Salem's Forgotten Almshouse Burial Ground

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

Jen Ratliff: Unheralded and Unknown, They Sleep
Salem's Forgotten Almshouse Burial Ground

Salem is often celebrated for its history of millionaire merchants and their mansions, but there is another side to the city’s past, that of Salem’s poorest residents: the aged, disabled, ill, or transient, that were relegated to a harsh life at the City Almshouse.

The last almshouse built in Salem, opened in 1816 on Collins Cove to provide housing and support for the city’s impoverished, many of whom were expected to work the adjacent City Farm to offset the cost of their stay. This site was active for over a century and included a small burial ground which would have served as the only option for those who were unable to afford a funeral or that had no family to claim their remains.

Unfortunately, few know of this land’s former purpose and significance, as there is very little evidence of the Almshouse or its burial ground. Join us to learn more about the important history of this site and how we can preserve its memory.

The Pickering House | March 14, 2021

Read More

• Forgotten Graveyards (Salem News, 2019)

• Almshouse Burial Ground Memorial
  
  

Jen Ratliff (Archivist and Historian) has dedicated herself to uncovering and sharing the forgotten stories of our collective past. While earning a B.A. from Salem State University in Public History, she created multiple exhibits and digital projects for both Salem Maritime National Historic Site and Salem State University, spotlighting items from their archives and the unique stories behind them. In 2020, she was appointed to the Salem Cemetery Commission, following exhaustive research and advocacy for the memorialization of Salem's unmarked Almshouse Burial Ground. She was recognized for these efforts by Historic Salem, Inc. with their Preservation Award in 2021 and was presented with the City of Salem Seal by the City Council in 2022. Jen received an MLIS in Archives Management from Simmons University in 2022 and returned to her hometown, where she launched Historic Cape Cod, which promotes local history and cultural heritage as a form of preservation advocacy.

(Updated May 2022)

Holiday Gift Guide #2

Shopping small this holiday season is a great way to support local businesses and find that perfect gift for  the history lover in your life. Salem is filled with shops, museums, and restaurants that all add to the city's unique and magical character. Here are few picks to help you check off your list or treat yourself, while helping our community.

1. The Woman's Friend Society has been supporting and empowering women since 1876. This year they are offering a beautiful limited edition ornament of their famed Emmerton House to new or renewing members that make an end of year donation before December 15th. Don't miss out on this stunning gift and opportunity to continue this impactful mission! 

2. Historic Salem, Inc's annual Christmas in Salem house tours have gone virtual this year! Stay warm and cozy while getting an inside look at the city's most stunning and unique homes and get a little gift while you're at it. Once again HSI has partnered with Black and Brindle to create these adorable mini house plaque ornaments. The perfect present for the history lover or new home owner on your list.

3. Speaking of Christmas in Salem, History by the Sea and Herbal Candle Co. partnered with Historc Salem, Inc. to create a deliciously fragrant candle inspired by this annual Salem tradition. The scent takes cues from the classic holiday orange pomander and has an all-natural essential oil blend of orange, clove, cinnamon, and chamomile.  It’s an uplifting aroma that will keep your holiday season bright and merry! (Psst. Salem residents, use code: SALEMFREE for free Etsy shipping) Bonus: a portion of the proceeds are donated directly to Historic Salem to support their mission. The History by the Sea candle collection is also available at Moody's Home + Gifts! 

4. Salem has an incredibly rich history with roots in the spice trade. Past centuries saw the city's wharves brimming with exotic spices. Salem Spice on Pickering Wharf helps keep this tradition alive, offering a large assortment of spices. herbs, and blends that you can't help but love. My pantry is filled with their jars but my must-have is their Hawaiian Alaea Salt, once you try it, you'll never want to use another salt again. Get a few for yourself and the cooks in your life.

5. There are so many amazing artists capturing this city's charm but one of my favorite pieces are the historic house paintings on natural wood by Lucia Loveless at Coon's Card and Gift Shop. The amount of detail in each painting is incredible and the resin finish makes them extra durable, so you or your loved one can enjoy them anywhere! Also, did you know Coon's dates back to 1953? You're not only shopping small but supporting a part of Salem's history!

Holiday Gift Guide #1

 

Shopping small this holiday season is a great way to support local businesses and find that perfect gift for the history lover in your life. Salem is filled with shops, museums, and restaurants that all add to the city's unique and magical character. Here are few picks to help you check off your list or treat yourself, while helping our community.

1. What do you get a history buff that loves to cook? A Salem cookbook of course! What Salem Dames Cooked was originally printed in 1911 to support Salem's Esther C. Mack Industrial School, run by the Woman's Friend Society. It features recipes submitted by local women, as well as classic dishes from cookbooks dating back to 1683. Higginson Book Company has a wonderful selection of rare and out of print local history books. 

2. The Witch House candle by Herbal Candle Co. and History by the Sea captures the essence of this famous first period home using an all-natural essential oil blend of bay, sage, chamomile, and pine. This scent was made in partnership with the museum and is inspired by plants that would have been familiar to colonial life. A portion of proceeds are donated to Historic Salem, Inc. to support historic preservation. 

3. Book lover? Historic Streets of Salem, Massachusetts is the latest book by local author and historian Jeanne Stella. Follow along as the author shares lesser-known tales and unique stories of Salem's well-worn paths. Need more books? Wicked Good Books has everything you need, from local authors to classics, and New York Times best sellers. Support Salem's very own independent book shop this holiday season!

4. The House of the Seven Gables is so much more than a historic house museum, it's a community center, a preservation advocate, and an education hub for immigrants seeking ESL and citizenship classes. Purchasing a membership to The Gables not only gets you access to their gorgeous seaside campus, it gets you invites to events such as their member's only 4th of July celebration, and free or reduced tickets to presentations on local history and social reform. A membership is the perfect gift for any Salem lover. 

5. Want to support Salem's oldest businesses, while eating some delicious snacks? Ye Old Pepper Candy Companie's Gilbralters and Black Jacks are a great way to indulge in 19th century Salem and they make great stocking stuffers. Love finding popcorn tins under the tree? Get a batch of E.W. Hobb's world-renowned popcorn. They've been making Salem's favorite treat since 1897.

What We've Lost - Salem, Massachusetts

25 Carlton Street (Built c. 1803)
MACRIS SAL.3296

In June 2015, my then soon-to-be husband and I made the move from my childhood home on Cape Cod to the “Witch City.” At that point, I had been visiting Salem for eight years and like many, had fallen in love with the city’s charm. The winding streets with ancient architecture and vast waterfront all beckoned to be explored. The energy of the seasonally crowded streets and magic of the brick lined promenades made moving to Salem irresistible. We settled in the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood, just steps away from The House of the Seven Gables, where we got engaged a few months earlier.  Prior to moving to our new neighborhood, I began researching the area to quell my excitement.

During my research, I stumbled upon a blog post about the demolition of 25 Carlton Street, one of the oldest structures on the street. The c. 1803 home was built for shipwright, Thomas Magoun during the area’s prosperous maritime age. The modest home met its end in 2014, when it was drowned by a developer who removed the roof prior to a rainstorm. Previously having received backlash from preservationists, this move by the developer seemed like a calculated way to justify the replacement of the historic home with a new build. The plan worked and the 19^th century home was soon deemed unsalvageable and demolished. By the time my husband and I moved to the area, the finishing touches were being installed in the luxury condos of the new, towering building. Although I felt the loss of the previous historic home, I thought this incident was rare in such a historic city as Salem.

Unfortunately, over the next five years I would learn that demolition by neglect and the loss of historic architecture in favor of big development was more commonplace in Salem than I could have ever imagined.  This charming, city by the sea was in a constant battle of old and new. Despite the pleas of outspoken citizens, visitors, and historians, when it came to development, Salem’s leadership has seemed to favor new development over preservation and adaptive reuse for decades.

As Salem continues to expand at an alarming rate to cater to its growing residential and visiting population, seeking the same charm and magic that once attracted me, I take a moment of pause to ponder what we’ve lost.

This is just a select handful of buildings in Salem deemed significant by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and ultimately demolished between 2015 and 2020.

331 Lafayette Street (Built c. 1935)
MACRIS SAL.1933
(Salem State University Archives Photograph)

5-7 West Avenue (Built 1886)
MACRIS SAL.1934

65 Washington Street (Built 1976)
MACRIS SAL.2433

219 Washington Street (Built 1926)
MACRIS SAL.2209

231-235 Washington Street (Built c. 1930)
MACRIS SAL.2210

70-90 Boston Street (Built c. 1910)
MACRIS SAL.139

333 Lafayette Street (Built c. 1880)
MACRIS SAL.1933
(Salem State University Archives Photograph)

Carriage house belonging to 6 Federal Court/95 Federal Street (Built c. 1880)
MACRIS SAL.1525
(City of Salem Photograph)

7 Curtis Street - Salem, Massachusetts

7 Curtis Street, 1985 (MACRIS SAL.2569)

Historic Salem, Inc. House History - 7 Curtis Street

Horatio B. Perry Gunsmith
and his wife Sarah Ashton
Built c. 1856

The address of Seven Curtis Street is first listed in the city directory in 1857, when it was owned by Horatio B. Perry, a gunsmith. The current home’s exterior contains Georgian elements, a popular style between 1715-1780. However, the home faces North, which is uncharacteristic for a Georgian home. This may be evidence that the home was moved to this site. According to Vijay Joyce, a member of the Salem Historical Commission, the home does contain timber framing, which was still in use in the 1850s. Maps from 1851 and 1872 show a similarly shaped structure positioned flush with Curtis Street. It is possible the home was later turned to face North to create space for additional homes to be built. Based on available evidence, what is now Seven Curtis Street may have previously been referred to as Four Orange Street. Between 1850 and 1856 mariner, Joseph Karier lived at this adjacent address, which disappears from city directories the same year that Seven Curtis Street is first listed. Deeds for Seven Curtis Street cite an 1849 sale of land to Joseph Karier as the origin of ownership.  A connection between Karier and the Perry family is unknown but by September 1856 the ownership of this land was transferred between them and a home was present. By 1874, Seven Curtis Street was in its present, north-facing orientation. 

Read more: www.historicsalem.org

Request your own House History: www.historicsalem.org