The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-28
HAwrhoRNE's SALEM HAuNTs.
The Houses that He Lived In and
Their Present State.
Tsalem Correspondence N. Y. Tribune


Nathaniel Hawthorne had several fayorite
haunts in and around Salem where he used
I to take many walks to think out his stories
and sketches. Most of his writing, in fact.
was thought out in advance, while rambling
| through the fields and woods. North Fields
| was, perhaps, his fayorite spot, and no won
der The scenery there in his day must have
| been of more than ordinary effectiveness.
There were bright, fresh, green feels in early
summer, and wonderfully beautiful foliage
In autumn, to say nothing of the great
orchards with their red and golden fruit.
His sNote Book" testiies to the love he had
for this section of country. He used to walk
and battle here repeatedly. Under the date
of June IS, 1885, he records: "a walk in
North Salem In the decline of yesterday
afternoon beautiful weather. bright, sunny,
with western or northern wind just cool
enough, and a slight superiority of heat.
The verdure, both of tress and grass, is now
in its prime, the leaves elastic, all life." The
various objects which he saw, near and far,
he mentions with much minuteness He
"bathed in the cove, oyerhung with naples
and walnut. the water cool and thrilling"
Later on he visited Cold Spring. where three
little girls sat on stone, padding in the
water.
Another time he paints for us delightful
picture of the view in the evening from the
opposite shore of the North River: "A view
of the town mirrored in the water, towers of
churches. houses, with here and there
light cleaning near the shore above, and
more family glimmering under water"
This was the middle Of September. A
month later he writes: s'Some of the oaks
are now a deep-brown red, others are
changed to light green. 1t is two years
later, October, 1887, before he records any
more tramps around Salem, although one
knows he took them. Then it is "a walk in
brown, some reddish, some still green, wal
nuts yellow" Cold Spring was visited as
usual. Hawthorne lived in North Salem, in
Dearborn street, from 1928 to 1882, which may
account for frequent rambles through that
part of the town In later years.
Salem Neck was also much frequented. "a
Walk Down to the jumpers" opens 1.-THE
American Note Book The author returned
through the Aims House grounds and
stopped good while to look at the pigs"
about whom he moralizes at length. This
was in 1885. In August Of the year follow
ing Hawthorne walks down to the shore near
the Hospital, and another time it is a walk
to the Juniper and Winter Island, where he
partial sunshine, the beach birds and the
sea, roughly rushing against the shore and
dashing against the rocks and grating back
over the sands"
On a late October day in 1896 he walks
through Dark Lane and home through Dan
vers, noting the autumnal landscape. The
following October he records walk through
Beverly, over Browns Hill and home through
Danyers, which could not have been less
than ten miles. Two days later he spent the
w OF m in. la 20 4,
near Phillips Beach, another ten-mile tramp.
The Mote Book" tells us Of other walks to
different parts of the surrounding country.
Hawthorne often covered twelve or fifteen
miles. in an afternoon. When he was not
WORKING on some sketch or story he seems to
have been constantly on the tramp.
Another of his haunts-and very fire.
quent resort-was the home of good old Su-
sannah Ingersoll, at the foot of Turner
street This was the house, Of quaint archi-
house OF seven gables, and undoubtedly the
original OF the mansion described in that
tale, SO far as it had an original. 1t is often
denied that there is an original fin that case,
mind one of those many gabled houses so
common IN the early New England towns.
Susan lngersoll says that one day she re-
marked to Hawthorne that that was "a
house OF seven gables" Seven gables,
deep study. That's just what / want"
Soon after this his great story appeared,
having been already written. In preface
OF the work, which he wrote year or more
later ne says that the personages are of the
fy statement that they are of his own
making"
Hawthorne livedin four different houses
In Salem. In the house, No. q Union street,
where he was born in 1904, he lived only four
years: 1t has been described many times,
and hundreds of pictures Of it have been
published. 1t Is the same old-fashioned
square house that 1t was when the great ro-
mancer saw the light, and much as it was
when built more than two centuries ago II
is now occupied by the family o. Salam
mechanic. In 1873 the estate Vas sold nnder
the auctioneer's hap~se,r, .;,r 30 Az From
the house OF his ',,rtn Hawthorne went to
I'VE win .,is uncle, Richard Manning. at No. j
70 Herbert street. This is the next street to
Union, and the back yards joined in those
days. In Mrs. Hawthorne's edition of the
Note Book" this passage is put under the
date of 1910:
Here l sit in my old accustomed chamber,
where used to sit in the days gone by. # ever
mention OF this chamber In my memoirs because
so much OF my lonely youth was wasted here, and
sage was written at No 10 Herbert Street. Here s
also, were written most Of the "Twice Told Taesv
Hawthorne lived in this house for ten years, and
in 1919 to ct for Bowdoin College, which he en-,
tered IN 1921. 1t was his home during college
life, although he saw it seldom. In 1928 the
family went TO live in Dearborn street., in North
when they returned to Herbert street. This |
no use then stood on the present site of No. 81 |
Dearborn street, and is now No. 20. The |
family. after returning TO Herbert street, re- |
manned there until 1888. Then Hawthorne was |
absent from Salem for several years, coming back
to the Herbert street house in 1916 with his young
wife, to board for ten months. In 1876 he went |
to live at No. IA Chestnut street. then and now the
most fashionable street in Salem. The following |
street. In this house he wrote his greatest ro- |
nance, 1.-The Scarlet Letter." Here Mr.. Fields |
found him in the winter OF 1s49, "alone in |
lowering near the stove."- He lett this house IN
1850 when he went away from Salem for good
These five houses are all standing to-day and all
are In good state of preservation. The Herbert
street house, a great barry structure is the only
one not still neat and attractive. The Union
street, Mall street, and Dearborn street houses