For There’s More Than Witches, Part 1 click here.
Walking through the streets of Historic Salem, MA was like taking a step back in time. We could almost imagine ourselves walking alongside Nathaniel Hawthorne as he went to work at the U.S. Customs House – or see him stop off the Ye Olde Pepper Co. for some Black Jack candy.
We saw the majestic Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, a gabled house owned by his cousin Susan Ingersoll – and understood why it was the inspiration behind Hawthorne’s gothic novel “The House of Seven Gables”.
122 Derby Street – Ye Olde Pepper Co. 1806
The Ye Olde Pepper Co. is America’s oldest candy shop and dates back to 1806. The company created the Salem Gibraltar – a hard white candy flavored with lemon or peppermint, and the first commercially made candy in America. The candy shop is also known for their Black Jack’s, a stick candy made with molasses.
115 Derby Street – The House of Seven Gables 1668 (Photos show outside only)
The House of Seven Gables was built in 1668 for Captain John Turner, and remained in his family for three generations. The house was a source of inspiration and set the stage for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel “The House of Seven Gables” written in 1851.
A view of some of the gables. (Photo shows outside only)
25 Hardy Street – Joshua Phippen House of Cooper 1782-1785
The Joshua Phippen House of Cooper was built in 1782, and is located near The House of Seven Gables in Salem’s Maritime District. Joshua Phippen was a Cooper by trade. Coopers made casks which held gunpowder, tobacco, flour, and other commodities which served as shipping containers.
Photo taken from the doc of Derby Wharf in Salem’s Maritime District.
A replica of The Friendship of Salem taken from Derby Wharf in Salem’s Maritime District.
The Salem East Indiaman Friendship (a.k.a The Friendship of Salem) was built in 1797 by Salem’s mercantile firm Waite and Peirce. She sailed all over the world with visits to China, India, Russia, Germany, South America, Batavia, England, and the Mediterranean. Her voyages came to an end after she was captured by the British Sloop of War HMS Rosamond in September 1812 as a prize of war.
43 Turner Street – The Penn Townsend House 1771 (Clouds were rolling in at the time this photo was taken)
The Penn Townsend House was built in 1771, and is often featured in art magazines because its striking bright blue door. Penn Townsend was the colonel of the local militia and was Speaker of the Massachusetts House.
188 Derby Street – The Captain Simon Forrester House 1790
The Captain Simon Forrester House was built in 1790 by the Samuel McIntire. The house was purchased by Capt. Forrester after the death of Capt. Jonathan Ingersoll’s wife, and later turned into tenements in the mid-19th century.
102 Wharf Street – The Marble Faun Books & Gifts
This adorable store which sells books and beautiful gifts was named after a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A story set in Italy and written on the eve of the American Civil War.
Post updated June 1, 2019.
Links if you wish to learn more –
- https://www.oldepeppercandy.com
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Seven_Gables
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship_of_Salem
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