June 24, 2021
I killed three birds with one stone today! There’s a lot to do in Salem, and all within easy walking distance of everything, so it took only three hours to leisurely wander about and see what I wanted to see. First was the National Park area, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Salem is where all the ships came in once upon a time…before Boston grew, Salem did the most trade and brought in the most wealth. A park ranger told me America’s first millionaires were made in Salem way back in the day (they were probably equivalent to today’s billionaires).
Among the historic buildings stands the Custom House which, besides having been used into the 1930s, is also the home to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s former office. Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter after his three-year Custom employment.
After I checked out the many buildings and wharf area, I walked to the Charter Street Cemetery and visited Salem’s oldest graveyard (established in 1637) and the Witch Trials Memorial.
It was a nice, sunny day that wasn’t too hot. I enjoyed my time here. This was supposed to have been a trip with my daughters, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out. That was probably for the best, as it was relaxing to look around at all the history without worrying if the girls were getting bored.
