September, 1906 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



181 



The Porch of Mrs. George Lord's House 



Doorway of Mrs. Philip Little's House 



one following the building of gambrel roof houses, which 

 came to perfection in architecture about the middle of the 

 eighteenth century; from that time to the building of the pre- 

 tentious brick residences includes the second period, the 

 porches of that time being designed for square colonial houses 

 built of wood. The third type of colonial doorways extends 

 from this date onward and adorns the most pretentious man- 

 sions of brick, built by the merchant princes. 



It is one of these stately homes on Washington Square that 

 shows an interesting entrance; an expression of early Ameri- 

 can art, easily taking first rank among the finest specimens of 

 colonial doorways. This house is now the home of Stephen, 

 the nephew of Capt. Joseph White, who was said to have 

 been implicated in the tragic event which ended the old man's 

 life. Daniel Webster was engaged by him to appear in the 

 case, thereby enacting a romance through his son, Fletcher 

 Webster, who met, fell in love with and married Stephen 

 White's daughter. 



Hawthorne, whose life was in part passed in Salem, en- 

 tered through the portals of the doorway at 53 Charter 

 Street, to win his bride, Sophia Peabody. This porch has a 

 heavy box cornice with a dark door that shows paneling. 

 Hawthorne describes this porch in "Dr. Grimshaw's Secret." 



Connected with witchcraft times is a porch on Summer 

 Street. A tradition is handed down that in front of this 

 place, in 1692, an old chaise became so bewitched that 

 it literally tumbled to pieces. The witch accused of this 

 evil-doing was one Bridget Bishop, the first victim of those 

 troublous times. 



It would be an impossibility to enumerate the hundreds of 

 interesting doorways which are seen on colonial houses in 

 Salem, each one of which is well worthy architectural study. 

 They stand out, clothed in artistic grace and of wonderful 

 symmetrical beauty, mementoes of the time before the great 

 tide of the East India trade had faded away, leaving Derby 

 Street deserted. 



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