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TURNER STREET
Turner Street is one of the old ways in Salem and was named for
Captain John Turner, who built the oldest part of the House of Seven
Gables on the edge of Salem Harbor in 1668 . It was originally called
Turner ' s lane.
Bentley reported some of the early history of the street in his
Diary in 1803 as follows
The Selectmen have been down and surveyed that part of
Turner ' s Street which lays between Derby street and the
Harbour and have proposed to widen it in all places
where it is practicable, forty feet. There is much con-
versation on the subjectlof rebuilding a Wharf here & of
continuing it as far as 'the Channel. The success of the
family of Crowninshield has led to this enterprise. Here
were the old ferry ways of Marblehead ferry and they now
lay visible on the flats . Here was formerly the Wharf
of the Turners, built at a very early period of our history,
and suffered to decay upon the death of Col. Turner about
60 years ago. The water lots are now in possession, upon
Turner street, of John Collins on the east side & Samuel
Ingersoll upon the west side. Samuel Ingersoll lives in the
Mansion house. . . .On the Turner estate sixty years ago there
was only his mansion & now there are twenty dwelling houses
beside work shops & out buildings .
Phillips wrote that there was a shipyard at the foot of the
street during the 1600 ' s. In 1792 Captain John Collins built a
"tan house and vats before his house" on the southeastern end of the
street. It is thought that this house is now numbered 45 Turner Street.
In October 1789 he had already " laid the foundation of his new Sea Wall
which makes his garden square at the bottom of Turner ' s Lane. . . the old
one decayed. . . . " The same year Bentley wrote that "Captain Samuel
Ingersoll is carrying out the wall of Col. Turner' s Garden several feet
and securing it by a firm breastwork of stone. " The process of making
land at the water ' s edge began in Salem many years ago. In 1803 Bentley
reported that "Mrs . Susanna Ingersoll broke her leg upon the beach before
her house at the bottom of Turner ' s Street. "
In addition to Captain Collins ' Tan House, there were other
businesses on Turner Street during the early 1800 ' s . ranging from a
Currier ' s shop to a Blacksmith ' s Shop. In 1832 Jonathan Whipple built a
165.
TURNER STREET (continued)
factory on land east of the coastal end of the street in which to clean
and prepare for sale gum copal,which was imported to Salem during this
period. , (See White Street. ) Bentley speaks frequently of residents of
Turner Street and of buildings upon it; it would be interesting to know
which house the following note concerns : "December 1812 . I was with
Mr. Nathaniel Weston. . .A Shoemaker but a speculator in old houses, two of
which of three stories he has removed into the eastern part of Salem one
in Turner Street and the other in Derby Street. . .He has in this way left
himself with a large family and without property. . . . " Other old Salem
names connected with the street include Townsend, Archer, Beadle, Foote,
Batten, Barker, Waters, Rowell and, of course, Hawthorne.
This street, the site of the House of Seven Gables, undoubtedly
attracts more tourists than any other in the city, and fortunately its
many small, gable-end-to-the-street, wooden houses still give the
traveller a good picture of a New England lane with its narrow lots and
small hidden yards as it probably was during Salem' s h._ayday in the early
1800 ' s . The presence of the automobile-driving tourist could change
the atmosphere of the area which attracts him if care is not used in
providing parking areas around the House of Seven Gables.
The street has been renumbered since the publication of the
1874 Atlas .
TURNER STREET - EAST SIDE (odd numbers)
#1 Turner Street (See #37 Essex Street. )
#3 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL
This simple two-story plus pitch roof wooden house is more or less unchange
architecturally and has a typical Greek Revival style entrance on the gable
or street end of the house. Shingles now hide what was undoubtedly either
a matched-board or clapboard facade as well as a wide entablature and
corner pilaster strips .
#5 Turner Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This long ,narrow two-story plus pitch roof. clapboarded house is similar
166.
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TURNER STREET (continued) EAST SIDE
to #3 Turner Street in that it is gable end to the street. The house is
L-shaped and appears to have evolved in three separate stages, i.e. , the
main house consists of two different sections joined together to !orm a
long narrow pitch roof house with a third enlargement which forms the
base of the ell at the back of the house. The simple entrance in the
side yard has a transom over the door, which is now trimmed with a
Victorian roof and consoles .
#7 Turner Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: ca, 1900
No. 7 Turner Street is directly on the street and was probably built in
the yard of #5; it is a three-story multiple family wooden dwelling with
a flat roof and three-story high bows on either side of the front entrance.
It was probably built around 1900 .
#9 Turner Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This two-story plus gambrel roof house is set end to and back from the
street. It appears to date from the Federal Period, but the addition of
two-toned siding, a bay window over the door, as well as other modifications,
ha3 vastly altered its original appearance and style. It may well precede
the Federal Period. There is an old two-story plus pitch roof addition at
right angles to the main house. The location of the house so far back from
the street is unlike most of the houses on Turner Street, but it seems to have
been there in 1874 when the first Salem Atlas was printed.
#11 .Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
Two Federal style chimneys help to date this house. Like many of the other
buildings on this old street, #11 Turner Street is a two-story plus pitch
roof, wooden (siding) house, which is gable end to the street. The entrance
on the south side of the house is reached through the yard and is very
simple with no details to suggest the age of the house. A two-story open
piazza with turned posts in a style popular the latter part of the 19th
century has been added to this house.
#15 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
No. 15 Turner Street is a two-story plus pitch roof wooden house, which is
167.
TURNER STREET - EAST SIDE (continued)
gable end to the street. The exterior is covered with old, skived wooden
clapboards, and the rest of the house has had only minor changes made in
its original style, such as the addition of a two-story piazza in the
rear and the installation of two-over-two windows and Victorian trim
around the front entrance. The door itself is a handsome six-paneled
example of the Greek Revival style.
#17 Turner Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: ca. 1900 .
This two-story flat roofed house has little trim to suggest that it is
actually an older building than its roof would suggest, and since it does
not appear on the 1874 Atlas, it was probably built around 1900 in the
yard of #15 Turner Street to house the increasing population drawn to
Salem by work in the mills.
#19 Turner Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: TWENTIETH CENTURY.
In the yard behind #17 Turner Street there is an L-shaped ,two-story
dwelling with a cinder block foundation and a flat roof.
#21 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : FEDERAL.
This two-story plus pitch roof wooden house is on a very low foundation.
It is gable end to the street and has two entrances in the yard on the
south side of the house, the first of which has Greek Revival pilaster
trim. The symmetry of the southern side, or front of the house, appears
to have been altered by modification of various windows. The old small
window panes and chimneys have also been replaced.
#23 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : FEDERAL (?)
This old house is also very close to the ground on a nearly invisible
foundation. It is a two-story plus pitch roof building and is gable end
to the street. Old clapboards still cover the outside. The house no
longer looks its age because of the addition of a second-story piazza
all along the southern exposure and an enclosed matched-board porch around
the front entrance; other superficial changes have been made including
the replacing of the old window sash and chimney. Beyond the original
168.
TURNER STREET - EAST SIDE (continued)
house further back from the street there is a lower stud two-story plus
pitch roof addition, which appears to be of the same general style and
period as the main house. At right angles to this part of the house, a
large .two-story -flat roof building has been added.
#27 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : THIRD QUARTER.
This two-story plus scooped Mansard roof wooden (siding) house faces
Turner Street and has a wide projecting cornice. The simple entrance
on the narrow street end of the house is protected by a roof supported
by two Victorian consoles; the entrance is balanced by a two-story,
which is
three-sided projecting bay beside it. Beyond the main house there is
a large flat roof, three-story addition.
#31 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
The large, oblong central chimney of this two-story plus pitch roof ,
clapboard house is its dominant feature. The house faces Turner Street
and is at the corner of Derby Street. The handsome enclosed and
pilastered front entrance porch was probably once in the middle of a
balanced three-bay facade; this has now been altered by the addition of
a projecting three-sided bay above the entrance and a changed window
arrangement south of the entrance. North and back of the house there
is a three-story ell with a steeply descending lean-to roof and tall
slender chimney generally common during the Federal Period. On the Derby
Street end of the house„ more modern additions have been attached to the
original old building. There is a small cinder block garage in the yard.
DERBY STREET CROSSES
#33 Turner Street (Also #111 Derby Street. )
RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This handsome. nearll square,three-story plus hip roof house at the corner
of Derby and Turner Streets is noteworthy because of itsfine cornice with
dentil strip and modillions . The corner of the building has been altered
for use as a drugstore, but this was done many years ago and does not
alter the basic style of the house . The third-floor windows of the
house have lasted, well and still have eight-over-eight window sashes and
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TURNER STREET - EAST SIDE (continued)
the original molded window sills .
A very simple entrance with a Federal style door is in the middle
of the three-bay Turner Street side of the house; no trace remains, of
what was surely once a far more ornate main entrance.
#37 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
A sign on this building erected by the present owner says this house
was built in 1777, although some of the interior trim is characteristic of
the Federal style which was introduced a dozen years later. The house
which has recently been converted into a candy shop where Salem Gibralters
and Black Jacks are made and sold, is a long and narrow two-story plus
pitch roof ,wooden (shingles) structure with its narrow gable end on the
street. Large shop windows with small panes have recently been installed
on either side of a new entrance on this gable end. In the yard south
of the house there Etre two simple
matching enclosed entrance porches, which suggest that the house has
been a two-family residence for many, many years.
#39 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
The 1874 Atlas shows that the site of this house was then the yard in
front of #37 Turner Street. This house is similar in form and setting
to its neighbors in tht it is a two-story plus pitch roof house with its
gable end bo the street, but because it is more modern it is hightr and
bigger than most of the houses on Turner Street. The only decorative accents
on the house are its Victorian entrance and door with stained-glass
windows and overhanging eaves .
#41. Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This small simple wooden house is one room wide and gable end to the
street with its entrance,which is in the Federal style, on the north side
of the building. It is two stories high and is topped by a pitch roof.
The house consists of two structures very similar in style, one beyond
the other, with an obvious break where they meet. Which portion preceded
which is unknown. There is a small lean-to shed attached to the rear end
170.
TURNER STREET - EAST SIDE (continued)
of the house .
#43 Turner Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD : .PRE-FEDERAL.
This small house has always been much admired by passers-by because of its
unpainted .weatherbeaten clapboards and large .square central chimney. The
house has two stories plus a pitch roof and faces Turner Street. The
three- bay facade is not quite symmetrical and has a simple pilastered
central entrance which is also weathered. Behind the house there is a
small one-story lean-to addition,which extends beyond one end of the
building and is visible from the street. The management of the House
of the Seven Gables recently acquired this small structure which was
built by Penn Townsend, a cooper, in 1771. A weathered picket fence in
front of the house completes the picture.
445 Turner Street RATING: , ONE. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
This large. rectangular three-story plus hip roof house has a five-bay
facade with a central entrance trimmed with a reproduction pediment and
pilasters. The house is still covered with clapboards and has its two
old ,large square chimneys . The size of the chimneys and projecting
cornice above the third-story windows suggest that this may well have
been the house which Bentley mentions as having belonged to Captain
Collins by 1792 . It is thought to have belonged to the Whipple family
some years later when they were, conducting the gum copal business and
recently. to Captain Peabody, Salem' s harbormaster, who is reported to have
served wonderful seafood dishes there to his friends . A tidy white
picket fence separates the narrow front yard of the house from the
sidewalk. In the rear of the house there is a two-story ell.
#49 Turner Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD : GREEK REVIVAL.
This one-story plus pitch roof gable-end-to-the-street house is an
excellent example of the simple Greek Revival style as it was applied to a
small cottage. It appears to have had virtually no alterations made in
its decorative features which include a wide entablature, narrow corner
pilasters and trim around the entrance recesse
171.
Beyond the house in the yard, a small one-story ell appears to be a later
TURNER STREET - EAST SIDE (continued)
addition to the original building.
#53-55 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : THIRD QUARTER.
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house faces Turner Street with two
matching central doorways . It was undoubtedly built as a double house,
probably by the Whipples ,who owned it in 1874. Above the entrances there
is a simple roof with cut-out trim supported by handsome Victorian consoles .
The building does not appear to have been altered., and its original style
which is a balanced facade with simple trim does not conflict with that
of its older neighbors .
#57 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: INDETERMINATE.
At the bottom of Turner Street_ a small.,simple one-story plus pitch roof„
wooden building now houses a shop facing the street. The original
building, which may have been an outbuilding of some type, does not
appear in this location on the 1874 Atlas; it has been enlarged by the
addition of a tiny lean-to on the water end and a pitch roof addition
do the opposite end. On ei ,her side of the simple Federal style door
there are small-paned shop windows for display purposes ; both of these
features, which are recent additions, are in the Colonial style .
Behind #57 Turner Street atq'the head of a modern pier built out from
an older wharf there is a two-story plus pitch roof shinglhd building of .
uncertain age. It does not appear on the 1874 Atlas. Beside it what was
once probably a garage or storage building now houses a Snack Bar.
TURNER STREET - WEST SIDE
#4 Turner Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden (siding) house appears to have been
thoroughly remodeled during the third quarter of the 19th century to the
extent that it is now nearly impossible to judge its original period. The
low granite foundation, four-bay facade, which overlooks the street, and
the remains of simple pilaster bases on either side of the now ornately
trimmed entrance are the basis for believing that this house dates from the
Federal period. A four-window bay has been added above the ornate
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TURNER STREET - WEST SIDE (continued)
Victorian entrance, and flat roofed additions to the house project from
both sides of it.
#10-12 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : PRE-FEDERAL.
Despite siding, a modern front door and altered windows, this house
still has its original shape and style. It is a wide two-story plus
pitch roof wooden house set gable end to the street, .. : 3 it is unusual
because it appears from the street to be almost square instead of the
far more common oblong shape. There is a gentle curve, or perhaps it
or
should be called a bulge, on the street/gable end of the house. The
Atlas shows the house in the shape of an "L" with the short leg facing
the street. Beyond the house in the yard there are two progressively
smaller and lower stud additions with pitch roofs. No. ten is entered
from the north side of the house and #12 from the south. There is a
cinder block .two-car garage in the. yard behind the house.
#14 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This is a small one-room wide• .two-story plus gambrel roof house with
its gable end on the street. It is long an+arrow and still has one
Federal' style chimney. Although the size of the window panes has been
altered, other features of the house including the clapboards seem to be
relatively unchanged. The simple entrance is• in the yard south of the
house .
#16 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : FEDERAL.
This three-story house is covered with new clapboards and appears to have
had the original roof raised; however, it remains characteristic of the
Federal period with its five-bay facade on the street and central entrance
trimmed with simple pilasters . The owners have tried to keep the general
style of the house intact, and the roof, which is probably flat, could
easily be mistaken for a shallow hip roof as one sees it from this narrow
street.
#18 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
Basically a two-story plus hip roof oblong house with its narrow side on
173.
TURNER STREET - WEST SIDE (continued)
the street, this building has the wooden molded cornice typical of the
Federal style, as well as six-over-six window panes . The original
wooden clapboards are now covered with siding, and the recessed
entrance on the gable end is probably a modification of the original
style. The house has been further altered by the addition of a two-
story high„three-wind ow bay where the original entrance probably was
on the north side of the house in the middle of what would have been
a five-bay facade. Beyond the original five-bay facade the house has
been added to.which results in a very long and narrow structure.
420 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This small narrow two-story plus pitch roof.gable-end-to-the-street
building continues the impression of many small houses set in narrow
lots on narrow streets,which make downtown Salem so appealing to the
tourist. It is now covered with siding and has no special features to
identify its age beyond its tiny windows and wide window sills . Its
chimney has been replaced, and a modern enclosed entrance has been added
to the back end of the south side of the house. The original little
pitched roof, enclosed entrance porch and granite step on the north side
of the house do not appear to be used at the present time.
Beyond #20 Turner Street there is a large vacant lot ,where until
several years ago three old wooden houses stood, which probably dated
from the early 1800 ' s . They have since been demolished.
DERBY STREET CROSSES
#42 Turner Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : FEDERAL.
This narrow wooden house in the Federal style is halfway down Turner
Street with parking lots for visitors to the House of Seven Gables on
either side of it. It is a typical two-story plus gambrel roof house
set with its narrow end on the street and its three-bay facade overlooking
a small side yard. The central door has a simple molded pediment above
it and simple pilasters on either side. Beyond the original house, a
two-story ell and porch have been added.
1740
TURNER STREET - WEST SIDE (continued)
#54 Turner Street THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES
RATING: ONE. PERIOD : SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
At the end of Turner Street by the bank of the South River there is a
large weathered house with seven gables, Salem' s most famous house and
surely one of the most sophisticated seventeenth century houses whish
survives in New England. It was begun in 1668 by John Turner, a
mariner, when he built a two-story plus pitch roof house facing the
water, the gable end of which now contains the shop through which
t ourists encer the old house. He soon built a w arf and became a
wealthy merchant whose ships sailed to England, Europe and the West
Indies . He then added the lean-to addition behind the house parallel
to and nearest to Derby Street, and in 1678 he built on the elegant
square south wing, which has a lovely view of the waterfront. John
Turner died, and his son, Colonel John Turner, inherited the property
and in 1720 installed the handsome interior panelling which now covers
the original 17th century frame . The third John Turner acquired the
property in 1769, and it was he who began to sell off some of the land
which had originally been part of the estate .
Turner sold the house, which had been in his family about one
hundred years, in 1782 to Captain Samuel Ingersoll, whose family owned it
for the next one hundred years until 1879. It was during tYvs family ' s
occupancy that Nathaniel Hawthorne used to visit his spinster cousin,
Susan Ingersoll, and it is for this reason that the house is furnished
as it might have been during the first half of the 1800 ' s rather than as
a house of the late 1600 ' s.
In 1908 Miss Caroline Emmerton, a descendent of Salem' s famous
and successful merchant and philanthropist, John Bertram, bought the
property, which she had known since her childhood, and began to restore
it to its original form in a most careful and scholarly manner. By that
time, most of the facade gables had been removed, and other changes had
been wrought in the design of this ancient house . Ever since the house
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TURNER STREET - WEST SIDE (continued)
was opened to the public, flocks of tourists have visited it each year, and
the admission fees have not only maintained the house and paid to save other
old buildings but also supported the work in this neighborhood of the House
of Seven Gables Settlement Association.
Miss Emmerton ' s interest in restoring "The Gables, " Salemites ' nickname
for the old house, was partly aroused b the fact that she was interested
Y in
social work and recreation programs which were being carried out during the
1900 ' s in the Seamen ' s Bethel, a building which then stood between the Gables
and the waterfront. Although this building was torn down in 1967, perhaps
this survey should mention its history briefly. The Will of Captain Barr
of Salem provided that a chapel for sailors should be built with some funds
he left for that purpose upon the death of his daughter. When she died
the building was constructed, despite the fact that there were few, if any,
sailors still in Salem to enjoy the services in the chapel. Within a few
years, the Bethel was given over to recreation and s ocial work for the
children in the neighborhood. Miss Emmerton bought it in 1914 and moved
it up Turner Street beyond the Gables, where it continued to be used for
recreation purposes and was known as Turner Hall. After its demolition,
the work of the Settlement Association was moved to the brick building at
the northwest corner of Derby and Turner Streets. (See 114 Derby Street. )
Close to the bank of the South River in the garden behind the Gables,
there is a second 17th century Salem house, which is known as the Hathaway
House, although it was built by Benjamin Hooper in 1682 . The house
originally stood on the eastern side of Wadington Street north of Church
Street towards the overpass . The house remained in the Hooper family until
1795 , when it was sold first to Henry Rust, who in turn sold it to the
Gardner family. The next owners were the Hathaways, who had a bakery in the
house, which explains why the building is also knows as the Old Bakery.
In 1911 the house, which old pictures reveal in a terribly run-down
condition, was threatened by the fact that new owners wanted to build a
theater on its site. Miss Emmerton bought the house and moved it via Bridge,
176.
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TURNER STREET - WEST SIDE (continued)
Webb and Derby Streets to its present location. Miss Emmerton .in her book
The Chronicles of Three Old Houses_ . explained the reasons why she believed
the oak frame of the Hathaway House may originally have supported the house
brought to .Gloucester from England in 1624 by Roger Conant; thence moved to
Salem in 1628 to become Governor Endicott ' s "fayre Dwelling" on Washington
Street near the original site of the Hathaway House, and probably torn down
about the time Hooper built this house. She theorized that the original
timbers were reused by Hooper for his house. It is not known whether or
not conclusive evidence in support of this theory has been found.
Inland from the Hathaway House in the yard of the Gables stands the
oldest house which Miss Emmerton salvaged and moved to this area, the
Retire Becket House. It was built in 1655 by John Becket the founder
of the famous Salem shipbuilding family, which continued in the business for
five generations . The house was built near the water and the shipyard, east
of the short curved street known ag',kBecket Court and south of present-day
Derby Street. The house is called the Retire Becket house in honor of the
greatest shipbuilder of the family who built many famous vessels, including
the Mount Vernon, the Fame, the America and the Cleopatra ' s Barge. Retire
was born and lived in the house.
In 1850 the house had a divided ownership and one owner sold her half
to Stephen Phillips for the Eastern Marine Railway Company, which then
proceeded to demolish half the house. The passing years took a further toll,
and in 1916 Miss Emmerton acquired the building and, in 1924moved Itto the
Gables property to be used as a tea room and later as an antique or gift
ship. The outside of the building looks like a house of the 1600 ' s, but the
interior, which had suffered, has not been restored to its original condition.
The material in the foregoing paragraphs is derived from Miss Emmerton ' s
book The Chronicles of Three Old Houses .
There are several other weathered wooden buildings on the property,
which have been built to look like old buildings, but for utilitarian purposes ;
old
the largest of these is the tea room. Other buildings on the property are the
177"
TURNER STREET - WEST SIDE (continued)
Phippen House (see #25 Hardy Street) and Hawthorne ' s Birthplace (see #27
Hardy Street) .
178.
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UNION STREET - From Essex to Derby Street
Union Street has a long history and several Haw�_-Oorne connections .
It began as a cartway twenty feet wide east of Thomas Jeggles ' (or
Giggles') property. According to Perley it was extended to the harbor
prior to 1706 . Bentley £re- uently refers to it as Long Wharf Lane in the
early pages of his Diary, but as the 1800 ' s approached he begins to call
it Union Street. It was known as Long Wharf Lane during the 18th century
after the town allowed Jeggles ' Island to become the core of Long Wharf,
later known as Union Wharf. The construction of this busy wharf was
an important step in the shifting of Salem' s waterfront activities
away from the Front Street downtown area to the Derby Street vicinity.
The G. W. Pickering Company now occupies what was once Long Wharf and
Giggles ' Island; this is appropriate since Bentley wrote in 1811 that
Captain (William) Pickering had lived at the head of Union Wharf many
years before.
In 1847, Union Street was continued„ and the Union Bridge (now gone)
was built connecting the wharf to what was once called Stage Point in
South Salem where the Naumkeag Mill buildings are.
The fact that Hawthorne ' s birthplace was at 27 Union Street until
its removal to the rear of the House of Seven Gables is well-known.
Less familiar is the fact that his wife, Sophia Peabody, lived for a
time as a girl in the brick block at the northwest end o f the street ,
across the street from Hawthorne ' s Uncle Manning ' s stage company stables
where Hawthorne played when he was young.
Bentley mentions that the land between Union and Herbert Streets
was once known as Hardy ' s Field; in fact, in 1810 he says the field
yet remains . Some of his parishioners living on this street were the
Carletons, Bowditchs, Chevers, Elkins and Kimballs . In 1813, Captain
Ranney ' s company (4th Regiment) was reviewed in Union Street. At the
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UNION STREET - WEST SIDE (Even numbers) continued
southern end of the street near the wharf, there used to 1.,e many shops .
#4, 6, 8, 10 Union Street PERIOD: FEDERAL. RATING: ONE.
(and #107-10'9? Essex Street. )
This seems to be the oldest and was probably the first brick row build-
ing in Salem. The long facade on Union Street of this three-story,
hip roof building has four semi-circular fanlighted doorways which are
still intact, and has thirteen bays . The brick work is Flemish bond and
curved bricks form the dentil cornice. Reeded brown stone was used for
the belt at the level of the second floor and for the keystoned, splayed
window lintels . The house has a low granite foundation, and three gra-
nite drains set in the brick sidewalk carry water away to the street
gutter; there are also nice granite front door steps . The northern end
of the building has been altered and no longer matches the rest of it.
Bentley, who lived across the street from this building, commented
frequently on its history. He noted on June 16, 1808, "The Children had
the sport of pulling down the Old School house, head of Union Wharf. . . .
Mr. (John) Watson turned it into a school house & so it has continued
above 30 years & many of our best Merchants were taught in it. " March
8, 1808, he noted of an adjacent house which was also on the site of this
building, that there "Dr. Holyoke went to board with Madame Turner when
he came to Salem in 1749. " Both these buildings were on what had been
part of the estate of Elder Browne. July 21, 1808, Bentley noted that
"The Ground first broken for the New Buildings intended to be raised on
the west side of Union Street upon Essex street upon Brown lot. " In
April 1809, the building was evidently finished when he speaks of Brown &
Company saying_, "The reputation & industry of the Company have been estab-
lished by their labours on the finishing of the Brick building at the
head of Union Street. "
It has been variously called the Brown building, Merchant ' s building
-180.
UNION STREET - WEST SIDE (Even numbers) continued
and the Union Building and has housed the Merchants Bank, doctors '
offices, and Wm. Stearns Apothecary store�to mention a few. Bentley
from
hired space there -/ J. Moriarty, Esq. , "in the upper Chambers, . . . in
the front part of the Brown buildings . . . .over Merchants Bank " in
March 1818, evidently for a schoolroom for his church. In October, the
same year, at the request of one Thomas Kenelly he arranged for the
"Catholics of Salem" to use the ap=artment for their services the follow-
ing Sunday; Kenelly wrote him as follows: "Your very kind compliance in
this instance has led another to the many obligations to you. I need
not mention how grateful will be the feelings of all concerned & especially
of the Clergymen coming to officiate. "
Which one of the apartments was home for Sophia Peabody and her
parents is not known. (See introduction to Union Street above.)
#12 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This simple, two-story, wooden, pitch roof house faces the street and
has a central, recessed front entrance with two windows on either side.
of the
The lights on the sides and top of the door are typical/Greek Revival.
The window frames are either exceedingly narrow or hidden by the new
clapboards on the building.
#14 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : GREEK REVIVAL.
The entrance to this two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house is on the
gable or street end. The doorway is recessed and has typical side
and toplights, however, at a later date the roof. and heavy brackets and
bay window above the entrance were added.
Old atlases show that in the space between #14 and #30 there used
to be a Methodist Church and also the home of the Carleton family.
#30 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD : FEDERAL AND
THIRD QUARTER
It would be interesting to trace the history of this building; each side
displays a different style or period. Originally it was a brick building
of the Federal period, either oblong or L-shaped; the northern brick side
If31.
UNION STREET - WEST SIDE (Even numbers) continued
has splayed, reeded, stone window lintels and the thin tall chimneys
typical of the period. The brick work on the back end of the opposite
side is Flemish bond, and the window lintels are keystoned which indi-
cates that this was the front of the house or main sic.e yard. In the
1851 Atlas this property is shown as belonging to R. Ropes, and in 1874,
it is listed as the Parsonage of the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
To return to the style of the building, the facade on Union Street
is typical of the Italianate period with ornate window trim, different
at each floor level, and a wide cornice with carved brackets which are
paired at the corners. Siding covers the facade and south side of the
house, so it is difficult to know where the brick house ends, or if it
is all brick.
#38 Union Street RATING: TWO.. PERIOD: Indeterminate.
It is hard to date this small, simple, two-story plus pitch roof, wooden
house facing Union Street. It has two windows and a door at one end on
the first-floor level, and three windows abovewhichare just below the
eaves, an indication usually of the Federal or earlier periods. The
doorway is recessed.
#40 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house faces Union Street and is
said to have been moved to this location from what is now the grass
strip in the middle of Hawthorne Boulevard. This seems probable in view
of the fact that the fluted pilasters at either side of the enclosed
entry porch have been pieced out at the bottom1which indicates that it
is not now at its original ground level. This house still contains
some of its eighteenth century interior paneling.
UNION STREET - EAST SIDE (Odd numbers) Ws 7-43 .
#7 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL (?)
No7Union Street is a two-story plus gambrel roof, wooden building with its
182.
l
UNION STREET - EAST SIDE (Odd numbers) continued
gable end to the street. It dates back at least as far as the Federal
period, however, its entrance has been relocated and is now on the street
or gable end; the door is recessed and up several steps, and the side
and top lights are arranged in the Greek Revival style. The entrance
must once have been on the south side of the building which has balanced
windows. The high foundation suggests that the house may have been
moved to this location.
#13 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house facing Union Street has a
recessed, raised central entrance balanced by two windows on either side
of it. It is characterized by the simple, paired brackets under the
eaves and on the cornice of the four-window bay over the doorway. There
is a yard containing fruit trees south of the house. The relative sim-
plicity and small size of this house make it compatible with its older
neighbors .
#19 Union Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD : PRE-FEDERAL.
This small, clapboard, two-story plus gambrel roof house faces the old
South River and formerly busy waterfront. The entrance is centered in
the facade in the yard and has paired windows on either side• of it. The
small-paned glass lighting arrangement in the slope of the front roof
appears to be very functional and very old. There is a lean-to addi-
tion behind the house and a small addition at the far end of the house.
#23 Union Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: INDFTI+TVt1NATE.
This wide, two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house shows few architectural
details to indicate its age. The gable end is on the street, and the
entrance in the side yard is hidden by a storm porch arrangement. The
chimneys look relatively modern. The house seems too close to the ground
to be of recent vintage.
183.
UNION STREET - EAST SIDE (Odd Numbers) continued
#27 Union Street. This vacant lot was the site of the house where
Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804.
#31 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The rectangular shape and hip roof of this three-story clapboard house
indicate that it dates from the Federal period. It has unusual fluted
Ionic pilasters on either side of the recessed front entrance which is
above the street level. The house has a molded wooden cornice under the
eaves and interesting window arrangement; the windows are regularly
spaced on the south side$ whereas on the north side of the house the
windows are very few and irregularly placed.
Beyond #31 Union Street there is a cellar hole where there was
formerly a Polish School, which was torn down some years ago.
#37 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This two-story, wooden siding house has a pitch roof and is end to the
street. It is characterized by simple paired brackets and a simple
roof and consoles by the central entrance in the side yard.
#39 Union Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This two-story, wooden house has a flat roof. There are matching three-
sided bay windows on either side of the Colonial Revival central entrance.
#43 Union Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
This two-story, plus gambrel roof wooden house faces Union Street and has
a central front doorway with a window on either side. Victorian consoles
have been added to the earlier simple pilastered trim around the entrance.
There is a small addition to the house in the rear.
184.
WASHINGTON SQUARE (See also The Common. )
Washington Square, which is comprised of the four streets around
the Salem Common now known as Washington Square East, Washington Square
North, Washington Square West and Washington Square South, is the name
which was given to the Common in 1802 by the selectmen. At that time
the streets themselves were known as Pleasant Street on the east, Brown
Street on the north, Newbury Street on the west and Bath Street on the
south, and so they continuediuntil 1880 when the present names were
adopted. Before Beverly Bridge was built in 1788 and the Common was
filled and leveled in 1802, the land around Washington Square was not
highly developed or particularly desirable. Those two events made it
in
a valuable residential area with the East Parish, and many successful
merchants built their large brick mansions around the Common during the
years just prior to 1820 . More information about each of these four
streets will be found in the introduction to each specific section of
the Square.
The great brick mansions on the north and east sides of Washington
Square are very impressive and grand; they are nearly all laid up in
Flemish bond, which represents a certain conservative nature on the part
of the builders and owners, or an extravagance, which few could afford
thereafter. Since most of the houses were built in the latest style,
it seems likely that this expensive kind of brickwork was a victim
of the high cost of living within a few years. The iron fence around
the Common and those which enclose the front yards of many of the
houses tie the two together and provide additional interest for the
observer.
185.
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST
Perley says Washington Square East was called Beadle ' s lane by
1700, and C. W. Upham, in an amusing account of the testimony against
an accused witch given by one Westgage (who had spent an evening at
Beadle ' s Tavern and saw an enormous black hog which so scared him he had
to crawl home ) mentions that one of the Beadle family owned property
near this area. By 1756 Perley finds this street called Ives lane
undoubtedly for Captain Ives,who had a tanyard and bark house on present
day Forrester Street and lived near the corner, probably on the site of
#1 Forrester Street.
Apparently there were few people living here during the 1600 ' s;
rather the land was used as pasturage and was part of the estates fronting
on Shallop Cove (Collins Cove ) , Water drained from the Common down
Forrester Street - whethx it needed to be bridged, and was, is unknown
to the writer, but it was wet. In 1808 Bentley wrote, "Many superb brick
houses adorn this part of town, which a few years ago was divided into
field, & often overflowed. "
185 -.
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
Browne reports that at the end of the 18th century there were the
following uses made of the street; Ives had his tanyard about where
Forrester Street is, further north Joseph Vincent ' s ropewalk ran to
the Cove, next north was Benjamin Brown ' s Bake House, and last Jonathan
Andrew had a tanning and currying business about where Andrew Street
begins on land that had belonged to Captain Joseph Gardner, who was
killed battling the Narragansett Indians in 1675 .
The completion of the bridge to Beverly in 1788 seems to have
stimulated the development of the entire area around the Common. The
first new mansion was built in 1789 by Captain Boardman at #82 Washington
Square East, and Browne says that Pleasant Street was continued about this
time to Bridge Street although it was not built up immediately. The
name of Ives Lane seems to have persisted until the early 1800 ' s when
the name Pleasant Street was adopted for the entire street from Essex
to Bridge Street.
The tale of the lands around the Common would interest sociologists
and city planners of today. For many, many years this was an area of
study
tanyards and ropewalks, and it=nshows how close family relationships
were and how immobile families were during the early days of
this country. A brief account of two major ropewalks on Washington
Square East will perhaps illustrate these points, although the unravelling
of the various lines of the story is not always easy. As an introduction
it should be explained that the techniques used for making rope required
very long and straight areas in which to work. Joseph Vincent (1738-1832)
came to Salem from Kittery, Maine, when he was a young man and opened
a ropewalk east of the Common about where #84 is now. The walk ran east
to the Cove. Vincent fought during the Revolution and equipped some of
his apprentices to do the same before returning to continue his success-
ful business . In 1795 Bentley wrote, "Mr. Vincent put down last pier in
Cove to extend Ropewalk. There are now 20 piers of 360 feet from the
shore. " One sidelight mentioned by Browne is that ropemakers in Salem,
186.
i
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
as elsewhere, used to celebrate St. Catherine ' s day on November 25 , when
they would fire cannons on the Common and have a generally gay time
with food, drink and entertainment. Browne went on to say . that here in
Salem in those days the ropemakers thought the celebration was in honor
of Catherine of Russia rather than the "Romish Saint. "
One of the men who came to S_lem about 1775 and worked with Vincent
was Thomas Briggs, who later married Vincent ' s daughter. In 1791 Briggs
bought land from Captain Stone north of his father-in-law' s ropewalk
and built his own ropewalk running to the Cove. Bentley wrote on
August 24, 1791, "We visited at Sundown the new Walk of Mr. Briggs ' and "
found him adding 300 feet to the present building. His land gives
him 150 fathom X 6 equals 900 feet, but not length enough for his Cables. . . ".
Evidently they doubled back and forth within the long narrow sheds or
walks to get extra length. Briggs ' Ropewalk made the cables for the
1prigate Essex in 1799 (see Brown Street) , and Bentley noted on Septem-
ber 21, 1799, that they were carried "from Briggs Ropewalk to the Frigate
Essex. The first on the shoulders of two-hundred men. " Finally in
1803 Bentley recorded Briggs ' death as follows
"This day died our neighbour Thomas Briggs. He came, a Rope maker,
from Rhode Island, about 25 years ago, to Salem. He worked with Mr.
Vincent, & married his daughter. He was assisted in erecting a new
Ropewalk, & had great success, but relaxing from his industry, & living
with every indulgence of good cheer, he left the vigour of a firm con-
stitution, remained a prey to disease for several years, & finally died
very old at 45 years . A fanatic in opinion, as well as in high life,
he gave great satisfaction to his friends at death. "
Briggs ' ropewalk was sold in 1804 and removed to Bridge Street. (For
more about Mr. Briggs, see Briggs Street.)
The close family ties mentioned earlier are evidenced by the fact
that Briggs ' daughter, Anna, married Jabez Baldwin, the jeweller, who
built the house at #92 Washington Square East on his wife 's father"s
property and by her grandfather ' s: In 1842 after the first Joseph
Vincent had died, the 1842 Directory lists another "Joseph Vincent,
(Vincent & Browne) cordage, rear 13 Pleasant Street, House 20 Pleasant, "
187.
I
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
i.e. , Washington Square East. We find this family lived on Washington
Square East for nearly one hundred years, perhaps more.
To continue with the development of Washington Square East, the
filling and leveling of the Common in 1802 spurred the development of
the land in this area . Bentley wrote in 1808 in a letter to a friend,
"The number of new streets is great, particularly in that part of the
town which lays between Washington Square. . .and the Bridge to Beverly. . . . "
During the first twenty years of the 19th century the "sidewalk
superintendents" in the vicinity of the Common must have been in seventh
heaven, and surely 1818 must have been a banner year when Silsbee was
building #94 at the same time that Forrester was building his large
brick house north of the Common and Andrews building #13 Washington
Square on the west. In 1818 Bentley says of a banquet at Colonel
Pickman ' s that they dined "in a manner worthy of a palace and a
Prince. . .We have never seen in Salem richer tables than have been
spread by B. Crowninshield, B. Pickman & N. Silsbee, all in the general
Government and active Merchants of Salem. Nothing can be said too
highly of their attendance, display and elegance at these tables, or
of the richness of the courses, variety and bounty. The hilarity was
uninterrupted on these occasions . " It is interesting to consider the
Town Swamp of the early days becoming a bright and eleg aunt reflection of
the cosmopolitan tastes and wealth of the successful Salem merchants .
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST
#70 Washington Square East (See #60 Essex Street. )
#72 Washington Square East RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This large two-story plus pitch roof house is gable end to the street and
is trimmed with a dentil cornice and projecting molded window entablatures
which also have the dentil trim. The entrance is on the south side of the
building at an intersection of the house and a pitch roof ell. There are
three-window, two-story projecting bays with gables on the north side of
the building. The house was built by the owner of #74 Washington Square
188.
r
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
East in what had been its garden.
#74 Washington Square East RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL
The Clifford Crown insts,T , . House
Fiske Kimball says this building was designed by Samuel McIntire and
begun in 1804 by Clifford Crowninshield, whose account books in the
Peabody Museum list cash payments to all the people who supplied materials
for, or worked on the "House in Pleasant Street. " Clifford Crowninshield
married in 1805 and died in 1809 aged 479 Bentley wrote in March 1806,
"This day died the only daughter of Reverend N: Fisher & late wife of
C. Crowninshield. The circumstances of the marriage & its effect upon
the kindred had drawn the public attention to it & to this event. " In
September he wrote, "Mr. Fisher of the Episcopal Church removed tomorrow
from his son Crowninshield ' s Great House at the east corner of the
Common and hires in Essex Street in the most western part of the Town.
His daughter married Crowninshield. The domestic troubles which have
ensued and alienations makes this a subject of remark. " This same
Crowninshield ' s sister married Captain James Devereux, and they moved
into the house. Devereux was Captain of the ship Franklin, which was the
first American vessel to trade with Japan in 1803 many years before
Perry went to Japan in 1854. The ship Margaret had been to Japan two
years ealier, the first Salem vessel to visit Japan and the second
American ship there.
The Clifford Crowninshield house is a large typical Federal house
with three stories plus a balustraded hip roof. It also has several
ells, which have been rearranged (see Cousins and Riley ' s book Colonial
Architecture of Salem, ) and an elegant chaise house in the yard. The
eliptical, balustraded front portico and delicate fanlight are Federal
period details .
FORRESTER STREET CROSSES.
(See #1 Forrester Street for information about the house on the corner. )
#78 Washington Square East RATING: THREE. PERIOD: CIRCA 1850.
189.
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
The two- toned, wide siding on this house and what appear to be other
changes in its exterior make it difficult to date. The house is a two-
story plus hip roof building facing the Common. The facade with its
central enclosed entrance has three bay . and simple bracket trim. The
house appears on the 1851 Map of Salem, Newhall as the owner, and on the
1897 Atlas the owner as Damon, but it is not mentioned in B. F. Browne ' s
various accounts of the area.
#80 Washington Square East RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The Hosmer-Townsend-Waters house, a three-story plus hip roof wooden
building with a large square centaal chimney, was raised May 2, 1795,
for Captain Joseph Hosmer according to Bentley. The house has two
handsome pedimented entrances, one on the street side and the other in
the side yard. Some have attributed the design of this house to Samuel
fact, and
McIntire, but Fiske Kimball doubted that / thought that on the basis of
style. . the mantels were added by McIntire sometime after 1805 .
Kimball evidently failed to research the house more thoroughly or he
would have found some documentary evidence to support his conclusions ,
which he based on style alone. In 1800 Bentley noted that "Hosmer ' s
estate on Common for sale, " and B. F. Browne reported that Walter
Bartlett bought it and sold it in turn to Colonel Samuel Archer.,who
lived there. Archer was a building speculator and employed McIntire
to desi ,n the Archer or Franklin Building in 1809 on the present site
of the Hotel. Hence it is perfectly easy to assume that Archer had
McIntire install some new mantels when he enlarged the house. (See
below. ) Bentley ' s opinion of Archer is contained in the two following
quotations from his diary:
"October 27, 1810 . Our late Col. Samuel Archer has at length agreed
to move. His dwelling house on the east side of Washington Square is
sold. . .This man was saved from the Charity House at 7 years by an Uncle
whom he wronged & whose business he attempted to take from him. From a
barber he commenced merchant, traded without stock & lived like a noble-
man & broke for 170 thousand dollars. Gave the property he had in his
hands to Trustees, has worried his creditors generally into consent &
the dividend is yet to be made of small amount. He built brick houses
& bought vessels & embarked warmly with the Opposition party & had his
1900
l
r
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
i
day. . .He still has the effrontery to live in all appearance of wealth
& feeds the suspicions that he had made a great speculation upon the
credit he has obtained. . . .
May 18, 1813 . News was brought to usof the death of Colonel
S. Archer, who was a prisoner for debt in the Prison at Boston. . .He. . .
enlarged the house on the eastern side of the Common built by Capt.
Hosmer.
The house was later the home of Captain Penn Townsend and then of
Judge Joseph Waters. There is some speculation thaythe house is actually
older than the 1795 date given by Bentley; B. F. Browne suggests that
the house originally on the site burned in 1774, and that Captain Hosmer
bought the land and built the present house later.
BOARDMAN STREET CROSSES.
#82 Washington Square East RATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
The Boardman House is a three-story plus hip roof, wooden house. Begun
by Captain Francis Boardman in 1782 an accounting now preserved at the
Essex Institute indicates that it was worked on by the McIntire brothers
and not completed until 1789. Pictures in Kimball ' s book about McIntire
show the house before Boardman Street was laid out and before the house
was much altered. Originally the side entrance on the south side was
very like the one at the Peirce-Nichols House. This has now been removed,
and the front entrance and present bay window above are also modifications .
On the north side of the house one can still see the frame of a simpler
entrance, which is now blocked up. Some of the windows still have typical
molded window caps and sills of the pre-Federal style. The two-story
addition behind the houselooks more recent than the house.
Captain Boardman' s log books are at the Peabody Museum and tell his
tale of life at sea . During the Revolution he was captured and escaped
from a British ship by ,swimming through crocodile-infested waters to the
Carolina shore, whence he walked back to Salem. His days as master of
a privateer must have been successful to enable him to buy the land where
the house stands from the Hodges family (he married Mary Hodges) , and to
build this fine house which Washington admired when he was leaving Salem
in 1789 to proceed via the new bridge to Beverly. The same year Captain
1910
r
a
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
Boardman held a series of what today would be called "housewarmings"
at least Bentley mentioned "Boardman ' s entertainment" on February 19,
and again in March 1789 he wrote, "Tuesday evening a second dance was
permitted in the chamber of Captain Boardman ' s elegant house. The number
of persons much lessened on this second occasion. " Two years Later we
learn from Bentley ' s Diary that he "had the painful news . . .of the death
of Capt. Boardman at Port Au Prince . . .a man of great ambition, fond of
show, & of great public spirit. He built an elegant house, which for
situation is the best in Town. Had just completed a good road to it,
finished the outbuildings, filled a pond before it, when he was snatched
out of life, universally lamented. " The Captain was only forty-four
years old when he died.
Boardman ' s widow and family continued to live here, long enough
at least for Nathaniel Bowditch to marry one of the girls and live in
the house for three or four years . Another daughter, Sarah, married
Zachariah F. Silsbee, a successful Salem ship owner and merchant, and
they lived in the house until 1874. At one time, Browne wrote, Mrs.
Abigail Rogers kept a Dame ' s school here for young ladies .
#84 Washington Square East RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER
COLONIAL REVIVAL.
This house was built about 1900 by Dr. Hgnry Phippen and is a fine
example of the Colonial Revival architectural style. It is a two-story
plus hip roof ,wooden house, the facade of which is decorated with many
idioms copied from earlier periods . These include pilasters, matched
boarding, French windows, a fanlighted gable and an ornate cornice.
Within the last few years the elegant fence with its posts carved in the
Federal style has been removed. This building seems to be on the site
of Joseph Vincent ' s home and ropewalk, which ran to Collins Cove and
beyond over the water on a platform on piles . The lot is still very deep;.
192•
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WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
The house is now a funeral parlor with a large paved parking space
in the rear. Prior to .that the deep lot was a garden with greenhouse,
and off to one side there stood a long narrow house, .the home of the
Lawsons, which before the present grand house was built, once stood directly
on the street. The Trumbulls lived there at that time.
#92 Washington Square East RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The Jabez Baldwin House was built on the site of Thomas Briggs ' house and
ropewalks . Baldwin was a very successful silversmith and married the
only daughter of Briggs, who had inherited this property. The ropewalk
was removed in 1804 and became part of Stickney ' s walk in Bridge Street.
Kimball wrote the house was built between 1809-1812. In 1819 Bentley
recorded Baldwin ' s death "aet. 42, a young tradesman of great activity,
of quiet manners & most happy domestic life. He had risen to great
apparent prosperity. . . a successful tradesman. . .buried from the Briggs
house east of Washington pace. As he was quartermaster of Horse he had
a military funeral & the Horse mounted on the occasion. He was interred
with his father-in-law Briggs on the family lot towards Shallop cove in
a place Mr. Briggs ordered to be inclosed for his own interment. " (See
#94 Washington Square East. )
Mr. Baldwin carried on his Salem jewelry business from a shop
about where Almy ' s is now, and he also was a member of the firm of
Baldwin & Jones in Boston of which Shreve, Crump & Low is a successor.
Baldwin taught the silversmith business to many young apprentices, who
also boarded at his house, and B. F.Browne wrote that the "path leading
from the first o;�ening in Newbury Street (1966, Washington Square West) . . .
to his house was the best trodden on the Common. " .
Fiske Kimball wrote that the brick (Flemish bond) exterior of the
three-story plus hip roof house is very similar to the Woodbridge House
at the corner of March and Bridge Streets, which was designed by McIntire;
he felt that the house was McIntire-connected and believed that McIntire ' s
son made most of the interior woodwork. The house has an imposing portico
1930
r
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
there is a
with Corinthian columns (two are replacements) and a balustrade;/fanlight
over the entrance. The windows have double-keyed stone lintels, and the
cornice is wooden. In the yard there is a famous and very large boxwood
tree, which is said to be the oldest and tallest in the city. In the
1890 ' s the house belonged to a Dr. Lyman.
BRIGGS STREET BEGINS.
#p94 Washington Square East RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
Bentley wrote on July 13, 1818, "Mr. Silsbee bought the Briggs , alias
Stone lot East of the Common, " and nine days later he noted that,
"Silsbee promises a house larger than either of these (Forrester ' s
or Andrewls ) . " Silsbee, born in 1773, was a ship master for the Derbys
and became the owner of many ships himself. Later he went into politics and
served with Daniel Webster (who was a frequent visitor at this house)
as one of the two United States Senators from Massachusetts during the
troublesome period before the Civil War. Websters son was married
in this house only to be killed at the second Battle of Bull Run. Other
famous visitors in, this house were President Monroe and Henry Clay.
After Silsbee died in 1850, his son, Nathaniel, who built and lived
in the house north of #94, moved into this house and modified its
appearance in the then popular Italianate style. The house has been the
home of the Knights of Columbus since 1907 . It used to be #16 Pleasant
Street.
The brick (Flemish bond) house has three stories plus a shallow hip
roof. The 1850 modifications were largely made on the facade and included
the portico and trim around the windows . The side entrance is still in
the Federal style as are the side window lintels, which are oblong and
reeded. On October 21, 1819, Bentley wrote quite a bit about the
interior of this house, which evidently had a Palladian window originally.
Behind the house there is now a large hot-top parking area. on the
north side of Briggs Street. Bentley wrote on April . 23, 1819, about
this area, "This day Mr. E. H. Derby ' s outhouse had a second remove.
194.
WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST (continued)
Capt.. .N. Silsbee moved it, after he purchased it, to the S. E. corner of
Daniel ' s Street upon Derby street & this day it finished its journey to
Pleasant street back of his new brick house. Below it I found the masons
building a Brick Wall around the place of interment of Mr. Briggs, Rope-
maker, aet. 45, who gave orders for his interment on this spot. . . . " Now
there is no sign of the building ;nr place of interment.
#96 Washington Square East RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL
This gable-end-to-the-street, two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house
was built in 1832 by Nathaniel Silsbee, the son of Silsbee who built
#94 next door, and probably was some relation to Zachariah,who lived
at #82 several doors to the south. It was formerly #17 Pleasant Street.
The house has typical Greek Revival details; the matched board front,
French Wyatt windows with an iron balcony and the lunette in the gable.
The side porch and entrance are later modifications of the original design.
It is said that this house is on the site of Jonathan Andrew' s tannery.
ANDREW STREET BEGINS.
#98 Washington Square East RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GOTHIC REVIVAL
(1840 ' s)
This three-story, wooden house has a flat roof and unusual entrance
portico and side porch with clustered columns in the Gothic style. The
windows on the first two floors are topped by a hood molding. The house
no longer looks as it did originally because the third floor was added
about 1900 . At the back of the house there are more additions.
1950
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH
Washington Square North appears to have been a continuation of
Brown Street during the 1600 ' s,when it ran only as far as Winter Street.
Perley says it was referred to as a "highway" at that time. Phillip ' s
map of Salem in 1780 shows it as "Ye new way on the North. " By 1794
Bentley calls it "Brown Street, " and so it remained until the name was
changed to Washington Square North in the late 1800 ' s.
It must have been a moderately important street because one of the
17th ce ntury residents of this area was John Higginson, the early
minister. It is hard to make out from Browne ' s accounts just where
Higginson ' s mansion was, but it seems to have been at the end of a
short alley between the present Oliver and Mall Streets . Bentley
wrote, "Many aged persons have lived and died upon the North side of
the Common. Old Mr. John Higginson, pastor, at 93 . The Williams, a
long-lived family. " Higginson ' s son built his house on the site of the
Hotel. Another early resident north of the Common was Anne Pudeator..
accused of being a witch by Samuel Pickworth, who said he had seen her
sailing through the air to her house. She was hanged in September 1692 .
Other important families who owned property here were the Gedneys and
Brownes .
The opening of Beverly bridge probably stimulated this side of the
Common to change into the neighborhood of small shops and houses, which
Browne described as having been here around 1800. He listed a variety
of businesses including James Wright ' s bakery, the Cheevers, who lived
and had a tannery on the west corner of Winter Street, two ropewalks,
a brass founder ' s shop and a grocery store. Nehemiah Adams, who had a
cabinetmaking business on the west corner of Williams Street, seems to
have kept life exciting in the neighborhood for Bentley mentions him
several times . October 6, 1809, he wrote, "We had the alarm of fire
on the Common. This is the third time that Mr. Nehemiah Adams has lost
his shop by fire. The fire was occasioned by the neglect of a man who
worked in the upper loft of the building in boiling his varnish. . . . "
196.
i It A t
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH (continued)
Four years later he took notice of the fact that Adams had a fourth
fire in his cabinetmaker' s shop.
Browne said there were no buildings from Winter to Pleasant Street;
Jonathan Gardner had a tannery back from the corner on Winter Street,
and Joseph Franks had a poplar tree nursery in the vicinity. In 1818
Bentley complained that the Gun House still had not been removed from
the Common. It was left outside of the fence on the northeast corner;
perhaps this accounts for this part not having been built on. In 1809
he reported, "The Methodists continue to worship together. . . in a build-
ing on the north west side of Washington Square. " This is the only
reference to this fact that has turned up; where this was is not known.
The north side of the Common changed from the area of small sho ps
described above to a proud residential area shortly after the leveling
of the Common. By 1830 all of the present large brick mansions on the
street had been built.
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH
KIMBALL COURT BEGINS.
#19 Washington Square North RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
There seems to be little information available about this two-story plus
pitch roof, gable-end-to=the-street house. The entrance to the house is
on one side at the junction of a cross-gable wing and is at the end of
a narrow porch, the roof of which is supported by a Doric column. The
house has a very attractive small glass "lantern" or cupola on the roof.
Siding hides the original wooden exterior of the building.
#192 Washington Square North RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GOTHIC REVIVAL
(1843)
This handsome church has a brownstone gable end, which faces the street,
and has three entrances . The large central doorway and two smaller ones
on either side have pointed Gothic arches. The steep pitch of the roof
is broken with crenelations and the crenelated tops of four towers which
project beyond the front of the building.
1970
l
r
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH (continued)
The structure was erected in 1846 for the East Church, the oldest
branch of the First Church. It was organized in 1718 and had met for
many years at the corner of Hardy and Essex Streets in a building long
since gone. The popularity of Bentley, the minister of the East Church
from 1785 until his death in 1819, may have been responsible for keeping
the parishioners of the "Second Parish" so close to home; anyone reading
the history of this area is struck by the fact that the families may
have moved from house to house, but seldom left the parish. It was a
closely-knit community.
Salem authors differ about who designed this building. Some say
Richard Upjohn; others say Minard Lafever. Early records of the East
Church now deposited at the Essex Institute make it clear that it was
Lafever, an outstanding architect, who was responsible for several fine
New York City churches in the Greek Revival style, and the author of
two architectural handbooks, The Modern Builders ' Guide /and The Beauties
of Modern Architecture. How he came to work in Salem iS/ nknown. Per-
haps, he was related to the Lafever family which lived nearby. Per-
haps, the church recognized the importance of having a top-flight
building designed by an outstanding architect.
#21 Washington Square North RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house is in the Greek Revival
style with a typical recessed front entrance in the middle of the five-
bay facade, which fronts on the Common. The arrangement of the small
windows, or lights, around the doorway is typical. Interesting details
which attract the eye are the iron snowrail on the roof and the decorated
drain pipes,which are attached by scrolls to either end of the facade.
This house seems to have belonged to a Captain Nathaniel Weston around
1860; and to be on the site of the Nehemiah Adams shop, which burned so
often.
WILLIAMS STREET BEGINS.
1980
'l
f
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH (continued)
I
#25 Washington Square North RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This wooden house is far newer than most of the buildings on the Common.
It has two stories plus a pitch roof andlis made of rough stones up to
the second floor level; above that the exterior is shingled. The shape
of the house is complex with gables, corner towers, bay windows and a
large covered piazza on the front. Some of the windows have diamond-
shaped panes, and some have stained glass. This was the site of the
Williams family ' s old house.
MALL STREET BEGINS-
#29 Washington Square North RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This house is one of the great brick mansions built around the Common
during the Federal period. It was erected in 1818 for John Forrester,
the son of Simon Forrester, one of Salem',s most successful merchants .
I
I
Bentley tells us that on September 1, 1817, "Forrester. . .has purchased
the Mason mansion house and lot on Brown Street." The Mason house was
subsequently moved to #91 Federal Street, and according to Browne
Mason ' s shop was moved to Winter Street, lexactly where he did not say.
Bentley was much impressed by the quality of the workmanship of the
new brick houses . He wrote in 1818, "The three houses now building
on the Common are no jobs. The work is by the day and the Owners are
present. " In 1819 he noted that, "Captain John Forrester. . .has the best
situation. Everything is well done aboutihis house which will soon be
ready for him. . .probably is not behind in any materials or workmanship
I
upon the plan he has adopted. " He was particularly impressed with the
I
way the cellar was finished off in pavement, brick, stone and plaster,
like that in the 1683 mansion of Philip English, he said. One small
footnote, also provided by Bentley in early December 1818, is worth
including; he said, "The Annual Thanksgiving. . .The private bounty to the
poor was great on the occasion. All who did apply were supplied abun-
dantly: Forrester ' s legacy gave a good dinner at the poor house& the
199.
I,
L
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH (continued)
best geese I ever saw. " The Forresters remained in this house until
1834„when they moved to #91 Oliver Street, of which there are some
interior photographs in the Essex Institute.
From 1834 until 1892 George Peabody) the son of Captain Joseph
Peabody, lived in the house where it is said he often entertained
Longfellow, Agassiz and Lowell, as well as General George McClellan
on one occasion. Thereafter, the Salem Club, a now .defunct organization
of Salem gentlemen, use for a headquarters and dining room. The
111111
building, which Bentley so admired, servei s now as the Bertram Home for
Aged Men, which was formerly in the building at the northwest corner
of Turner and Derby Streets .
The house is a three-story plus hip roof, brick (Flemish bond)
building with a balustrade on the roof, beaded keystones in the stone
lintels above the windows and a typical central entrance portico. The
I
wooden, beaded cornice with its modillions must have been very up-to-
date, since similar beads or balls appear, on several Chestnut Street
houses that were not built until circa 18128 . George Peabody added the
one-story wing on the east side of the house; it was done very skillfully
and imitates many of the details of the original building.
The house is on a large piece of property extending down Mall
Street. Behind it there is a Federal perod9two-story plus hip roof,
brick chaise house with arched windows . A tulip tree in the garden is
said to be the tallest and oldest in the county. In front of the house
I
there is an iron fence.
ftl Washington Square North RATING: ONE. PERIOD : FEDERAL.
This three-story plus hip roof, brick (Flemish Bond) building is very
like its neighbors in style and period, but there seems to be little
I
recorded mEerial about its past. Perhaps it was built after Bentley
died in 1819. B. F. Browne wrote that it was built by Stephen White
and was the home of Nathaniel Lord in the 1860 ' s .
200.
II
i
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH (continued)
The entrance portico is rectangular, supported by slender columns
and has a wooden balustrade above it trimmed with unusual flame-like
finials . The brick cornice consists of molded bricks. The house is
irregularly shaped like its neighbor #35, and has a second Federal-
style pedimented entrance on the protruding jog of the ell on Oliver
Street.
Behind the house through a gateway on Oliver Street, there is a
unique Salem chaise house with a large old clock set into the brick-
work above the entrance of the building. There is also a large beech
tree and some still cobblestoned areas in the yard.
OLIVER STREET BEGINS.
#35 Washington Squae North RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This is the third great brick Federal manlsion in this row of important
houses. Its history has not been written down in the usual sources,
but it was the home of Miss Hannah Hodges for many years . Browne ' s
accounts suggest that perhaps it was built by Benjamin Silsbee; many
of the Silsbees lived on Washington Square East.
Like most brick houses of this period, it has three stories plus
a hip roof, tall slender chimneys and elegant entrance porticoes . The
way in which the two rectangular masses, of which the house consists,
have been joined together to fit the corner locatio lis very skillful.
The house has two matching entrances with rectangular porticoes, one
facing the Common and the other on Oliver Street. There is a wooden
cornice under the eaves trimmed with balls, similar to those on #29.
The stone window lintels have beaded keystones and splayed sides .
In the yard behind the house on Oliver Street, there is a two-
story plus hip roof chaise house, which was probably built about the
same time as the house.
Before this house on the corner and the Story house behind it on
Winter Street were built, Samuel Cheever lad a house, shop and tanyard
201.
l
1 • 1 • t
WASHINGMI SQUARE NORTH (continued)
on the corner, and his brother Benjamin. had a tannery northwards on
Winter Street. The land had belonged to their father since 1746 ,when
he bought it from the Lyndes .
Cheever went to sea as a young man, and in May 1788 Bentley noted,
(sic)
" . . . a Building for a Tan House was raised by Mr. CheverYon the road
leading to the Bridge. " The next month he wrote, "Andrews ' Tann Yard
at the Common bought by Chewer & Gardnel, and carried north the whole
width and a new part put in upon the junition of the northwest and south-
east parts . " In November 1788 the same author commented, " . . .windy day. . .
It cleared away the whole range of buildings in the Tan Yard of Chever
he added,
& Gardner, above 100 feet in length. . . . " In June 1792/ "S. Chever at
the corner of the Common, raised his Tan & Bark House, having finished
a Water Hole, Two Lime Holes & six Vats . " That September`l Cheever
increased his Tan Vats, and the following April he "removed his Tan
House to enlarge his yard. . . . f.
Perhaps this recital by Bentley gives a little idea of what was
involved in the development of a busy tan yard. The land around the
Common seems to have been subject to string winds before it was built
up. Mr. Vincent had to rebuild his ropel alk after winds blew it down
(See Washington Square East) , and Cheeverhis tan yard. One wonders if
the structures were insured or rather so inexpensively built that their
loss was not disastrous . In both cases, the businesses continued, and
one assumes the buildings were replaced.
WINTER STREET BEGINS.
#39-41 Washington Square North RATTING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This three-story plus pitch roof, brick hLse reflects the slight
modifications that came in at the end of the Federal period when the
Greek Revival style was being introduced. The building is a double
house and is said to have been planned as a whole row of attached houses
continuing all the way east to Pleasant Street, according to a recent
202.
i
WASHINGTON SQUARE NORTH (continued)
owner of U 41, who said his house was built by Larkin Thorndike about
1830 . Thorndike is listed in the 1843 Directory as a counsellor living at
#4 Brown Street, which was probably then the number of this house.
Mr. Thorndike was a part owner of the privateer Black Prince during the
Revolution.
The house has recessed, arched entrances with fan and sidelights
around its two doorways and long French windows with iron balconies at
the first-story level; the recessed entrance and long windows were to
become very common during the Greek Revival period. The first floor,
identified by a belted strip, is also elevated above a windowed half
story or basement. There are brick ells at the rear of each of these
houses and they each have parapeted end chimneys. The window lintels
are straight-sided, reeded stone. The house has a wooden cornice.
#45 Washington Square North RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FOURTH
QUARTER
This large house appears to be on Pleasant Street Avenue, but it is
actually in the yard behind #47-49 and could conceivably have been the
stable or other outbuilding behind that house at one time. The exterior
of the house is relatively simple and is trimmed with paired brackets,
but it has one unique feature - the eastern or gable end of the house
is made up of two walls,which meet in the middle to form a very shallow
angle; the reason for this deviation from the usual is unknown. The
house has two stories plus a pitch roof and is now covered with siding.
2030
",'p,6vIFCITON S0JART NORTH (continued)
#49 Washington Square North RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FEDERAL. (?)
This is an interesting house. It appears to be Federal in shape and size,
although far less grand than its brick neighbors, but it has had some
alterations which make it hard to be sure. The height of the brick
foundation is also unusual in a simple Federal house, and the "Victorian"
trim about the doors plus a bay window above make it a1 most unrecog-
nizable. The two-story plus pitch roof house is gable end to the street,
and more or less hidden by the larger and grander houses around it.
There is a yard on the western side of the wooden building.
#51-53 Washington Square North RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
One of the best features of this large two-story plus pitch roof, wooden
house is its carved front door. The main entrance is in the center of
the gable or street end of the house up a flight of granite steps; it is
recessed and there is a column on either side of the recess. The bay
window above the entrance is a later addition, and probably the additions
to the house are also. The facade is of matched boards in the Greek
Revival style. Behind the houseitis said there was a lovely hidden
garden.
203-2
WASHINGTON SQUARE SOUTH
Washington Square South does not seem to have played an important
part in the early days of Salem' s past for a simple reason. The land
area between it and Essex Street was narrow, and the house lots faced
Essex Street and ran through to the Common; hence this was a back street.
On Phillips ' 1780 map it is simply shown as a Lane. According to B. F.
Browne the street wasn ' t opened until about 1780 and had only one house
on it when he was young. The street was first known as Bath Street
because as Bentley wrote in 1797, "A Bath House erected near the Common
thn names n" '„h„:-se
on Crowninshield' s Lot. ” The purpose of this Bath House and/who used it
ar(�unknown to this reporter.
Bentley, writing during the 1790 ' s mentions several other buildings
in this area. May 17, 1796, he wrote "Southwick raising a School House
on Symond ' s land near Common; and three years later he reported a "New
Sm. House on Burrill ' s Lot between Essex and Common,. " Of the houses
now standingsouth otthe Common only one appears to have been built during
the early 1800 ' s. The remaining ones all look later, which is not to
say that Southwick' s school may not be masquerading there somewhere.
The street continued to be called Bath Street until after 1851; by
1874 it was part of Forrester Street, and about 1880 its name was
changed to Washington Square South.
WASHINGTON SQUARE SOUTH
— Db;"O LISHrD 1963.
#32 Washington Square South RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This is a two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house in the Italianate style.
It has a rusticated facade and facade gable, paired brackets and quoined
corners which were popular features during this period. The pagoda-like
pediments above the second floor windows and the small and delicate bay
window over the entrance are unusual details of the time in Salem.
#36 Washington Square South is now a parking area for the Hawthorne
Motor Hotel.-
#38 Washington Square South RATING: ONE, PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This three-story plus hip roof house is a good example of a Federal-
204.
WASHINGTON SQUARE SOUTH (continued)
period wooden building. It has delicate details including a rope-trimmed
cornice and a simple central entrance in the side yard with a handsome
semi eliptical fanlight overhead. The third-floor windows are smaller
than usual being only two panes high. The house is oblong with its
narrow end on the street, and it has a narrower service ell beyond the
house, which probably once had an entrance beneath a small semicircular
fanlight which still remains . Both the square columns supporting the
entrance portico and the high brick foundation are unusual for the
Federal period and may not be original.
#46 Washington Square South RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This two-story plus Mansard roof,wooden house faces the Common. Italianate
details include a recessed central entrance and bay window, dormer windows,
a matched-board facade and ornate paired brackets under the eaves . The
house has a high granite foundation and an ell in the rear.
#50 Washington Square South RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
The Phillips School is a large brick building with brownstone trim. The
three-story school faces the Common (as well as Essex Street) and has
a central four-story tower which projects somewhat beyond the facade.
On either side of the tower there are matchingjbalanced gables . Some fancy
brickwork also serves to interrupt the flat brick surfaces of this
large building. The school yard is enclosed by an iron picket fence .
The first Phillips School was built in this location in 1842, and a
big parade preceded its dedication. The present building was erected in
1883 .
#56 Washington Square South RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL (?)
This small,pleasing, two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house is gable end
to the street. Its period is difficult to determine on the basis of the
exterior evidence. The high foundation and trim about the entrance in
the side yard are characteristic of the Greek Revival period, but the
quoined corners and bold modillions under the eaves may be an
alteration of the late 1800 ' s when the bay window was probably
2050
L
WASHINGTON SQUARE SOUTH (continued)
added; at least they would have been rare in the 1830 ' s . The owner has
been told the house was built about 1830 in the Greek Revival period, and
the interior trim indicates the same date. Is it possible thatthis is
Southwick ' s school which Browne wrote was converted into a house;
but Browne also wrote that it was west of the Phillips School, while
this is east of it.
#60-62 Washington Square South RATING: THREE. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This house is the third example of the Italianate style of architecture
on this side of the Common. It is a two-story plus Mansard roofdouble
house with a typical,;high granite foundation, recessed entrance and
brackets under the eaves . The first floor windows and the dormers in the
roof have heavy pedimented lintels.
206.
WASHINGTON SQUARE WEST
This street was called Newbury Street by 1796 when Bentley made a
list of Salem streets. Prior to that time there is little information
about it; the authors of Old Naumkeag wrote that it was known as Salem
Street during the witchcraft days . Andrews ' Corner was the common
name for the corner of Newbury and Essex Streets,where Deacon Andrews
lived on the site of the Hotel. Evidence uncovered when the foundation
was being dug for the Andrew;.-Safford House in the early 1800 ' s showed
there had been a blacksmith shop on that location many years before,
and Bentley had a 1697 gun that was found there repaired.
In the early 1800 ' s there was only a school on this street, except,
ing
of course, for the property fronton Essex Street. Bentley wrote in
1819, "The causeway now Newbury Street is raised several feet. " This is
a rather mysterious note since it is the only indication that this street
like Washington Square South and East was also inclined to be wet;
perhaps he wrote quickly and made an error. Since 1880 Newbury Street
had been called Washington Square West.
WASHINGMT SQUARE WEST - WEST SIDE.
#13 Washington Square West RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The so-called Andrews-Safford House, now owned by the Essex Institute,
was built in 1818 by John Andrews and is said to have been the most
costly private residence in New England at that time. He was a merchant
in the firm of Archer and Andrews and had a highly successful trade with
Russia. His nephew was Governor of Massachusetts during the Civil War
and is said to have spent much time in the house.
Bentley made frequent notes about the progress of the construction
of the house and mentioned on October 21, 1819, one of the outstanding
features of this three-story plus hip roof,, brick house. He wrote,
i
"This week Captain John Andrews is raising his four large columns on the
south side of his house. These are the largest ever raised in Salem.
They stand on the basement story on the southwest part of the house. The
2070
f
WASHINGTON SQUARE WEST continued
base is of free stone, the shafts, fluted, of pine. The capitals are
not yet raised. This is building in true as well as great style. The
columns are not seen in the front of the house eastwardly on Washington
place and only obliquely at the entrance f Newbury street. . . . "
Despite the great size of the house it does not seem massive because
it is lightened by its many delicate Federal details . The two balustrades
around the hip roof, the lower of which has an unusual fan motif, the
wooden cornice and the splayed stone window lintels, which have beaded
keystones, are all features of the Federal style. The central front
portico combines two of the popular forms of the period, the oblong plus
a semicircular projection, supported by two columns on either side. A
balustrade atop the portico accents it s importance, as does the heavily
linteled Palladian window above. The original six-over-six windows have
been replaced with two-over-two.
Iron pickets make up a fence in front of the house, and beyond it a
brick wall secludes the garden on the south and the stable at the north.
The two-story plus hip roof brick chaise house is connected to the house
by a two-story, three-bay brick ell. The chaise house has a facade
gable, and its windows and doors are in shallow, arched indented panels .
The large central entrance is flanked on either side by semicircular
fanlights over single doors . The window lintels and sills are splayed
and reeded stone .
WASHINGTON SQUARE WEST - EAST SIDE
##18 Wadington Square West RATING: TWO. PERIOD: COLONIAL REVIVAL.
The Hawthorne Motor Hotel is a relative newcomer on the Common scene,
u
having been built during the 1920 ' s . It is a large six-story, brick
building in the Colonial style with quoined corners and pedimented windows.
The building covers what used to be called Andrews ' corner. Bentley
wrote in 1809, "This week was taken down the Old Higginson House at the
Corner of the Common, lately sold by the heirs of Deacon Andrews who
208.
WASHINGTON SQUARE WEST - EAST SIDE (continued)
owned it many years, & it. . . is now sold to Col. Archer. The buildings
are to be removed & New Brick stores to be erected. The lot sold at
above 8 th. Dollars . This House was erected by John, a Son of Revd.
John) H(igginson) , in 1663 after the family returned from Conn in
1660 . . .This house was built in the style of our Oldest houses with low
9
stories but lofty peaks & with bold projections of the upper stories . "
The new brick building ,which was called either the Archer or
Franklin Building,was designed by McIntire for Colonel Archer and burned
in 1860 . Bentley referred to Colonel Archer and his building business
frequently and sometimes disapprovingly. (See #80 Washington Square
East. ) The site of the Hotel was bequeathed to the Salem Marine Society
by Thomas Perkins ' generosity. The members of this society still meet
in its quarters on the top floor of the Hotel.
p
2090
I
WEBB STREET - WEST SIDE (# ' s 75, 77, 81 & 89. ) From Briggs to Pickman Street.
Perley writes that Webb Street was laid out in 1797, but actually
it seems to have grown gradually from Derby Street northwards as the
waterfront was filled in. Bentley noted in November 1797, "The street
opened leading below English Street from Derby to Essex Street. " City
Hall records relate that it was opened in 1797 to the estate of the
late Jonathan Brown, continued over a beach to Essex Street in 1833 , and
the remainder, from Essex to Bridge Street laid out in 1855 . The 1820
Map of Salem shows that this middle portion with which we are concerned
was all under water and part of Collins ' Cove, which was known as
Shallop Cove many years ago. Part of the Cove extended up to Forrester.
Street, and a creek ran from the Common down present-day Forrester
Street into it .
On June 21, 1790, Bentley wrote,
The point (after our crossing the run of water, which flows from
the Common to Neckgate) was called Virgin Point, said from three
old maidens who lived near it. . . .After we pass this point. . .we
come to the land upon which Vincent ' s Ropewalk was built. . . .
There was a Road into this land to Shallop Cove on the east of
which was a four acre lot disposed of by the heirs of Hodges .
It now does not contain one-third of that quantity. (In other
accounts, Bentley mentions the widespread erosion of land in this
area. ) Mr. Vincent and Brown are now building a sea wall to this
lot, to secure the remainder to be filled up level with the top
of this wall. . . .Beyond is Planter ' s Marsh extending a considerable
distance from the Upland. . . .The first Settlers. . . soon improved
Shallop Cove for their fishing barks, they afterwards made use
of Cat Cove between Point of Rocks & Winter Island. . . .
BRIGGS STREET ENDS.
#75 Webb Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
The relative lack of ornamentation on this two-story plus pitch roof,
wooden house indicates that it is a late example of the Italianate
style. It ' s "Victorian" features are a two-story bay window, a fancy
second-story window lintel and the consoles which support a pediment
above the front doorway on the street or gable end. The house is
basically a long, narrow structure, the long Briggs Street side of
which is broken by two three-story flat roofed towers . A two-story
bay projects from the Webb Street end of the house.
210.
f
WEBB STREET - WEST SIDE (Odd numbers) continued
#77 Webb Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This house, like its neighbor #75, has two stories plus a pitch roof,
and is gable end to the street. However, it has much more ornamenta-
tion, including scalloped shingles near the top of the gable and paired
brackets under the eaves . The pediment above the front door is orna-
mented with brackets and a cut-out, semicircle suggestive of a sunburst.
There is a jig-saw, cut-out barge board on the gable end, and the
window lintels are ornate and varied. There is also a two-story bay
window on one side of the house.
#81 Webb Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
The Mansard roof of this square house makes it appear a more sophisticated
design than its neighbors . The entrance is U_;? a flight of granite
steps and through the enclosed central portico. A four-window bay
projects over the front door. The windows are regularly spaced, those
on the first floor having bracketed lintels and those on the second
having hood moldings .
ANDREW STREET CROSSES.
#89 Webb Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This simple two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house is in the Italianate
style. The front entrance is in the middle of the facade on the street
side of the house and has a roof overhead supported by paired brackets;
similar paired brackets trim the cornice of the bay window beside the
entrance and the cornice under the eaves .
PICKMAN STREET ENDS.
211.
r
WHITE STREET
Perley wrote that White Street was laid out in 1770 by John
Turner, and it appears on Phillips ' 1780 map which shows White ' s
Wharf extending out from the end of the street into Salem Harbor.
Bentley mentioned White ' s Lane in 1794 and noted in 1809. "the street
tothe wharves below Carleton street widened. " In 1817 he wrote, "The
Steam Boat at White ' s wharf opposite Carlton Street. The end of the
Wharf is fenced so as to prevent the interference of the Crouds (sic)
which the novelty collects . The conversation is not so much of the
machinery as of the profit the boat may give & the months it may be
used. The " Owners are speculating upon the profits also, as well as
their neighbours. "
Perhaps White Street is named for Captain Joseph White, three of
whose vessels were captured by the British a�'the Start of the
Revolution. Captain White then bought a sloop, the Revenge, with
Mr. Cabot of Beverly and took her out himself as a privateer, the
first to sail from Salem during the Revolution according to the authors
of Old Naumkeag.
WHITE STREET - WEST SIDE
The feta buildings on the west side of White Street are factories
and warehouses and hard to date from the outside. There is first a
long, narrow, two-story plus pitch roof building on the right-hand side
of the street (#6) , which appears to be rather old because of its
tumble-down and some might say„ipicturesque condition. The clapboards
have weathered to a soft brown color, and some have fallen off. The
1874 Atlas shows this was part of Jonathan Whipple ' s gum copal factory,
which Was begun about 1842 on the eastern side of lower Turner Street.
Gum copal is a resinous product of tropical trees used in the manufacture
of varnish and lacquers .
Beyond #6 White Street there is a string of one-story wooden
212.
WHITE STREET - WEST SIDE (continued)
(siding) sheds with lean-to roofs, and scattered between the sheds
and first building there are overgrown bushes, vines and old fruit
trees .
The next building one sees is a wide, one-story plus pitch roof
warehouse, which is now covered with siding. It was also once part
of the Whipple, gum copal concern.
At the bottom of White Street ,large oil tanks cover what must
once have been the beginning of White ' s wharf where the steam boat
was tied up.
213-
WILLIAMS STREET - From Washington Square North to Bridge Street.
Bentley and B. F. Browne give us a good idea of the growth of
Williams Street in their writings . Bentley ' s notations are recorded
below.
October 1796, "Williams (Henry) has opened a new Street from
the Common through his lot to the River. Adams has carried
William' s store down said street . . . .°
May 1797, "A building carried by Gardner down Williams ' new
Street. White ' s old store and Barn removed from Curtis Street into
Williams Street. "
November 1797, "New Houses in William' s new Street from Brown
Street (Washington Square North) to the Shore N. W. "
January 1798, "Building from Derby ' s Lot, East Street, carried
to Williams Street. "
March 1798, "Building on East Side of Williams Street. "
October 1798, "A rope walk, small in Williams Street. New
House in Williams Street. In the Fall. Several new Houses in
Williams Street. "
1800, "Three houses in Williams Street. "
Bentley also noted in October 1796, that the " intended new
Street from Winter Street to William' s new Street doesn' t go through
•
because of claims on Williams ' land. "
Browne writing about his recollections of the area around 1800,
said that Henry Williamsywho laid out the street lived in an old house on
the east corner of Williams Street and Washington Square North. He
added, "I remember as living there Deacon Nehemiah Adams (a cabinetmaker
of note) , Francis Polsifer, cabinetmaker, Edward S . Lang, an apothecary,
a G.avet family, one named Ross, James Gray, a cooper, Captain Benjamin
Ropes, Samuel Gale, a barber, Samuel Gray, a shoemaker, John Derby, a
tailor, and others . Deacon Adams had his furniture factory on the south-
west corner of this street. " He also noted that Thaddeus Gwinn had a
small ropewalk on the street, which was later moved to Bridge Street.
2140
WILLIAMS STREET (continued)
The foregoing comments give some idea of the rapid growth of
this neighborhood in the early days of the Republic, and as one
would expect, many of the houses are of good examples of the
simple Federal style type house built for the craftsmen and artisans
of that time. Interspersed among these early 19th century houns,
there are now several which were built during the latter half of the
century.
WIILLIAMS STREET. WEST SIDE odd Numbers (#3-33)
#3 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
Colonial Revival is the style of this two-story plus high hip roof,
wooden house with its small central facade gable and Palladian
window. There are a fanlight and side lights around the front door-
way which is reached through a columned porch, and characteristic
each of
modillion$ and dentiis form the cornice trim. The upper half of/the
house windows consistg of fancy small panes.
#5 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PRRIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This one story plus steep-pitched roof house also has some Colonial
istica,
Revival character/ . such as the columned portico and a small lunette
i
in the gable. It is gable end to the street, and has a central entrance
on the street end. The house is shingled with the exception of stucco
A
on the gable area.
#7-9 Williams Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This is the only all brick house on Williams Street; it is a double
house in the Greek Revival style with typical plain stone window
lintels, a brick dentil cornice and entablature and recessed front
doorways. The building has two-stories plus a pitch roof and a six
bay facade which faces the street.
#11 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This is a very simple, two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house which
is gable end to the street and feces its neighbor, #13, to the north.
The simple pilastered doorway is in the side yard in the middle of
2150
WILLIAMS STREET - WEST SIDE (Odd Numbers) continued
the five-bay facade. The house still has its clapboards, and there
are several ells in the rear of the building.
#13 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PEMD: FEDERAL.
Facing #11 Williams Street is this smaller version of a similar type
of house. It has two stories plus a pitch roof and is gable end to
the street. The enclosed entrance porch has been altered, and the
window arrangement on the facade is not symmetrical1which was
customary when this house was built.
#15 Williams Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This three-story plus hip roof, eblong, clapboard house has its
narrow end on the street with the main entrance in the side yard.
The door is in an enclosed porch with a molded pediment and side oval
window typical of the period. The house is a good example of the
Federal style, and in the yard there is a brick walk and, more or
less idden, a cobblestone driveway. There is a two-story shingled
ell with a pitch roof beyond the main body of the house.
#152 Williams Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
No. 152 Williams Street is a two-story plus pitch roof, wooden (siding)
house. There is a two-story bay window on the ]gable or street end.
The foundation has the then stylish zipper brick work below the bay
window. The facade in the yard has five bays and a central entrance,
the roof above which is supported by cut=out wooden consoles typical
of the so-called "Victorian" style of architecture.
#17 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden (siding) house faces its
neighbor, # 152. It has a central entrance in the yard to which
Victorian trim has been added. There are several ells in the rear
of this Federal style house, and inside there i[emains much delicate
216.
WILLIAMS STREET - WEST SIDE (Odd numbers) continued
wooden trim which gives further evidence of the age of this building.
#19 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This two-story plus gambrel roof, end-to-the-street, wooden (siding)
house faces its neighbor, #21, and together they make up the third
such pair of houses on the west side of Williams Street. The entrance
in the side yard has pilastered trim and a cornice which includes a
typical Federal touch, the strip of dentils. There is a two-story
ell in the rear.
#21 Williams Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This two-story plus pitch roof, clapboard house, which is end to the
street, seems to be. a simple, but handsome example cf the Greek
Revival style. Its chief Greek Revival feature is the recessed and
pilastered central front entrance with full length sidelights on
either side of the door, which is in the middle of the side, five-
bay facade. There is a small one-story ell in the rear.
#23 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUZRTER.
The paired brackets under the eaves, Victorian consoles supporting a
roof over the front door, and the window treatment on both the first
and second floor are all typical of the Italianate style of archi-
tecture popular during the Third Quarter of the 19th Century. The
house has two stories plus a pitch roof and is gable end to the
street.
#25 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL. -
Bentley refers. to many houses being moved to Williams Street , then
recently laid out. This simple, wooden, two=story plus pitch roof
house with a lean-to in the rear seems small enougfo have been one of
those moved to the street. The front door with an overhead transom
is at one end of the three-bay facade directly on the street.
217.
1
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WILLIAMS STREET - WEST SIDE (Odd numbers) continued
#27 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This two-story plus hip roof, wooden building is basically square,
but the cut-off corner, side two-story bay window, and recessed first-
floor entrance piazza give an impression of irregularity which was an
architectural feature popular with the romantic Victorian period.
#29 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
Here is another typical small wooden house of the Federal period It
has two stories plus a pitch roof and faces the street. The very
simple front doorway is in the center of the three-bay facade. The
central chimney is probably a replacement. A one-story lean-to ell
is attached to the rear of this very narrow building.
#31 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
It is hard to date this small, two-story plus gambrel roof, wooden
(siding) structure because there is little trim showing on which to
base an estimate. It has its entrance at one side of the gable end
on the street9which is probably a modification of the original design;
framed by
the door is simple pilasters and cornice around it. There is a small,
two-story ell at the back of the house.
#33 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD & FOURTH
QUARTER.
The outstanding feature of this wooden hous+s the curved tops of its
windows on the gable end on Williams Street. The house has crossed
gables and two stories plus a pitch roof. The windows on
differ
the northern or Bridge Street end; and also the cornice from those on
and
the southern portion/suggest the two different building dates given above.
WILLIAMS STREET - EAST SIDE (Even numbers)
#8 Williams Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The narrow end of this oblong, three-story wooden house is on the street,
and the entrance is in the side yard facing south. The doorway has a
delicate semi-eliptical fanlight, the usual sidelights and a roofed
218.
1
WILLIAMS STREET - EAST SIDE (Even numbers) continued
portico which echoes the hip roof of the house. Other typical
features of the Federal period are the three chimneys, the service
ell in the rear and the brick end on the north side of the house.
#10-12 Williams Street. RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This square house with three stories plus a hip roof is typical of the
Federal period. It is wooden with shingles which probably hide the
original clapboards and is directly on the street with a five-bay
facade, The central entrance has a finely molded pediment above it
which is another feature of the early Federal period. The front door
itself is modern.
#122 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This house is similar in style to several others on Williams Street
which were evidently built during the Third Quarter of the 19th Century
on land formerly belonging to the older houses . It has two stories
plus a Mansard roof with fish scale slates, a two-story front bay
window, paired bracket trim and ornate consoles supporting the roof
over the front door.
#14 Williams Street 2ATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
It is often difficult to date a simple gambrel roof house from the
exterior, but the shape of the central chimney and nearness of the top
of the second story windows to the: eaves suggest that this may be one
of the small houses moved tohe str,,et during its early years. The
clapboard house has two stories and is gable end to the street with
its entrance through an -enclosed side i,orch, which is not original in
style. There is a two-story plus pitch oof addition in the yard
beyond the house.
#16 Williams Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house has handsome features of
the Italianate style which are not run of the mill; they include the
cornice and paired brackets which are simple but bold, the second-
story window pediments and the circular arch whici: is attached to the
219.
L
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WILLIAMS STREET - EAST SIDE (Even numbers) continued
front columns of the entrance portico and mates a frame for the central
front door. It is larger than most of the houses on the street.
#18 Williams Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The unusual central entrance of this two-story plus pitch roof house
is trimmed with dentils and a cornice above the semi ircular fanlight
plus elongated fluted pilasters on either side. The front doorstep is
granite and has two attached iron foot scrapers . The only other trim
on the house is a wooden molded cornice under the eaves. The back
door of the house is in an enclosed porch with a pitch roof. The
house has two Federal period chimneys and a lean-to Beverly jog on
the north end.
#20 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The entrance to this two-story plus pitch roof, wooden (siding) house
has been modified and has a four-window bay above it. The house is
gable end to the street and has a rear ell. A small arched trellis
and 9 eckel pear trees in the yard are appropriate touches for an old
Salem house.
#22 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL?
This two-story plus pitch roof, wooden (siding) house is directly on the
sidewalk, from which one steps onto the granite doorstep with its iron
boo t�scrapers. The front door is in the center of the five-bay facade
andhasa molded pediment and dential cornice above and pilasters on
either side. There are two succeeding lean-to ells in the rear of the
house.
(There is no #24)
#26 Williams Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
The very large square central chimney in this house indicates that it
is probably older than most of its neighbors . The two-story plus pitch
roof, wooden house is gable end to the street and is on a granite
foundation. A piazza has been added to the pitch-roof ell in the yard,
and the entrance has recently been altered by the addition of a steeply
220.
WILLIAMS STREET - EAST SIDE (Even numbers) continued
pitched roof to the formerly flat-roofed enclosed entrance porch.
The house is covered with siding.
#28 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This is a simple two-story plus pitch roof, wooden (siding) house
with its gable end to the street. The north wall of the building is
brick, and the simple entrance is in the side yard facing the south.
The house has a good wooden cornice and flat wooden boards between
many
the third story windows and cornice typical of Federal
house.sin Salem. The house has three chimneys .
#30 Williams Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This three-story plus hip roof house has the cornice and simple
pilastered entrance typical of the Federal period. Victorian trim
has been superimposed about the entrance, and siding covers what are
undoubtedly old clapboards. The entrance is at one end of the
three-bay facade. The building is oblong with a lean-to ell in the
rear.
x
221.
WINTER STREET
Sidney Perley found references to Winter Street, which was not then
its name, as early as 1668. It seems to have led to the Beverly ferry
which was near the end of the peninsula by that time. This faot gives
credence to the thought that it was there by at least 1668 . Perley
or
found it called a "lane;."r.oad leading to Beverly ferry" in 1705, "Ferry
Lane" around 1780, and Winter Street by 1794. The area around Winter
and Northey Streets was the location of early tanneries, and at the
foot of Northey Street there was a windmill used to grind bark,
which is said to have been moved there from Copp' s Hill in Bosc.on.
B. F.. Browne says that. John Andrew' s tannery was about where #23 Winter.
Street now is; this man was the grandfather of. Governor Andrew.
Jonathan Gardner also had a tan yard_ in the same area.
After the Essex or Beverly Bridge was opened, Winter Street un-
doubtedly became much more travelled. In 1789, the hay scales were
erected there across the street from what is now #26 Winter Street;
this must have been a convenience to farmers coming across the new
bridge with hay to sell. In a list which Bentley kept of new houses
in his neighborhood from about 1795 to 1800, he refers to six new
houses, and two being enlarged, . as well as a shop built and two moved
to Winter Street.
When Judge Story (See #26 Winter Street) entertained Lafayette at
his home in 1824, an elaborate arch was put up at the head of Winter
Street from which there hung a banner of duck made at William Gray ' s
duck factory on Spring Street. It bore the message:
While winds shall blow, and seas shall roll
While aught remains that ' s good and great,
Our NATIVE DUCK, from pole to pole,
Shall waft the fame of LAFAYETTE..
This sample of native pride in American products may still be seen in
the Essex Institute.
In the triangle at the intersection of Winter Street and Washington
Square there is a large Boulder which was moved fere from the Willows
222.
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WINTER STREET - WEST SIDE (Even num bers) cont 'd
This three-story plus hip roof, square, wooden house has the bracketed
cornice, bay window above a Victorian entranceway, and Italianate window
pediments of a house of the period of the Third Quarter of the 19th Cen-
tury. However, its basic squareness, hip roof and rear ell, plus the
low foundation, all suggest that it was built originally in the Federal
period and remodeled at a later date. A present resident of the house
said that there are H & L hinges on doors on the third floor.
#14 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: PRE-FEDERAL.
This simple two-story plus pitch roof, clapboard house is interesting
because its entrance is in the yard at the intersection of the main house
and a similar pitch roof ell at right angles to the main house on the
street. The doorway is in an enclosed pedimented portico. One detail
which suggests that it dates from the pre-Federal peiod is the cornice
under the eaves which protrudes over the second story windows, and which
is echoed in the molded window sills of this same course of windows; the
house also has a large square chimney, which is usually a characteristic
of the pre-Federal period. A wooden fence in the Chinese Chippendale
style encloses. the side yard.
#16 Winter Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This house is an excellent example of the Greek Revival style with its
wide entablature and cornice, pilasters on the matched-board facade and
gable end to the street, all of which make it look like a small version of
a Greek temple.
#18 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This two-story plus pitch rood, wooden house is a simple version of the
Greek Revival style of its neighbor #16. The house has no pilasters and
has been altered by the addition of a bay window above the recessed
entrance.
#20 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This gable-end-to-the-street, wooden (siding) house is in the Italianate
style popular during the third quarter of the 19th century. It has paired,
2240
WINTER STREET - WEST SIDE (Even numbers) cont ' d
carved brackets under the eaves, bay windows and an entrance portico
supported by sgare columns .
#22 'Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: ? FEDERAL or THIRD
QUARTER
It is hard to tell whether this square. three-story, plus hip roof; house
was originally built in the early 1800 ' s and then remodeled in the third
quarter of that century or not, but it does seemPtwible. The five-bay
facade is of matched boards and has a handsome, recessed, round-headed
door, above which there is a bay window. There is a three-story ell
behind the house.
#24 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This two-story , plus pitch roof, gable-end-to-the-street house is one of the
few brick Greek Revival houses in Salem. "The original recessed entrance
has been "colonialized" (probably around 1900) , and the bay window above
it has also altered the original simplicity of this Greek Revival building.
Material in Rosamond deLaittre ' s book about John Bertram (see
Bibiography) suggests that this was "the new brick house" to which he moved
i
from #2 Pickman Street before he moved to the house which is now the
Public Library. He became Salem' s greatest philanthropist, and his name
is connected with many of our best-known institutions, particularly the
Salem.Hospital, Public Library, Old Men ' s Home and Home for Aged Women.
He came to Salem as a young man and went to sea for many years before he
acquired his own fleet of ships.
#242 Winter Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This "Eastlake cottage" with all its fancy shingled, gables, dormers,
bays, spindles and varied window shapes and sizes is typical of the
"Queen Anne" style of architecture which was a reaction against the
-industrial revolution and an attempt to look hand-made. The style was
an outgrowth of the movement begun by Hunt, Morris and Rosetti in
England. The fancy brick chimney is a further reflection of the attitudes
of the period.
225.
L.
WINTER STREET - WEST SIDE (Even numbers) cont ' d
An article in the 1946 Essex Institute Historical Collection tells
us that Judge Story who lived at #26 Winter Street used a wooden building
north of his house as his office ; later it was bought by Dr. Benjamin Cox
and moved first to Norman Street and later to Creek Street . It seems
probable that this building is more or less on the site of that office .
A resident of the area says that this small house was built by General
William Annabel , who was Adjutant General of the state during the Civil
War, and was actually designed by Charles Eastlake , the famous English
designer of the late Victorian period . This has not been verified .
#26 Winter Street RATING : ONE . PERIOD : FEDERAL .
This house is of prime importance because it was built in 1811 by
Joseph Story, one of the most important of Salem ' s many distinguished
jurists . He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in
1805 , at 25 , and to the United States Congress in 1808, serving there
until 1810 , when he returned to the Massachusetts Legislature , becoming
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in January 1811 .
Story was appointed associate justice of the United States Supreme Court
when he was 32 , by President Madison on November 18, 1811 , serving until
his death in 1845 .
During his long tenure on the Supreme Court , Story ' s landmark
decisions and legal writings won for him international renown as a great
American jurist , law writer and law teacher. By his decisions and writings
he contributed to the preservation of the common law system in America,
and strengthened the union of the states in his support of a strong central
government under the Constitution . He played a very active role in founding
the Harvard Law School , and became its first Dane professor of law in 1829 .
It was in this house that Justice Story in 1817 entertained President
James Monroe , 5th President of the United States , and later , in 1824 ,
General Lafayette , when he visited Salem . A large marble statue of Story
stands at Harvard Law School in his memory, and he is further honored
there in the naming of Story Hall and the Story chair of law, a professor-
ship, after him. In 1900 the name of Justice Story was one of 29 names of
famous Americans which were first enrolled in America ' s Hall of Fame .
226 .
#26 Winter Street ( cont ' d)
The house was also the birthplace in 1819 , of Story' s son,
William Wetmore Story, a poet and sculptor of some note , who lived for
many years in Italy.
Similar in size and style to many of the large brick mansions
around the Common, this three-story plus hip roof , brick (Flemish bond)
house is rectangular with the narrow end on Winter Street and its long
side or facade facing the Common; there is a narrow service ell beyond
the main house .
The photographs of the house at the Essex Institute show that the
front portico has been altered several times . The present arrangement
of the portico, bay window and wide front porch, which formerly enclosed
a handsome Chinese Magnolia tree , was added by George C . Vaughn in 1901
in the Colonial style . Evidently, the original front portico had been
removed by some prior owner. Fiske Kimball found that the plan of this
226A
WINTER STREET - WEST SIDE (Even numbers) cont ' d
house is very like an unidentified house plan by McIntire, but the dimen-
sions of the lot on McIntire ' s plan are not the same. The window lintels
are splayed, reeded stone, which was very popular at this time.
WINTER STREET - EAST SIDE (Odd numbers)
#1 Winter Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
This simple, unchanged two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house facing
Winter Street was built in 1837 . The exterior has few architectural
details of the period beyond the simple pilastered trim around the
eight-paneled front door and the arrangement of the sidelights . The
balanced five-bay facade has a central entrance up a granite step with
its original iron boot-scrapers at each end. According to the owner it
was built by Captain Nathaniel Griffin..,whose carpenters were Clark and
Brown, and the mason was Mr. Slocum. ,Captain Griffin was master of the
brig Eliza, and Mary the Leader and later owned the Neptune .
Later hes a ship ' s chandler at 135 Derby Street. (Essex Institute
manuscripts, etc.)
#3 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The classically correct fluted Doric columns in the portico of this house
and the window arrangement around the central front door are Greek Revival
in style, but the shape and proportions are typical of the Federal period.
The wooden (shingles now cover clapboards) house has three stories plus
a hip roof and is L-shaped with a service ell behind. The front door is
in the middle of the five-bay facade on Winter Street. A small irregularly
shaped ell has been added to the north end of the house.
#5 Winter Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: 1850 ' s .
This small two-story plus pitch roof, gable-end-to-the-street house is
very simple, but has the characteristic recessed front door and surrounding
window treatment of the Greek Revival style. The rest of the exterior trim
is Italianate.which suggests that the house was built about 1850 and is
transitional in style, unless, as is possible, the trim was a later addition.
The owner has a deed stating the house was built by Samuel Clark, a painter,
227-
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WINTER STREET - EAST SIDE (Odd numbers) cont ' d
and sold to John Kinsman in 1871.
#7 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
This is a large ornate . two-story plus Mansard roof,wooden house facing
Winter Street. The Mansard roof is scooped and broken, i.e. ; projects at
either facade end, and has three ornate dormer windows. The cornice has
paired, carved brackets, and the front portico has aquare columns, bosses
and spindles . There is a three-bay window above the door. Wide aluminum
clapboards cover the original exterior surface which was probably rusti-
cated or match boarding.
There is no #9 Winter Street.
#11 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
Similar in size to its neighbor #7, this two-story plus pitch roof, wooden
house has many features of the Italianate style and is probably a few years
older than #7 . The broad, recessed entrance has ornately carved bracket
trim, the first floor window lintels are Italianate as is the matched-
board facade, bay window, paired brackets under the broad eaves and
facade gable.
There is no #13 Winter Street.
#15 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: THIRD QUARTER.
r
This Targe two-story plus hip roof house is similar in style and scale to
its neighbors . There are Italianate brackets under the eaves and a bay
window above the recessed entrance.Iwhich is trimmed with ornate consoles.
Siding covers the original wooden exterior of the house.
s
#17 Winter Street RATING: ONE. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
This three-story plus hip roof, pink brick (Flemish bond) house has a
wooden. cornice and appears to have been built during the Federal period.
The bricks around the Greek Revival entrance and bay window above are
different in color and texture from those in the rest of the house which
indicates that these two features are later modifications. There are no
lintels above the windows which are set in plank frames, which seems to be
228.
I
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WINTER STREET - EAST SIDE (Odd numbers) cont ' d
a characteristic popular in the immediate area around the Common. There is
a later two-story plus pitch roof addition on' the Pickman Street side of
the house. This was the home of the Rantoul family for many years.
PICKMAN STREET CROSSES
#19 Winter Street RATING: THREE. PERIOD: FOURTH QUARTER.
This small, two-story plus pitch roof, wooden house is gable end to the
street and has a two-story bay window which obscures the Pickman Street
corner of the house. The front portico has spindle trim and the small
turned posts popular during this period.
#21 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: FEDERAL.
The north wall of this three-story plus hip roof, wooden house is brick.
The house is rectangular in shape with the narrow end on Winter Street
and the entrance on the south side in the yard. The original Federal
entrance has been replaced by simple, heavy Italianate consoles whQch
support a roof over the doorway.
#23 Winter Street RATING: TWO. PERIOD: GREEK REVIVAL.
The matched board, }gable end of this two-story plus pitch roof, wooden
hour is directly on Winter Street and plainly suggests the architecture
of the Greek temple which became so stylish in the 1830 ' s. The modillions
under the eaves, the pilaster strips at the corners of the building and the
wide entablature are all Greek-inspired. The main entrance in the yard
now has Victorian trim around it and a bay window above which are later
modifications. The side yard is enclosed by a delicate iron fence.
PLEASANT STREET AVENUE BEGINS.