On Wednesday, we went to Salem, Massachusetts, for my birthday. I have been living on the east coast for over 12 years, and I haven’t made the pilgrimage to many of the famous American literature shrines yet, so this was my chance to start. I teach The Scarlet Letter every fall in my American lit class, and I love Hawthorne (Dorothy got me a complete set of Hawthorne’s works back in 2002 when I finished my dissertation), so I really wanted to see the House of Seven Gables and some of the other Salem sites.
The town of Salem provides a textbook definition of irony. Over 300 years after 19 accused “witches” were executed (and a 20th was pressed to death for not submitting to a trial), witches are everywhere, and many of these witches are the real thing–pentacle-wearing, spell-casting, patchouli-scented witches. Everywhere you turn you see the city emblem–the silhouette of a witch flying on a broomstick (she even appears, this time riding a time-trial bike, in the logo for Salem Cycles). There are several occult/new age/craft bookstores, and if you are in need of healing crystals or an athame, you are in luck. In short, it is a town I could really grow to love. I like witches but don’t quite have the dedication to become one myself.
However, we were not there for witches, as appealing as they are. We first stopped at the House of Seven Gables, where a compound of several old houses, including Hawthorne’s birthplace, stands. The old houses are fascinating, and the tour of the house is great fun, especially for a Hawthorne fiend like me. In the dining room is a secret door that leads to a hidden staircase winding its narrow way around the chimney to a tiny garret room. Although this was not part of the original house, the woman who decided to save the house back around 1907 thought it needed more of a connection to Hawthorne’s novel, so she had the architects put in the secret stairs that Clifford uses in the novel.
After the house tour, we visited the Peabody Essex Museum. As I was looking around the big atrium of the museum, I realized that one thing I really like about museums is their architecture. The new Getty museum in Los Angeles is one of those museums for me–it is an extremely impressive building in its own right–and I would love to go to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim with all of its swirling twists of titanium. The PEM has this amazingly complex curved truss system that supports the roof and huge skylights. The building itself is worth the price of admission.
This is not to say that the exhibits are not worthwhile, for they definitely are. We spent about two hours touring before the dreaded “museum back” hit me and we had to leave. Much of our time was taken up in the maritime and American wing, where my favorite exhibits were incredibly intricate models of sailing ships, many of them crafted by the sailors on board the ships. One model is of the 1797 Indiaman Friendship, a replica of which sits in Salem harbor. The model itself is almost large enough to sail on at about 12 feet long.
Our last museum of the day was truly goofy and perhaps stands as another example of irony. It was my 41st birthday, but my deep desire was to do something that a 7-year-old would really like, so, to that end, we went to the Pirate Museum. And yes, it was about as dumb as it sounds, but was nevertheless appealing, with goofy dioramas of dramatic (or melodramatic) scenes from pirate legends. After the tour, I couldn’t contain myself and I bought a Jolly Roger and a copy of Under the Black Flag, a history of pirates.
It was a bookish birthday. Dorothy got me two Michael Chabon books: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, and Gentlemen of the Road. In Salem, I not only bought the pirate book, but The Peabody Sisters at the House of Seven Gables, and In the Devil’s Snare at the terrifying bookstore Dorothy mentions.
Happy birthday, you youngster!
It sounds like you had a great trip — a perfect trip for the Hawthorne enthusiast.
Interesting comment about the architectural aspects of museums. I too would like to go to Bilbao. Thanks for the link to the PEM — it looks like an interesting building and a good museum. When I first went to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, I was fascinated by the interior staircase that, from the top, has an interesting geometric pattern, sort of like a squeezed elipse. I didn’t realize it until several years later when I was in the Guggenheim and looked down from the top floor. It is a very similar view and I would be surprised and a bit skeptical if I was told that the architect wasn’t referencing the view at the Guggenheim. The MCA, though, is much better suited to the display of art than the Guggenheim.
Belated happies to you, Herr Hobgoblin! Glad to hear you had such a great day. I visited Salem and Concord a few years ago, and loved them, though I don’t remember the pirate museum. Sounds like you had fun there.
Happy Birthday!!
And don’t forget, there’s the Witches Cup crit there in August I think. Tough to get to being on a Wednesday night and all, but since I may be struggling to get enough races in this season, I may do it.
Maybe we’ll ride up together – just gotta find a broom…
Happy (belated) Birthday! It seems like a great day trip. I visited Salem with I was 8 and don’t remember much except the tourist shops full of witchcraft stuff. Of course I didn’t know Hawthorne at that time!
A very happy birthday to you! Glad to hear you had a fab day, pirates and all.
My wife and I also recently visited Salem. Whew! Irony is putting it mildly. We went there because of our interest in history, and the fact that two Coreys (not direct ancestors) were among those exectued in 1692. We were disappointed with modern attempts to turn Salem into a Halloween theme park, with the statue of Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha the TV witch, Frankenstein’s lab, the wax museum, the tarot card readers, etc., etc.
Thank you all for the kind birthday wishes. I do recommend touring Salem if you get a chance; jut make sure that you have built up a good defense against kitsch, because it’ll get you otherwise. And SOC–I was trying to remember when the Salem witches’ cup race was–it sounds like a cool race to target, long drive and all. How’s your broken collarbone doing?
Looking forward to your report on The Peabody Sisters, which I think you’ll enjoy. It’s funny that you picked it up in Salem, but we get our books where we find them. And I believe the author, who is impressive, is in your general midst somewhere, and she’s working on a book about Hawthorne’s sister. At any rate, after you read The Peabody Sisters your next trip to Salem could be a lot more interesting.
I’m kind of curious about your “pilgrimage” comment, and wonder what your list looks like. In my trip last spring I did Concord and Salem. You’re exactly right about the kitch defense, but it wasn’t necessary in Concord. I was on a college tour with my daughter and wanted to go to South Berwick and Jewettville, but didn’t make it, but the Bowdoin session had its pilgrim elements.
Lastly, and since I feel like I know you (and your cycling)through “the wife’s site,” my latest cursory research tells me you’re a Berkeley guy. So I’ll mention that I got there in 78, graduated in 80, and left the PhD program in 86 to work in the movie business.
Go Bears.