Gloucester and Salem, Massachusetts

Gloucester is a working fishing town, and is charming.  We arrived Saturday and went into town for -what else - Chowder!  

But we also took the time to wander around the harbor. It was late afternoon and the fishing boats were just coming in. The breeze, the sunshine, and the smell of a working harbor town made it so wonderful just to be there. 

There is an interesting maritime museum, with a section funded by the Gorton Company.

Remember the Gorton Fisherman? ("Gorton's of Gloucester")  Well, the Gorton company has been in Gloucester since something like 1830.

Gloucester Harbor

Fishing Boats

We also took a drive down to a beautiful white sand beach called Wingaersheek Beach, on the Atlantic, right at the mouth of the Annisqam River. There were folks swimming (well, two) but the water seemed a bit too cold for us.

To infinity and beyond....

The lighthouse...waaay out in the distance

Yesterday we drove over to Salem, Mass. Yep, site of the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

Salem is a very nice town, and REALLY old.  On Salem Commons, now a park in the middle of town, is a stone monument erected in 1926 to celebrate Salem's TERCENTENARY. So the monument celebrating 300 years is nearly 100 years old!!

We HAD to go to the Salem Witch Museum. It was a little hokey, but very educational, with strong political and social overtones.

Salem Witch Museum

Along the Salem waterfront is a replica of an old sailing ship, like the ones used in the "Triangle Trade" (West Indies-Europe-the Colonies) which was open for browsing.

We toured through the House of the Seven Gables, of Nathaniel Hawthorne fame.  Although he was born and raised in Salem, he never lived in this house. It was actually the home of a series of increasingly wealthy sea merchants, one of whom was Hawthorne's second cousin who suggested using it as a title.

The house was restored in the early 1900's. But, interestingly, it was not restored to what it was originally...it was restored to reflect the house written about in Hawthorne's novel. The woman spearheading the project was trying to generate funds to finance a community center for Polish immigrants, held in the house. And she felt that more people would visit if it reflected the well-known story. Still, it was a very historic place. Being from the West coast, it sort of boggles our minds to be in homes built in the 1600's.

House of the Seven Gables

As we were walking back to our car, we passed a cemetery. As we entered, we realized that these graves had been here for 300+ years, including the "Hathorne" plot. Nathaniel Hawthorne added the "w" as an adult, some say to distance himself  from Judge Hathorne, his great-great grandfather. The judge was part of the witch trials, and was known as "The Hanging Judge". 

Interesting places.