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Community Corner

The Secret History of Salem's Widow's Walks

We call them Widow's Walks, but they used to be known as Captain's Walks. Look up and see the history of Salem.

Salem, in its early days, turned to sea and saw its future in trading and shipping. With that focus came the anxiety of those onshore waiting for their mariners to return. When storms lashed the cold New England coasts, that anxiety jumped to obsessive levels of worrying about what might have occurred on the rough seas beyond the harbor. With no communication, all that people could do was look to the horizon in hopes of spotting a small sail coming through the mists to port. As ships grew closer, they would look for telltale signs in the flags and pennants announcing success, failure, or loss on board.

Salem in 1800 was teeming with trade from distant ports. That trade during the Age of Sail, even with the advances brought about by Nathaniel Bowditch’s navigational aides, still remained fraught with danger and anxiety. A lost ship could spell disaster for not only the sailors but the investors on land, who relied on the mostly young captains to traverse half the world in search of riches.

A Clear View to the Sea

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Dane Hurd, in writing The History of Essex County in 1887, recalled how times had changed for Salem in the years after it was no longer a port for the East Indies trade.

He wrote, “The boys have ceased to watch on the Neck for the incoming vessels, hoping to earn a reward by being the first to announce to the expectant merchant the safe return of his looked-for vessel.”

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It is easy to imagine the entrepreneurial boys running full tilt down Derby Street to a merchant's home to make the announcement. Tossing the boy or boys a coin, the merchant, usually a retired sea captain himself, would hurry within his house to the top floor. In the attic there was a staircase or trapdoor access to the Captain’s Walk on the roof. Here, standing on a raised platform with his spyglass, he could confirm the sighting, seeing his merchant flag flying. If it was his ship, he no doubt breathed a sigh of relief that his gamble had paid off.

Walking through today’s Salem, looking up we can still see some of those platforms that are more often now called Widow’s Walks. The walks, often seen on the merchant mansion roofs, allow us to imagine the past geography of Salem, when wharfs lined Front Street, and the South River ran to lower Washington Street, where docks predated the Post Office and the Joshua Ward House was waterfront property. Merchant houses with Captain’s Walks on Chestnut Street, Essex Street, upper Washington Street and even on the Common, had clear fields of vision to the ocean and their ships at sea.

The Strange Journey of a Captain's Walk Mural

When Elias Derby built his mansion on the site of the current Masonic Temple, he had a cupola added that was enclosed in glass so he could watch for his ships in all weather. He even had a special hole cut out in a window for his telescope. He also had the Italian painter, Corne, who had been rescued from Napoleon’s advancing army, paint a mural on the ceiling, depicting his ships coming into port.

When the mansion, then a hotel, was removed to make way for the Masonic Temple, the cupola was saved and for many years was on the grounds of the Essex Institute before succumbing to weather and insects. The twice-rescued mural is now in the Peabody Essex Museum’s restaurant.

Captain’s Walks are considered a variation on the cupola, which often had an exterior walkway around the outside.  Cupolas date back to medieval times and their use in America correspond to the Italianate Revival period, when Renaissance designs were used. Captain’s Walks, especially on higher-end property, were also popular all along the New England coast and were incorporated into Federal and Adams architectural designs. Given the expense and upkeep of such cupolas, other merchants who were not as wealthy as Derby, often opted for the simple platform with a railing, whether wood or metal, as a safety measure.

A Bucket of Sand

In addition to the use as an observation platform, they also served a safety purpose. In times when heat was generated through fireplaces, there was the ever present fear of chimney fires which could quickly destroy a residence. Often houses with flat roofs had trapdoors in the roof to allow access to the roof, so that sand could be poured down a chimney to put out a fire.

I recall being puzzled by seeing an old leather bucket filled with sand in a Salem attic years ago until its use was explained to me. The trapdoor, which could be left ajar, also served to ventilate the house during hot summers, allowing heat to dissipate. With the ever-present coastal views, it’s understandable to dual purpose the access to the roof, and add a railing for security in using this space.

From "Captain's Walk" to "Widow's Walk"

Given the number of ships and men lost at sea, it is also understandable how a Captain’s Walk became, in popular usage, a Widow’s Walk. The vision of the lonely widow still looking into the wind for a lost love is compelling and adds a poignant note to this architectural addition.

When you’re walking in Salem, take the time to look up and see this vestige of the days of sail and imagine looking over the housetops, seeing the forest of masts that used to populate our harbor and docks.

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