This past Sunday was a sparkling sunny day with newly-fallen snow, and as I was in a Little Women frame of mind, I decided to drive over to Concord to see all of its historic sites, starting with the Orchard House, of course. I’ve seen everything before but I go back again and again, seeing new things every time I return, and then there is also shopping and major architectural envy-touring in this old town, which is rich in more ways than one! Everyone seemed to be out walking or cross-country skiing, so I had the sites to myself, but for some reason I spent the most time in the one that actually had the least to offer: the Concord Museum. Don’t get me wrong: the Concord Museum is a great institution (see glowing commentary below) but it is in transition right now, and has very few rooms open. It’s a museum that has always been dedicated to the interpretation of all of Concord’s history in a professional and educational manner, and as such they are in the midst of restructuring their exhibitions—new/old spaces will open up over this year and next month they will have the new Paul Revere exhibition on view: Paul Revere: Beyond Midnight.
Just some of the charms of Concord, Massachusetts: the Alcott Orchard House, the Old Manse, Hawthorne’s Wayside, the Emerson House, and the Concord Museum. (Every time I see Hawthorne’s Concord House, it reinforces how much he disliked his native city, as it is the most un-Salem house I’ve ever seen!)
Despite the obvious differences between the suburban, wealthy enclave of Concord, and the more densely-settled and diverse city of Salem, the two old settlements are similar in terms of their heritage resources: both played important roles in the American Revolution, both had very vibrant reform movements and intellectual milieus in the nineteenth century, both claim Hawthorne, both were key influences in the Colonial Revival movement of the twentieth century. Because of their perceived importance in American history, both have a landscape of heritage sites and important collections, and a federal acknowledgement of such in the form of a National Historic Site/Park. But two developments shaped Salem’s role as a “historical” city that differentiated it from that of Concord: 1) the comprehensive commodification of the Witch Trials and their tenuous connection to Halloween; and 2) the demise of the Essex Institute, which was Salem’s “Concord Museum”.
The emphasis is on HOMES and MANSIONS for Concord and Salem on Ernest Chase Dudley’s 1964 map of Historic Massachusetts, Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library. No Witches (but Witch City of course).
I’ve written about Salem’s embrace of the profit potential of the Witch Trials time and time again so I’m not going to repeat myself: it remains an absolute mystery to me why everyone involved in this industry does not realize—much less acknowledge—that they are trading in tragedy and how a horrible statue of television witch situated in our major major historical and political square mocks the victims of 1692 in perpetuity. But that’s just me, apparently. So let’s move on. At some point, the heritage-focused citizens of Concord realized that they had too many institutions, too many attractions, too many stories: there was a need for a gateway to their town’s history. Salem had always had its gateway: the Essex Institute, which had collected, interpreted, and disseminated its history—all of its history—for more than a century. Concord did not have an Essex Institute, so it needed to develop the Concord Museum, which has served, and flourished, as the gateway to the Concord of the Revolution, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and more. When the Peabody Essex Museum absorbed the Essex Institute in the early 1990s, Salem ceased to have an institution which introduced and interpreted its cumulative history—and oriented its many visitors—in a comprehensive and professional manner. Salem is a historic “Gateway City”, but it has no historic Gateway. This has been clear to me for a while, but it became crystal clear when I was in the midst of the few new galleries that Concord Museum did have open the other day, most especially its introductory exhibition entitled Concord: at the Center of Revolution. “Revolution” is used in a broader sense here, not simply as a reference to the American Revolution but also to the “social and intellectual revolution of the mid-1800s” of which Concord was a center, thus leading it to “symbolize devotion to liberty, individualism, equality and democracy.” And because the emphasis here is on interpretation and representation, only a few objects from the Museum’s collections were chosen to introduce visitors to Concord’s history: an ancient spearhead, a revolutionary powder horn, a looking glass that belonged to an enslaved man who fought in the Revolution, the copper tea kettle that Louisa May Alcott used when she nursed the Civil War wounded, and more. These objects were carefully chosen—curated—and I immediately thought who does that in Salem? Where does that happen in Salem? What 7 or 8 or 9 objects could represent all of Salem’s history, and where would we find them?
The Museum’s gateway role extends beyond its walls: it features Concord itineraries and self-guided tours and has a formal educational partnership with the Lowell and Lawrence school systems, bringing students to its galleries and new Rasmussen Education Center through the “Paul Revere’s Ride” fund. With its recent expansion, it has expanded its interpretation to include Native American history, women’s history, and African-American history. The mission, the mandate, and the message seem to be very clear: Concord’s history is more than that of Minutemen. Certainly Salem’s history is more, much more, than that of “witches”, but the many voices repeating that message are drowned out by crowd.
And yes, Concord has maintained its Tercentenary markers.
January 21st, 2020 at 7:51 am
Agree about the “horrible statue” which amazed me. So I was relieved to read serious thoughts at https://salemwitchmuseum.com/2017/07/20/elie-wiesels-salem-witch-trials-memorial-dedication-speech-1992/
January 21st, 2020 at 7:58 am
Yes, but I don’t think Elie Wiesel’s words are remembered in Salem, unfortunately.
January 21st, 2020 at 8:26 am
Here! Here! I agree completely! My unfortunate first reaction is that one would need to tap the same folks that support PEM. I would hope they agree with the need for such a museum but it might be challenging. Worth pursuing however!
January 21st, 2020 at 8:35 am
Well, I must return to Massachusetts to visit Concord now! I am an avid museum-goer, but those with simple objects from the past are the most inviting to me. A tea kettle which once belonged to Ms. Alcott during the Civil War! Things of the past evoke so much reflection…
I once had my students imagine having to leave Earth to settle elsewhere and to choose five things that would most represent our civilization for generations to come. It sparked quite a discussion, let me tell you!
Lucky you, living so close to Concord…
January 21st, 2020 at 8:53 am
Well you should wait until all of their new galleries are open…check their website: ther is much to be re-installed but once that happens, wow!
January 21st, 2020 at 8:58 am
Hi Donna,
Thanks for sharing your Concord jaunt on such a lovely winter’s day. I know these sites well, but usually visit them in springtime. My favorite area is “the bridge” with French’s statue of the Minute Man and Emerson’s verse about “the shot heard round the world.”
Then to look across the field and see the proud Old Manse still standing and remembering Hawthorne’s happy years there – well, it doesn’t get much better for historic nostalgia…
January 21st, 2020 at 9:29 am
I hate to monetize everything, BUT it would be interesting to learn how much $$ is realized in ticket sales to the Concord Museum and to inspire a lightbulb moment here in Salem. We are a tourist town, tourists come here expecting an actual history museum. Ergo, the visitors will pay an admission fee, someone would deposit those fees, both sides will benefit. It is called cultural tourism, it is hot right now. Someone get this done!!
January 21st, 2020 at 9:14 pm
Well as usual Anne, I like your spirit but this is not doable without the commitment of the powers-that-be in our city: I just don’t see that, and I think everyone seems happy with Samantha in our major public square.
January 21st, 2020 at 11:15 am
There is The Salem Museum in Old Town Hall, which tells the city’s history from 1626 through the Great Fire of 1914, with minimal focus on the Trials. Unfortunately, due to funding and availability of OTH, the museum is only open from June through October. The museum has been in existence for just over ten years, and it seeks to educate on the “everything else” that happened in, and because of, Salem.
Their social media page: The Salem Museum
January 21st, 2020 at 4:15 pm
I’ve got great admiration for the people behind this initiative, but we’ve simply got to have higher standards regarding the definition of a Museum in Salem: this is not a museum–it is a room with banners and placards. It has no collections, and it is not open full time. It bears no resemblance to the Concord Museum. Salem just deserves MORE.
January 23rd, 2020 at 3:57 pm
Does Salem really need another “museum”? I find “Museum in the Streets” program a far more fruitful endeavor. Are you familiar with the concept? They had the program in Kennebunk, Maine where I lived for 15 years and it proved very successful. The signage is stunning and informative. Anyway, it beats the Red Line and old bronze plaques one can hardly see! Now I live in Salem; love and cherish your blog, and would love to see “Museum in the Streets’ implemented here. Marlborough’s the first town in MA to try this out. You might contact them.
January 23rd, 2020 at 8:33 pm
It’s a good question—we certainly have lots of “museums”! I think we need a comprehensive and professional one, but that is a huge undertaking, and I would certainly love to see a Museum in the Streets initiative implemented in the meantime. I’m very familar with Kennebunk’s (York is my hometown) and there are several MA towns that have adopted it as well. It would be so great to get rid of the red line. I smell a post! Thanks, Terry!
January 24th, 2020 at 9:58 am
I well remember the old Essex Institute when I visited Salem as a young man back in the seventies, so I do appreciate your lamentations over its absorption and relocation. I’m afraid its smells and texture are lost forever, and a replacement just would not do it for me. “The Museum in the Streets” concept might go a long way in overcoming the “witch” thing that has obsessed the visiting public in recent times. I’d do anything to help erase the “Red Line” and replace it with Museum in the Streets! Thanks for the reply, and keep blogging.
January 27th, 2020 at 1:07 pm
So what seven objects would you choose to represent Salem, Donna? What would serve as gateways to the rest of the community?
I note that in 1839, this is what Salem’s best and most powerful thought appropriate:
https://www.salem.org/salem-ma-city-seal