Kirjahaku

Loose the latchstring and peer into the places whereNathaniel Hawthorne passed back and forth from nineteenth century New England to the fertile country of his imagination. The historic images in this pictorial biography many by famed Salem photographer Frank Cousins might not inspire readers to the same literary genius as the celebrated author, but the dim and dusky grandeur lingering in his favorite haunts will no doubtenlighten as to the provocation of his pen. From Salem to Bowdoin College, and through Lenox and Concord, Salemite John Hardy Wright trails the famous author to his old accustomed chambers and reveals the inspiration behind an American literary legend."

In Sorcery in Salem, local author John Hardy Wright examines the witchcraft delusion that afflicted Salem Village and Salem Town in the winter of 1691-92. Twenty inhabitants lost their lives at that time; nineteen were hanged on Gallows Hill, and one elderly man, Giles Cory, by remaining mute as a personal protest to the proceedings of the court, was pressed to death under heavy weights. Once the prosecuting examinations began on March 1, 1692, local authorities were uncertain what course the following trials would take. Spectral evidence, in which the shape of a suspected witch tortured people, was a primary indication of guilt, as was the touch test, in which a victim was released from the witch's power upon the laying on of hands. Not being able to correctly recite the Lord's Prayer was also damning.

Formerly the smallest city in Massachusetts, Newburyport is considered to be one of the architectural gems of New England. Its history, both public and private, is intertwined with and expressed by its structures. Newburyport was incorporated in 1764 when it broke away from the early settlement of Newbury, which was founded in 1635 by English livestock investors. The port supplied England with large timbers for shipbuilding in the 1700s. As international trade grew, many merchants acquired great wealth, which in turn helped build the city. The devastating fire of 1811 prompted building ordinances requiring non-wooden material, and the beautiful, Federal-period brick structures in the downtown area are the result. Today Newburyport is an historical destination, the consummation of years of work in architectural preservation, enriched by Yankee, European, and French-Canadian cultures.