Evening star., 1895-04-30
IN OIL S Al e M
A Visit to Some of the Haunts Of Haw'
thorne.
The Home Where the Great Novelist
Was BOrn-The Soidfcrs' Home
>, I'm Chelsea.
Correspondence of The Evening Star.

For one who is interested in past asso-
Citations the city of Salem offers an In
teresting field of study. The quaint, old
houses, with their lean-to roofs and gables,
are remnant of those old days of the
whipping post, the pillory and the stocks,
when a too free use of that unruly men,
ber the tongus. brought swift retribu-
tion. Some of these houses are tottering to
enc side, others have been given an aspect
of youthfulness by adding a modern bay
window, but 1t is like fastening false
front to an old lady's coiffure and detracts
from the charm.
One can understand more plainly the
wierd mysticism of Hawthornes sketches
when one visits his haunts and breathes
the atmosphere In which these fantasies
were wrought. Some OF the old houses
served as background for his ronances
among these, the House of the Seven
Cables" where he used to take tea with
burying ground. which is pictured In ''Dr.
Grimshawe's Secret" Hawthorne's birth
place is. of course. an object of interest,
and tourists come at all seasons of the
year to gaze upon it.
a s.Snboard is erected at the corner of
the street, and it seems strange The au-
thorties do not take possession instead of
renting it an tenement, for it is quite
weather-worn now, and, although twenty
nve-cant fee Is charged for showing you
the interior, the furnishings are all mod
ern and not worth the inspection.
Everywhere are antique shops to attract
the relic hunter. The proprietor of one of
these informed me, when she found l was
from Washington, that 1 need not have
come north for antiques. as much of their
stock was brought from Virginia and sold
as New England commodities" but In the
Essex Institute you can find real heirlooms,
descended from the aristocracy of the past.
Here you viii see the old-fashoned loom,
flax court, quilting frame. winnowing bask-
ct. wool wheel. tinder box, foot stone,
warming pan, tin kitchen and candle mold.
Some Historical Relics.
Beside these there are historical relics,
such as paperweight, used by Charles
Dickens, an inkstand of Wadsworth. pens
Of Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay, a
piece of the chair In which VIM. Penn sat
when he made the treaty with the Indians.
tassel from the bed of Napoleon at Saint
Helena. the lock of a room in which Jeffer-
son wrote the Declaration of Independence,
the table on which Moll Pitcher told for
tunes, the baptismal shirt and christening
blanket of Gov. Bradford, and some Of the
tea from the lot thrown into Boston har-
Dor December 1G 1II3. found in the shoes
of Lot Cheever on removing his disguise.
From the tea 1t is a natural sequence to
wander to North bridge, where the first
armed resistance in the revolution took
place. A tablet Is erected, stating that
Col. Leslie and his troops were stopped
here by small body of men and forced to
retreat
But to 'let ti.a dead past bury it's dead
and come to the living present. Chelsea
might not be classed in that category, fol
1t is a well-known say;ng-"As dead as
Chelsea!-but any city is apt to suffer
from such close rivalry with large busi-
ness center. Chelsea has held at least one
very lively inhab.tant in the person of
Benjamin Shillaber, Mrs Partinston,"
who always resided here. 1t is the irony of
fate that he who brought smiles to so
many should have died in poverty. In
Chelsea is the highest point in the vicinity.
This is an eminence. 200 feet high, named
Powderhorn Hill. You have to climb IA
steps to reach the summit, but 1t is well
worth the climb On clear day the view
Is magnificent-inlets and creeks, with the
Mystic ard Charles beyond. masts and full
sails iotting the harbor. and, as far as the
eye can see, myriads of roofs and chimney
tops that represent the ocean of humanity
below
There are several legends connected with
the name. the two most accepted being
that powder was buried in this hill to keep
1t from the British, and another that an
Indian sold this tract of land for a horn
of powder. The last seems the favorite
perhaps, owing TO the Indians well known
love of barter.
At the Soldiers Home.
The soldiers home for the state of Mas
sachusetts is located here. The building is
commodious and well fitted for the comfort
of the Union veterans. My guide, who was
one of the inmates. led the way, first to a
small ante room, where he proudly pointed
out large stuffed eagle on his perch, none
other thar the boEa-fide "O.d Abe" carried
during the war. There were other trophies
from the battlefield, such as n saddle and
army coat. much the worse for wear: his
torical bullets and shot and the bugle that
sounds taps" ard "reveile."
The bed rooms are furnished by the diff
ferent cities of Massachusetts, ard Old
Glory is used amply in decoration for lam
brequins, curtains, and in many cases for
pillew slips. There is a reading and smok-
ing room, and large hall for entertain
ment and Sabbath services. The kitchen
is miracle of'neatness. My guide called
attention to the hose and fire escapes, say
ing there had never been occasion to use
them. The day following my visit. how
ever, stone house connected with the
home and containing provisions and wear
Ing apparel was burned.
The soldiers are employed about the
place. Some have charge of the provisions,
others tend the machinery and the grounds,
and still others are painters and carpenters.
They come and go as they find employ
ment, and the dormitories are far from
filled at present.
A memorial service in honor of Frederick
Douglass was held in the A. NJ. E. Church
in Chelsea not long ago. Rev. w. H. Scott
delivered the eulogy with a great deal of
enthusiasm and ferver and there were
other speakers from Everett, Revere and
Boston.
Newton Center is very proud at present
IN being the home of DIR. S. +. Smith, the
author of America. whom the whole coun-
try has of late been honoring He took up
his residence there as long ago as when
the stage coach was our only means of
conveyance. Now it is quite a thriving
suburb. A volume Of DR.. Smiths poems
Is soon to be edited. This month, too, COM
memorated the seventy-third anniversary of
Rev Edward 4. Hale's birth. There was
quite reception in the parlors of his
church on Exeter street, where he re-
ceived the hearty congratulations of his
parshioners and friends. He has just re-
turned from a trip to the south and he
comes back to Boston with new lease of
that wonderful vitality that earned him the
title of ''living dynamo" bestowed upon
him by our loved poet. Oliver Wendall
Holmes.
DIR. Hale is very fond of Washington and
told me not long since that he had visited
It, at least once a year since he was twen-
ty-two years old.
TO MEET HERE NEXT YEAR.