Boston 🚗1h | A Glimpse into the Interwoven Fortunes of a Family
Real Historical Background 👴👨👦 Built by John Turner I and his wife in 1668 at Salem Harbor ⚓️. Salem in those days was a bustling port city, rich in seafood 🍤, with a large amount of it being shipped to the Caribbean plantations as food for slaves, supporting the production of rum, sugar, etc. Many cargo ships also traded with China, and it’s said that because of the number of ships, China once thought Salem was a country. As a merchant and captain, he was very wealthy 💰. After John Turner I passed away, the house was passed down to his son, John Turner II. With his substantial wealth, he continuously expanded the house, turning it into the seven-gabled house we see today. However, John Turner II was also involved in the persecution of Native Americans in North America 🪓, and it’s said that he even collected their skulls ☠️. Despite once being extremely wealthy, the saying “wealth does not pass three generations” applied here as well. John Turner III lacked business acumen and eventually squandered the family fortune, having to sell the house and the slaves. The fate of the sold slaves remains unknown; to historical records, they became “unimportant”. Many believe that the Northern slave system was more humane than the Southern plantations, but I think no matter the working environment, slavery is inherently cruel and inhumane. In an era without antibiotics, slaves cooked in such kitchens with heavy iron pots, risking death from burns with a single mishap. If they died, it was only seen as a loss of a small part of the property. Restoration and Rebirth 🏠🏡🏘️ The house changed hands and was remodeled several times over the years. But with the fame of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel 📖, Caroline Emmerton bought the house in 1908 and completed its restoration in 1910, opening it to the public as a museum. (Hawthorne was so familiar with the house because a cousin of his had once owned it, and he learned its story during a visit, using it as the novel’s backdrop.) The one-hour tour is super interesting; I personally love visiting historical buildings as a relaxed way to learn history 📚. There’s a beautiful seaside garden 🌸 where you can take a stroll or have a picnic with some snacks. Well, I need to catch up on the novel now. #HistoricalArchitecture #Boston #BostonLife #History #WeekendActivities