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Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1910. "Nathaniel Hawthorne house." Abode of the author of 19th-century blockbusters The Scarlet Letter and House of the Seven Gables, last seen here. Note the glass insulators in the tree being used as a utility pole. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Multi story . . . heh heh . . .
I had an unplanned 30 minute sojourn in Salem last July, driving around in circles, looking for the highway back to New York. Just that little time was enough to remind me what a magnificent little town Salem is. So full of history and character. Those infamous witches are the LEAST of it. There's Chestnut Street, even without the chestnut trees, possibly the most elegant street in America. But to me the coolest thing in Salem is the Peabody Museum, where Salem's famous China trade Clipper captains brought the many exotic treasures they found in the Orient. Some fabulous stuff there. That whole corner of Massachusetts is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful place to visit.
until you notice the socks hanging on the clothesline in the yard.
Eighteenth century homes in Charleston, SC, were built sideways to the street because property taxes under the British were based on the length of the frontage. Could that have been the same in 18th C Salem?
Whatever vehicle is behind those shed doors isn't going very far.
Man, things must be tight when you have to hang your electric lines in trees.
The first thing I look for when I see trees and neighborhood street scenes on Shorpy are just what Dave mentioned.
Here is a piece from my insulator collection that clearly illustrates the long-term condition.
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