Candles

History by the Sea Candle Collection 

 A collaboration with Herbal Candle Co., the History by the Sea candle collection captures the essence of historic Salem, Massachusetts. Each candle is hand poured using soy wax and all-natural essential oils, inspired by the "witch city." A brief history of the inspiration behind each scent can be found on the label.

A portion of sales are donated to Historic Salem, Inc. to support historic preservation.

October in Salem
APPLE + SPICE
patchouli, clove, cinnamon bark, chamomile, and balsam fir needle

Old Burying Point
EARTH + SMOKE
clove, cedarwood, frankincense, patchouli, line, tea tree, lavender, anise, and cinnamon bark

Salem Common
FRESH + CITRUS
patchouli, orange, cedarwood, lemon, and anise

Salem Willows
OCEAN + FLORAL
vetiver, lemon, myrrh, ylang ylang, lavender, and tea tree

Pioneer Village
ROSE + SMOKE
cinnamon leaf, rose, orange, and pine

The Witch House
PINE + SAGE
bay, sage, chamomile, and pine

Christmas in Salem
CITRUS + SPICE
clove, orange, and cinnamon

Salem's Oldest Businesses - Salem, Massachusetts

Essex Street, c. 1920
Salem State University Archives and Special Collections

Salem has long been a shopping and dinning destination. During the Great Age of Sail, Salem was a center of trade and access to foreign goods. In the 20th century, the city was home to the area's destination stores, attracting shoppers from Boston and throughout the North Shore to Salem's downtown. Although department stores have moved out of the city in favor of area shopping malls, multiple 19th century businesses and restaurants are still a mainstay in Salem. This list focuses on public facing businesses and restaurants that have provide goods or services for over 50 years.

1. Ye Old Pepper Candy Companie, 1806
2. Eastern Bank, 1818
3. Salem Five Cents Savings Bank, 1855
4. O'Rourke Brothers Memorials, 1890
5. Waters & Brown, 1895
6. E.W. Hobbs, 1897
7. Soucy Insurance, 1907
8. Thomas Mackey and Sons, 1907
9. Salem Lowe, 1912
10. Winer Brothers Hardware, 1919
11. Hawthorne Hotel, 1925
12. Puleo's Dairy, 1928
13. John J. Walsh Insurance Agency, 1929
14. Walyo's Variety Store, c. 1930
15. Steve's Market, 1932
16. Gardner Mattress, 1933
17. Bunghole Liquors, 1933
18. Bertini's Restaurant, 1943
19. F.W. Webb, 1944 (Salem Location)
20. Red's Sandwich Shop, 1945
21. Gagnon Shoe Repair, c. 1945
22. Dairy Witch Ice Cream, 1952
23. Dotty & Ray's, 1958
24. Eaton Apothecary, 1958
25. Tri City Sales, 1959
26. Dube's Seafood, 1961
27. Mandee's Pizza, 1962
28. The Daniels House Bed and Breakfast, 1962
29. Ziggy & Sons' Donuts, 1964
30. Bill & Bob's Roast Beef, 1969

17th Century Architecture - Salem, Massachusetts

17th Century Architecture in Salem, Massachusetts

First Period Architecture (approx. 1626-1725) is often characterized by a steeply pitched roof and a central chimney. This colonial style is strongly associated with New England, particularly North America's earliest European settlers which built homes along the coast of Massachusetts. Many of these homes have been greatly altered from their original 17th century construction or re-imagined as they once were. This list focuses on 17th century homes, additional First Period homes built in the early 18th century still exist in Salem.

• Samuel Robinson-Michael Chapleman House, c. 1650
  69 Essex Street
  SAL.2591
  Unsubstantiated -This home has been greatly altered.
• Retire Becket House, c. 1655
  54 Turner Street
  SAL.3427
  Moved to current location in 1924
• Pickering House, 1660
  18 Broad Street
  SAL.1044
  Oldest house in original location
• Pickman House, 1664
  43 Charter Street
  SAL.2506
• Gedney House, 1665
  21 High Street
  SAL.1156
• Stephen Daniels House, c. 1667
  1 Daniels Street
  SAL.2616
• Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, 1668
  (The House of the Seven Gables)
  54 Turner Street
  SAL.3425
• Ransom Boarding House, c. 1670
  14 Becket Street
  SAL.3277
  Unsubstantiated
• Jonathan Corwin House, c. 1675
  (The Witch House)
  310 Essex Street
  SAL.1510
• Narbonne House, 1675
  71 Essex Street
  SAL.2593
• Hooper-Hathaway House, c. 1682
  54 Turner Street
  SAL.3426
• John Ward House c. 1684
  Brown Street
  SAL.2454
• William Murray House, c. 1688
  39 Essex Street
  SAL.3239

Resource Guide - Photographs of Salem, Massachusetts

54 Washington Street, c. 1920
Salem State University Archives and Special Collections
View Full Image

Historical Photographs of Salem, Massachusetts

• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)
• Library of Congress
• Salem State University Archives and Special Collections
• Frank Cousins Collections (Phillips Library - Peabody Essex Museum)
• Digital Public Library of America
• Hollis Images (Harvard University)
• Keystone-Mast Collection
• Salem Public Library
• John F. Collins Society
• MACRIS 
• Leslie Jones Collection (Boston Public Library)
• Salem Police Department Archives

Almshouse and Hospital for Contagious Diseases Cemetery - Salem, Massachusetts

 Frank Cousins, Almshouse on Salem Neck, c. 1890. Digital Commonwealth, Phillips Library.

The last almshouse to be built in Salem, opened in 1816 on Collins Cove. It was large — five stories — and was designed by Charles Bulfinch of Boston. 

Excerpt from 1815 report requesting a new Almshouse

City of Salem Archives

Bulfinch’s almshouse was intended to house 100 residents, many of whom were expected to work the adjacent farm to offset the cost of their stay. In 1884, after years of overcrowding, an additional building, designed by W.D. Dennis, was built on the property to serve as a hospital for contagious diseases. In all, the site was active for over a century and burials are often referenced in city documents. This cemetery would have served as the only option for patients who were unable to afford a funeral or that had no family to claim their remains. 

Hospital for Contagious Diseases, c. 1980
Unknown source

The almshouse building was razed in 1954, and the adjacent hospital in the 1980s to make way for the Collins Cove Condominium Complex. Many locals recall playing among the headstones as children while the site sat unused. During construction of the condo complex, at least five headstones were reported to have been uncovered, yet their whereabouts are unknown. The burial site remains unmarked and is only identifiable by the remnant of a single slate headstone. The names of those who rest here have yet to be discovered, though with additional research their identities may be revealed.

Approximate location of cemetery, 2019

UPDATE: Jen Ratliff, with the assistance of Historic Salem, Inc. has reached out to the City of Salem and Collins Cove Condo Association to request the burial ground be properly marked and honored. This request received the support of the Historical Commission on 11/6/2019.
The City is working toward erecting a memorial and informational sign to honor this site.

MEDIA:

• Salem State University: "Local Historian and Salem State Alumna Jen Ratliff Discovers Burial Site on Collins Cove" January 2020 
• The Salem News: "Forgotten Graveyards" November 2019
• Almshouse and Hospital for Contagious Diseases Burial Ground Research Packet, 2019

*Please respect this site and do not trespass on private property.