convenience, the entry -gradually developed into a hallway proper, leading right through the -house, the staircase no longer a meager Jacob’s ladder screwing its way -upward, but now a wide and handsome ascent of noble proportions, with -carved balusters and newel-posts. - -Up such a staircase the guest would pass, pausing on the broad landing -to admire the beautifully laid out garden which graced the yard of -the fine estate, and resting for a few moments upon the cushioned -seat which commanded the charming view, framed as it was in a large -ornamental window set in the house-wall at the head of the stairs. - -These Palladian windows--so-called after Andrea Palladio, an Italian -architect of the sixteenth century--consist of a central opening, -usually in scale with the other windows of the house, and having the -same number of panes, but with an arched top, circular or elliptical, -sometimes resembling a fanlight, rarely a solid segment of wood -embellished with carved ornaments. Flanking this central opening are -side-lights, of plain or tastefully leaded glass, and as most often in -Salem houses the Palladian window is placed directly above the main -entrance, the pattern of these side-lights, as also the architectural -_motif_ of frame and entablature, echo those of the doorway and porch -below. - -The original use of the Palladian window in Old Salem was an interior -one--to furnish light to hallway and stairs; but later, as increasing -attention was paid to the exterior appearance of the house, especially -in the period when brick was mostly used in construction, it became -an adjunct of front doorway and porch, continuing at the level of the -second floor the structural idea which began at the first, in sympathy -with the order and proportions of the rest, and repeating upon a -reduced scale the columns, pilasters, and ornamentation of the major -portion of the work. - -It is this use of the Palladian window which in many old Salem houses -prevents the porch itself from appearing stubby and squat; for the -window continues the idea begun in the porch itself, and leads the eye -gently and unconsciously upward until it rests satisfied--the entire -center of the façade, though the greater part of its height, being thus -occupied by forms of grace and beauty, to which the plain character of -the remainder of the structure lends itself as an agreeable foil. - -Interesting and handsome examples of the Palladian window abound on old -Salem buildings, both public and private, and are repeated also in -modern houses which are reproductions of the Colonial type. - -Hamilton Hall, built from designs by McIntire in 1805 and still -standing at the corner of Cambridge and Chestnut Streets, has an -entire row of these windows, five on a side along its second story. -The Market House on Derby Street has all windows of this type, that -above the entrance more elaborate in design. The Custom-House affords -another example. But by far the most beautiful and interesting are -to be found on the private houses of Salem citizens erected at the -period when beauty and appropriateness of exterior construction began -to be recognized as the true counterpart of beauty and appropriateness -within. Interiors had long been elaborately and expensively prepared, -while the outside of the house had been ignored; but with the advent -of the classic and handsome entrance-porch and its almost necessary -adjunct, the Palladian window, this neglect began at last to be -repaired. - -[Illustration: THE CUSTOM-HOUSE - -Associated with Hawthorne’s life in Salem] - -It will well repay Salem visitors to note the beauty and architectural -use of these windows in conjunction with a study of doorway and porch. -Notable examples are to be found on the Pierce-Johonnot-Nichols house -at 80 Federal Street, on the landing of the second floor; at the -Dodge-Shreve house at 29 Chestnut Street; the Pickman-Shreve-Little -house next door at Number 27; at the Whipple house, 2 Andover Street; -the Lindall-Gibbs-Osgood house at 314 Essex Street, this one lighting -the landing on the second floor at the rear, as is the case in the -Cook-Oliver house at 142 Federal Street, while that over the porch of -the Andrew-Safford house at 13 Washington Square presents a unique -example of original treatment without departure from the architectural -_motif_ of the porch itself. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -OLD SALEM KNOCKERS - - -Tradition maintains that the Pilgrim and Puritan attitude toward -strangers was one of reserve and suspicion--upon the theory that until -one should prove his motives and purposes to be worthy, they must be -assumed to be otherwise. - -Something of this natural caution was necessary in the circumstances -under which our forbears took up their life in a new country; and the -feeling may be said to have been reflected, at first, in the difficulty -of finding entrance into their houses. The policy of the ‘open door’ -was not the original policy of the Salem Colony in the early years of -the settlement, although later the fine old town became noted for its -generous and lavish hospitality. - -Even to-day, one finds in old New England villages front doors which -are never opened; the bolt is rusted into its socket, or the key is -‘frozen’ and refuses to turn. In many instances these front doors have -never had steps built up to them, but remain inaccessible, save by -climbing, at three or four feet above the ground. - -The truth is that the ‘side-door’ was the normal entrance. In this part -of the house were the kitchen and living-room. Here the occupants of -the house spent most of their time, and here it was natural to seek -them, whether for purposes of business or merely for the social gossip -which made up so large a part of the simple life of the times. - -But with improvement in the type of Salem houses, the enlarging of -rooms and hallways, and the more careful attention which then began to -be given to front entrances and porches, a corresponding change took -place in the mental attitude toward the stranger. The wide and handsome -doorway invited him; it was ready to welcome him. But how should he -announce his presence? The old-time knocker was the answer. - -The study of old knockers furnishes a delightful occupation for the -lover of antiques. As found upon the doors of old Salem houses, they -furnish conspicuous and charming examples, not only of the art of the -craftsman in brass, who loved his work and lent to each specimen turned -out by him the impress of his individuality, but of the fondness of our -forbears for artistic and symbolic forms, together with an appreciation -of classic myths and allegories which is very striking, to those who -think of the early Colonists as hard men, with no richness of culture -and no love of beauty. - -The very earliest Salem knockers were no doubt of iron, usually in the -form of a ring, and serving also the purpose of a door-pull--as in the -case of the Parkman and Bradstreet mansions, of which pictures may be -seen in the Essex Institute, or in that of the Rebecca Nurse house in -Danvers, once a part of Old Salem. - -The knocker, however, became gradually more artistic and elaborate. -Brass was used instead of iron; and the effect of this against the -paneled door of green or white, perhaps of mahogany, was effective and -pleasing. - -Knockers of the second type comprise the hammer form in all its -variations; while those of the third type are marked by the -representation of human heads, animals, birds, or fishes. These had -their origin in Italy, in the best days of the Renaissance, and the -examples found in Old Salem are true to artistic type. - - [Illustration: OLD SALEM KNOCKERS - - (See pages 90-93)] - - No. 1. A handsome example of the so-called ‘urn shape’ is found on the - door of the Ropes house at 373 Essex Street. Its graceful curves are - most pleasing to the eye and its beauty consists largely in the pure - simplicity of its design. - - No. 2. One of the many variations of the ‘hammer’ type of knocker. - This one, quite simple in pattern, ornaments the door at the home of - Dr. Kittridge, on Chestnut Street. This has the general shape of an - old-fashioned thumb-latch door-handle, and might conceivably be used - as a door-pull. - - No. 3. When Mr. Eben Symonds bought his home on Lynde Street, he found - upon the door an old knocker of most unusual design. Of the ‘hammer’ - type, it showed a rectangular outline with a ‘striker’ in the form of - a fluted shell, grasped at the upper end by a clenched fist. Knocker - and door alike had been painted, but the former when cleaned was - discovered to be of brass--an especially beautiful specimen. - - No. 4. Another example of the ‘hammer’ type is at the residence of - Mr. Charles P. Waters on Washington Square. The design is quite - unusual, as both upper and lower plates are ornamented about their - circumference with points somewhat suggestive of a star pattern. - - No. 5. A not uncommon style of knocker had a blank space for the name - of the house-owner. The one shown here possesses this feature, with - a smaller space on the striker where the number of the house might - be engraved. The pattern is the familiar urn, so often present in - Colonial design. - - No. 6. This is a very unusual pattern, with a large smooth oval above - and a small diamond-shaped space upon the striker, perhaps for name - and number, as in the example just preceding. - - No. 7. A plain oval surmounted by a ring following its outline, with a - simple ornament at top and bottom suggesting a shell, is the design of - the knocker on the door of the Parker residence at 8 Chestnut Street. - Here use has been made of the blank surface for the engraving of the - owner’s name. This is another variety of the hammer type. - - A favorite pattern in English knockers, commonly used in this country - prior to the Revolution, was that of a lion, in whose jaws was - grasped the ring which formed the striker. But with the revolt - against royal tyranny, the lion was soon retired from his conspicuous - position, and his place taken by the more acceptable form of the - eagle, treated with greater or less conventionality. - - No. 8. On the door of Mrs. George Wheatland at 274 Essex Street - is found one of these eagle knockers. The lower part of the bird, - below the blank plate for owner’s name, has little suggestion of - ornithology, in strong contrast with the upper half, where the plumage - is strongly and effectively modeled. The striker itself carries a - possible suggestion of the dolphin. - - No. 9. Another eagle knocker, much less pleasing in treatment, and - bringing to mind the figures of the national emblem found upon - American coins, embellishes the entrance of ‘Oak Knoll,’ Peabody, once - a part of the old town of Danvers, as Danvers in its turn was once a - part of Old Salem. The shield upon the eagle’s breast is left blank - for use as a nameplate. - - [Illustration: OLD SALEM KNOCKERS - - (See pages 93-96)] - - No. 10. The use of classic heads drawn from Greek and Roman mythology - was very common in the Italian knockers of the Renaissance period, - and these were frequently imitated by the Colonial craftsmen in New - England. - - A curiously shaped knocker bearing the head of Diana, the crescent - upon her brow, the striker consisting of a greatly elongated drapery - with knots where it is fastened at either temple of the figure, as - also at the lower extremity, is found upon the door of Mr. Philip - Little, on Chestnut Street. - - No. 11. Another head of classic beauty representing Ariadne, crowned - with oak-leaves, which are bound with a fillet about her brow, is at - the home of Mrs. Walter Harris on Essex Street. Acorns are shown at - either temple, from which depend conventionalized oak-leaves somewhat - after the manner of drapery, meeting at the lower end to support a - small oval plate which is left blank probably for the house number, - the fillet being somewhat incongruously engraved with the owner’s - name. - - No. 12. Here is one of the favorite Lion type pattern, to which - reference has been already made. This appears to have been a popular - Italian design, knockers of its type being found upon many doors of - ancient homes of Venice. Tradition has it that Napoleon, noticing one - of these upon the Doge’s Palace and being reminded by it perhaps of - the British lion, angrily commanded it to be torn away. - - No. 13. One might wonder why the head of Medusa, conveying so many - suggestions of repulsion and terror, should be selected for a place - upon any hospitable door. Yet this was a frequent design, and it must - be confessed is artistically beautiful, with its flowing locks, its - winged brow, the scroll above, and the semi-circular striker with its - suggestions of leaves and acorns. - - No. 14. An example of the possibility of representing soft and flowing - draperies, even through the unyielding medium of metal, is found in - this beautiful ‘garland’ knocker. Above, appears the familiar urn - with its festooned border and curling ribbons at the base. Below, - the graceful lines of the garland trimmed with flowers lead the eye - downward to the rosette and pendant, which terminate the design. The - polished oval with its saw-tooth frame might almost serve as a mirror - for some Salem beauty standing at the door while awaiting admittance. - - -THE END - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -Minor errors and omissions in punctuation have been fixed. - -Henry FitzGilbert Waters and Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters both appear in -the original work. - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORIC DOORWAYS OF OLD -SALEM *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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