After the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Kevin, Katelynn, and I walked to the House of the Seven Gables. On our way back to the Central Wharf, we ate lunch at Finz. Katelynn ate her first whole lobster in the restaurant. She really enjoyed the “sea cockroach”. It wasn’t cheap. But, it was fun to watch her breaking the lobster apart to get the meat out of the claws. Since she needed longer to eat it, I ran over to Coven and purchased a new purse. Once we were ready to walk around, we made our way to the Salem Witch Trail Museum. I found some gravestones dating back to 1692. Most of the stones were not readable. Three hundred thirty years of weathered rock can do that. Some gravestones were restored and newly engraved. And then it was time to go back to the car. Kevin and I definitely have to come back to Salem, Massachusetts.
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The House of The Seven Gables
The House of the Seven Gables (also known as the Turner House or Turner-Ingersoll Mansion) is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts, named for its gables. It was made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables. The house is now a non-profit museum, with an admission fee charged for tours, as well as an active settlement house with programs for children. It was built for Captain John Turner by Samuel Wardwell and stayed with the family for three generations.
The Salem Witch Trails Memorial
Striking in its simplicity, the Memorial is surrounded on three sides by a handcrafted granite wall. Inscribed in the stone threshold entering the Memorial are the victims’ protests of innocence. These protests are interrupted mid-sentence by the wall, symbolizing society’s indifference to oppression. Six locust trees, the last to flower and the first to lose their leaves, represent the injustice of the trials. Benches within the Memorial perimeter bear the names and the execution dates of each of the 20 victims, creating a quiet, contemplative environment in which to evoke the spirit and strength of those people who chose to die rather than compromise their personal truths.
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THE END
Under The White Oak Leaves 