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| Captain Bertram's Fountain at the Salem Public Library. Photo by Erik Smith. |
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| Copyright 2008, Erik K. Smith, Salem, Massachusetts |
| The inspiration for this website is Tom Sito, who has been emailing me Daily Histories for over 10 years now |
The majority of the research done to create this website was possible thanks to
the Salem Public Library. If you would like to learn more about any of these
topics, please visit the Sources page where you can find links to books
available there.
the Salem Public Library. If you would like to learn more about any of these
topics, please visit the Sources page where you can find links to books
available there.
It happened on this day in
Salem, Massachusetts:
Salem, Massachusetts:
| The Monument to the 23d Regiment. Photo by Erik Smith. |
| The Salem Public Library. Produced by Erik Smith for Salem Access Television. |
July 8, 1817 At the opening of the new Town House, President
Monroe was introduced to the men of the town. That evening he
was introduced to the ladies at a huge ball thrown in his honor.
He and Vice President Van Buren stayed in town through the 11th.
1840 The 372 ton Salem whaling ship "Samuel Wright" was wrecked
at New Holland.
1863 A horse-railroad opened between Salem and South Danvers, or
what is now called Peabody.
1889 The Salem Public Library at 370 Essex Street opened. It was
the estate of Captain John Bertram and had been offered to the
city by his widow Mary, who was living in the Assembly House on
Federal Street. Her husband had passed away in the house that
became the Library.
1983 At the House of the Seven Gables the United States Postal
Service unveiled its stamp depicting Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was
a facsimile of the famous Charles Osgood painting.
July 9, 1793 Henry Safford was born at 69 Boston Street. There
was a superstition that came over from England that said if a
child was passed through a hole in a rock or a tree it would be
immune from witchcraft. There was a tree with a split trunk near
the Crevice where it was said the accused witches had been
buried. Henry Safford was the last of many babies who was passed
through “The Witch Tree”. Perley page 295
1812 The "Fame" brought home the British vessel Concord to
Salem. She was the first prize vessel captured in the War of
1812 that came into Salem.
1817 President Monroe was entertained at the home of Nathaniel
Silsbee, which is now the Knights of Columbus Hall.
1842 Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody were married in the
Peabody house at 13 West Street. She was 32; he was 38.
Reverend James Freeman Clarke performed the ceremony. It was one
of two times he would come in contact with the Hawthornes, the
only other instance when he spoke over Nathaniel’s body at his
burial in Concord.
1845 On the night of his third wedding anniversary, Nathaniel
Hawthorne was called to help search for a girl who had thrown
herself into the Concord River near his home there by Ellery
Channing. The found the girl, who had drown. Her name was
Martha Hunt, a local schoolteacher, who was 19.
1881 The 5th Mayor of Salem, Nathaniel Silsbee, died in Milton.
He was 76 years old.
1891 The bell at the Immaculate Conception Church, the largest
bell in Salem, was blessed. It was cast in Boston’s Blake Bell
Foundry.
July 10, 1786 The Second Corps of Cadets was founded in Salem.
1792 The Boston ship "Commerce" was wrecked on Arabia. Daniel
Saunders of Salem was on board, having shipped out with Jonathan
Carnes on the "Grand Sachem" but deciding during the voyage to
swap places with a crewmember of the "Commerce" because of a
disagreement with Captain Carnes. When he returned to Salem in
1794, Mr. Saunders wrote a popular account of his time in the
Arabian desert.
1812 Reverend Bentley wrote:
This morning the prizes came in and they have excited great
attention. The Captains are at a boarding house ‘till further
orders or the will of the Government is made known. In Salem
arrived British Ship “Concord”, prize to the “Fame”. Brig
"Sally" found at Eastport. A Brig bound from St. Andrews to
England prize to the “Dolphin”. News of several prizes taken by
the “Jefferson”. A British Brig is at Portland, taken by the
“Fame”. The privateer “Madison” has carried a British ship of
300 tons into Gloucester to which port the “Madison” belongs.
More coming. The “Jefferson” lost one of her hands, a Frenchman
named Lee, from a ball discharged from the ship in at
Gloucester. No other lives lost as yet known to us.
1849 The Salem ship "Eclipse" left Sumatra with a cargo of
pepper. It was the last time anyone saw them.
1862 From New Bern, Virginia, Private Fred Osborne of the
Massachusetts 23d, wrote to his sister Jennie:
I received yours by Ad Paine some time since but havn’t
answered it before for the same old reason, we have to go on duty
every other day and it takes most of our time to keep our arms
and equipment in good shape, and battalion and dress parade, and
the mosquitos nights. We do not have any extra time so if I do
not write often you musn’t think I am sick.
Burnie has gone up to Richmond with 10,000 men. We haven’t
heard anything from them so I guess Mac isn’t going to let them
write until he does something. Burnie carried the second and
third divisions with him.
Last Thursday Lieutenant Emmerton, a sargent, a corporal
and ten men of our company were detailed as guard to a squad of
prisoners from the different regiments who were put in jail for
different misdemeanors and were sent to Fort Macon to serve their
sentence out. One poor fellow has got to work out the rest of
his three years without pay. (page 88)
1999 Vandals set fire to the Jailer’s House, reputedly the work
of Samuel McIntire’s son and crew. The three story brick house
was built in 1813. The building was gutted.
July 11, 1799 The "Friendship" returned from her second voyage,
to Hamburg, Germany, with a cargo of gin and slippers.
1912 The Peabody Museum was struck by lightning.
1980 A riot broke out at the Salem Jail when Peter Garabedian, a
35 year old inmate working in the kitchen, was struck with a
frying pan. There were about 35 inmates involved, approximately
half of the population at that time.
July 12, 1776 The sloop "Tyrannicide", commanded by Salem’s
Captain John Fisk, captured the 12 gun British schooner
"Dispatch".
1790 Jesse Lee visited Salem and delivered the town’s first
Methodist sermon.
July 13, 1839 Daniel White sold property on Church Street to the
Lyceum of the Town of Salem for $1.00.
1948 The Salem Evening News reported that a whale was seen in
Salem Harbor.
Last week's history is archived here.
Monroe was introduced to the men of the town. That evening he
was introduced to the ladies at a huge ball thrown in his honor.
He and Vice President Van Buren stayed in town through the 11th.
1840 The 372 ton Salem whaling ship "Samuel Wright" was wrecked
at New Holland.
1863 A horse-railroad opened between Salem and South Danvers, or
what is now called Peabody.
1889 The Salem Public Library at 370 Essex Street opened. It was
the estate of Captain John Bertram and had been offered to the
city by his widow Mary, who was living in the Assembly House on
Federal Street. Her husband had passed away in the house that
became the Library.
1983 At the House of the Seven Gables the United States Postal
Service unveiled its stamp depicting Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was
a facsimile of the famous Charles Osgood painting.
July 9, 1793 Henry Safford was born at 69 Boston Street. There
was a superstition that came over from England that said if a
child was passed through a hole in a rock or a tree it would be
immune from witchcraft. There was a tree with a split trunk near
the Crevice where it was said the accused witches had been
buried. Henry Safford was the last of many babies who was passed
through “The Witch Tree”. Perley page 295
1812 The "Fame" brought home the British vessel Concord to
Salem. She was the first prize vessel captured in the War of
1812 that came into Salem.
1817 President Monroe was entertained at the home of Nathaniel
Silsbee, which is now the Knights of Columbus Hall.
1842 Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody were married in the
Peabody house at 13 West Street. She was 32; he was 38.
Reverend James Freeman Clarke performed the ceremony. It was one
of two times he would come in contact with the Hawthornes, the
only other instance when he spoke over Nathaniel’s body at his
burial in Concord.
1845 On the night of his third wedding anniversary, Nathaniel
Hawthorne was called to help search for a girl who had thrown
herself into the Concord River near his home there by Ellery
Channing. The found the girl, who had drown. Her name was
Martha Hunt, a local schoolteacher, who was 19.
1881 The 5th Mayor of Salem, Nathaniel Silsbee, died in Milton.
He was 76 years old.
1891 The bell at the Immaculate Conception Church, the largest
bell in Salem, was blessed. It was cast in Boston’s Blake Bell
Foundry.
July 10, 1786 The Second Corps of Cadets was founded in Salem.
1792 The Boston ship "Commerce" was wrecked on Arabia. Daniel
Saunders of Salem was on board, having shipped out with Jonathan
Carnes on the "Grand Sachem" but deciding during the voyage to
swap places with a crewmember of the "Commerce" because of a
disagreement with Captain Carnes. When he returned to Salem in
1794, Mr. Saunders wrote a popular account of his time in the
Arabian desert.
1812 Reverend Bentley wrote:
This morning the prizes came in and they have excited great
attention. The Captains are at a boarding house ‘till further
orders or the will of the Government is made known. In Salem
arrived British Ship “Concord”, prize to the “Fame”. Brig
"Sally" found at Eastport. A Brig bound from St. Andrews to
England prize to the “Dolphin”. News of several prizes taken by
the “Jefferson”. A British Brig is at Portland, taken by the
“Fame”. The privateer “Madison” has carried a British ship of
300 tons into Gloucester to which port the “Madison” belongs.
More coming. The “Jefferson” lost one of her hands, a Frenchman
named Lee, from a ball discharged from the ship in at
Gloucester. No other lives lost as yet known to us.
1849 The Salem ship "Eclipse" left Sumatra with a cargo of
pepper. It was the last time anyone saw them.
1862 From New Bern, Virginia, Private Fred Osborne of the
Massachusetts 23d, wrote to his sister Jennie:
I received yours by Ad Paine some time since but havn’t
answered it before for the same old reason, we have to go on duty
every other day and it takes most of our time to keep our arms
and equipment in good shape, and battalion and dress parade, and
the mosquitos nights. We do not have any extra time so if I do
not write often you musn’t think I am sick.
Burnie has gone up to Richmond with 10,000 men. We haven’t
heard anything from them so I guess Mac isn’t going to let them
write until he does something. Burnie carried the second and
third divisions with him.
Last Thursday Lieutenant Emmerton, a sargent, a corporal
and ten men of our company were detailed as guard to a squad of
prisoners from the different regiments who were put in jail for
different misdemeanors and were sent to Fort Macon to serve their
sentence out. One poor fellow has got to work out the rest of
his three years without pay. (page 88)
1999 Vandals set fire to the Jailer’s House, reputedly the work
of Samuel McIntire’s son and crew. The three story brick house
was built in 1813. The building was gutted.
July 11, 1799 The "Friendship" returned from her second voyage,
to Hamburg, Germany, with a cargo of gin and slippers.
1912 The Peabody Museum was struck by lightning.
1980 A riot broke out at the Salem Jail when Peter Garabedian, a
35 year old inmate working in the kitchen, was struck with a
frying pan. There were about 35 inmates involved, approximately
half of the population at that time.
July 12, 1776 The sloop "Tyrannicide", commanded by Salem’s
Captain John Fisk, captured the 12 gun British schooner
"Dispatch".
1790 Jesse Lee visited Salem and delivered the town’s first
Methodist sermon.
July 13, 1839 Daniel White sold property on Church Street to the
Lyceum of the Town of Salem for $1.00.
1948 The Salem Evening News reported that a whale was seen in
Salem Harbor.
Last week's history is archived here.
| Salem Jail. Photo by Erik Smith |
