Witch City

[lizziebelle]

Some friends from out of state were in the area over the weekend, and proposed a meet-up in Salem yesterday for the local folks. I'm always up for a trip to Salem; I love the historic architecture and the old seaport vibe. I'm not as keen on the commercialization of the witchcraft angle, surprisingly enough; I find it tacky and distasteful considering the history there. That a place known for killing people for witchcraft would attract modern-day witches is just baffling to me.

Anyhoo, a bunch of us met up at Victoria Station on the wharf and had a nice lunch, then set off to explore. I found people I knew in two different magick shops, which is not at all surprising. We had to take a picture in front of Bunghole Liquors. We wandered to the arts alley and saw a ho-hum exhibit of steampunk art. We went into a tattoo studio/art gallery that had a Doctor Who exhibit, which was fun. We wandered through the old burying ground, the oldest in Salem, which had many wonderful death-head stones.

Right next to it is the memorial to the men & women who were killed in the witch-hunt craze of 1692. I took a picture of Susannah Martin's memorial for a friend who is descended from her.

It's a very somber and sobering place.

After a stop at Salem Beer Works, we went off on our separate ways. It was a lovely afternoon, and it was so good to see my friends again. I really miss them. If any of you are ever in the area, I'd totally be up for taking you to Salem!

Comments

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Your photos make it look like a vibrant and cheerful place - I hadn't expected that, knowing it only for its grim history.

That is a wonderful death's-head memorial - I love the flow of the wings, and the arc of the flower above it. There's such artistry in those memorials.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

Vibrant and cheerful is an apt description of Salem. It's a great old New England seaport, college town, tourist destination. It's too bad that most people think of the tragedy first when they hear the name.

Those old death's-head stones are my favorites. Some of them are quite bizarre, but some are truly beautiful.