Sailing to Salem

Tim had one afternoon free while we were in Boston so we chose to ride the ferry north to Salem, Massachusetts.  We not only enjoyed our trip, but we also learned some interesting facts about Salem.

Boston's Long Wharf is where one catches the Salem Ferry.

Fact 1:  The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in Salem in 1626.

Tim bought our tickets...

Fact 2:  John Endecott became the second governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628.  His predecessor, Matthew Craddock, had the distinction of being named its first governor but he never left England.

...and then posed in front of the Custom House Block on Long Wharf.

Fact 3:  Until the 16th Amendment was passed in 1913 making Federal Income Tax a fixture in the U.S. tax system, a major source of our government's revenue were the duties and tariffs collected by customs' officials on goods brought into American ports.

Tim prepares to board the ferry.

Fact 4:  The Massachusetts Bay Charter, brought to Salem by John Endecott in 1628, is considered by many to be the third most important American document, preceded only by the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

We enjoyed Boston's skyline from the vantage point of Boston Harbor. 

Fact 5:  In 1629, English Puritans gathered together as the First Church in Salem, the oldest Protestant church in America.

It was a beautiful day to be out on the Atlantic Ocean.

Fact 6:  The first militia in America was formed on the Salem Common in 1637.  The military might of the United States grew from that humble beginning.

Tim & I agreed that the most fascinating aspect of the house...

Fact 7:  The House of Seven Gables, the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's Gothic mystery novel of the same name, was built in 1668.

...was the staircase hidden behind one of its chimneys.

Fact 8:  Nathaniel Hawthorne added the W to his last name to distance himself from his ancestor, John Hathorne, who presided over several of the Salem witch trials in the late 1600s.

Now I've got to read the book!

Fact  9:  Horror fiction author, H. P. Lovecraft, once called The House of Green Gables "New England's  greatest contribution to weird literature," meaning ghost stories or horror stories.

Our second stop was the Customs House in Salem.

Fact 10:  In April 1846, Hawthorne was appointed the "Surveyor for the District of Salem and Beverly and Inspector of the Revenue for the Port of Salem."  He earned an annual salary of $1,200.

We enjoyed visiting the Salem Maritime National Park.

Fact 11: In 1790, Salem was the 6th largest city in the United States.

We found it incredible that tall ships like the USS Friendship could carry tons of goods and still have room for its crew.

Fact 12:  "To the farthest ports of the rich East" is the motto of the city of Salem, honoring its rich history as one of the leading international trading ports in the United States.

I was thankful that I didn't have to climb its rigging!

Fact 13:  During the Revolutionary War, Salem merchants defended America and supported the economy by privateering.

Tim has a long reach, enabling him to take this photo of the two of us underneath the USS Friendship's life preserver.

Fact 14:  In 1799, Salem native Nathaniel Bowditch began to revise John H. Moore's New Practical Navigator, the navigation manual used by ship captains during the 18th century.  Finding and correcting over 8,000 errors in Moore's manual, Bowditch published the New American Practical Navigator which is still the standard navigation tool used by seafaring vessels today.

Boston's skyline almost rivaled the sunset.

Fact 15:  The port of Salem was at its prime between the end of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.  

Tim & I found it a prime place to visit!