Tom and Carol's Great Adventure: SALEM MASSACHUSETTS

Our campground for the three days in Newport was in Rochester, MA. Which most people, including those in Massachusetts, don't know exists. People kept getting incredulous looks thinking we were telling them that we'd made a day trip from Rochester, NY. which we found very funny in contrast to FINALLY being someplace in the country where people didn't ask about the witches when we said we were from Salem, VIRGINIA.

The campground was Gateway to Cape Cod RV Park. It's a Thousand Trails campground but they have spaces available to non-members AND they recognize PassportAmerica. We didn't use any of the facilities except the laundromat but everything looked well maintained and inviting. The people were very nice as well. Click on the link to see about the amenities we didn't use. They really are the best location for doing Newport, New Bedford, Plymouth and Cape Cod. Of course if you are going to only visit Newport like we did, there are lots of RV parks a lot more convenient. And we'll probably stay in one the next time we go to Newport.

It was only a two hour drive from Gateway to Tuxbury Pond RV resort, another Thousand Trails location in South Hampton, NH. But most of the two hours was on Interstate around/through Boston so we were glad it was a short drive.We only stayed two nights and again didn't use facilities but it was perfect for our visit to Salem. Shaded, quiet, off the beaten path.

Salem, MA - Our main reason for visiting was to see The House of Seven Gables. Witches were secondary. Which turned out to be a good thing because, we were told, most of the "museums" weren't worth the admission fee. A long walking tour was not on the agenda because it rained most of the day. So we started with a "Red Trolley" tour. We had discovered the Red Trolleys in St. Augustine, FL and got hooked. It's a great way to get an overview of the area, with local guides who without exception have been extremely knowledgeable and funny. The guide on this tour was a retired school teacher who had lived her entire adult life in Salem. AND they usually have free parking at the starting point. Not here, but we found street parking a few blocks from the Visitor's Center, which is a National Park Service facility. This is a must do first stop. They have an excellent film and the Rangers are very helpful. This was the first place we heard, "Salem has over 400 years of history. It's a shame everyone concentrates on the 15 months of the witch trials." We did learn some fascinating things about them, though. It is believed now that many of the accused were landowners or business owners and the accuser and/or the judge took possession of all of their assets after they were charged. 400 years ago, "follow the money." The more things change, the more the stay the same. One of the supposedly corrupt judges was John Hathorne. But more about him later.

We rode the Trolley for the tour and then returned on it to The House of Seven Gables.

We took the tour but photography was not allowed. It would be a fascinating old house, just for the age and details even if wasn't associated with Nathanial Hawthorne. The property included his birthplace. It was complete and close to original but it had been moved from another location. It was actually his Grandmother's house but his mother and siblings were living there at the time of his birth because his father was a Ship's Captain and was at sea, sometimes for years. I mentioned that one of the three Salem Witchcraft Judges was John Hathorne. More than 150 years later, his reputation was still so maligned that Nathaniel added the "w" to his name to distance himself from his ancestors.

The Museum Shop is in the Retire Beckett which was built c. 1655 and moved to this location in 1924.

A quick ride on the Red Trolley got us to The Salem Maritime National Historic Site. The small museum was interesting and we were there at the right time to take a short walking tour to two of the houses that are part of the Historical Area. The Ranger, again, was extremely knowledgeable. It was obvious that he was an archeology fan. Fanatic is probably a better word. We saw the Customs House where Hawthorne worked. He got the job because he was a devoted Democrat. Of course he lost it when the Whigs came to power. But later in life, when one of his best friends, Franklin Pierce was elected President Hawthorne was rewarded with the consulship in Liverpool.

NPS Photo

We then saw the Derby House which Elias Hasket Derby built as a wedding present for his new bride, Elisabeth Crowninshield Derby in 1762. They and the children to come lived there for over 20 years. Elias had a small fleet of sailing ships which he turned in Privateers during the Revolutionary War. Many of the small cargo shippers did this and they became very rich. This was the start of the great East India trade. Please go here for a very interesting and slightly cynical, I think, review of the Privateers and Patriots of Salem.

The rich lived different lives in the 1700's just as they did during the Gilded Age and today.

Few houses had rooms dedicated to a specific purpose. One large room might serve as dining room, parlor, and even bedroom for the kids. Furniture would be pushed back and pulled forward from the walls to meet the needed purpose.

Not These folks.

Dining Room.

NPS Photo

Kitchen.

NPS Photo

One of the parlors.

NPS Photo

Beautifully carved staircase.

NPS Photo

Master Bedroom.

NPS Photo

The children even had their own rooms.

The girl's bedroom.

NPS Photo

I apologize for the stock NPS photos. Flash wasn't allowed and it was such a dreary day. BUT it stopped raining, well almost stopped during our walking tour so we really can't complain. My Dad would have described the heavy mist by saying, "It's not raining unless you move."

A short walk through the mist took us to the Narbonne house which was built in 1675.

NPS Photo

After the ultra-rich in Newport and the very very rich in Salem, it was very interesting to contrast those with this home of a butcher, and later a "Cent Shop" selling fabric, lace, trim etc. The original house had one room downstairs and one up, a shallow root cellar and an attic. Later owners added a small addition. The significance of this middle class home is that the same family lived in it from 1780 until the National Park Service bought it in 1963. Sarah Narbonne was born there in 1794 and lived there until her death in 1895, when it was inherited by her nephew.

Also, the trash pit behind the house has been an absolute treasure trove of artifacts. Many are on display inside the house and this is where our NPS guide really beamed.

This is the original downstairs room, called a "hall" with displays of the finds from the dig.

NPS Photo

This is the room directly above the hall.

NPS Photo

This shows the post and beam construction of the original 1675 structure.

NPS Photo

After a full day of sightseeing we were ready to break our regular "post heart attack diet". Turner's Seafood was recommended by several people. And rightly so. It was a wonderful experience. 5 stars from the ambience, to the wait staff, to the presentation, preparation and TASTE of the food.

We started with Crab Pot Stickers.

Carol ordered her new favorite - Lobster Bisque. Lobster had never been a top choice. Turns out she just didn't like all the work involved in getting it out of the shell. Her opinion has changed, drastically, since she learned that with bisque, the Chef does all the work and then mixes the lump meat into a pot of butter and heavy cream.

It looks solid in this picture because it almost was. The spoon would easily stand up in it.