Most interesting from the whole trip was this idea she alluded to several times, telling the history that was not intentionally preserved. She pointed out that the wealthy and the fancy people's stories tend to be preserved in history, but often times we do not hear everyone's story.
She alluded to African Americans and their contribution to the Salem story, as well as the Polish. I would have loved to hear a ton more about these various perspectives of Salem and the history. SO MY QUESTION IS: What are all the different ethnic and racial groups that contribute to the Salem story? How can we preserve everyone's part of the story?
It makes me think of all of us, and how are we contributing. Salem students and faculty? What is our role in Salem?
I found the whole customs thing interesting. I learned about how big of a crime smuggling was, but also how often it happened. I also found it interesting that privateering was a legal version of pirate-ing...and then eventually it was illegal. When it was legal, it was how our government made money. We took stuff away from others, and then paid taxes to the government and then sold it for profit. The rules: no one dies and no ship is sunk! Fascinating!
QUESTION: How did the smuggling work and how involved in smuggling was Derby? Were the Derby's legal upstanding people or did they engage in illegal activities to make money??
I thought that this is a cast iron case looking like wood is really cool.
This map! I mapped as a nature journal because looking out at the water, and I wondered how it all connected and how boats came in.
The NPS ranger actually shared a painting from back in the day of the hustle and bustle of the trade port. So different from today. A student was commenting on how calm it was and how he noticed the light and just the calmness, and then to see that bustling seaport from back in the day, it is amazing how much ONE SPOT can change over centuries.
I love how this had the arrows for powerful and ready to fight, but also the olive branch...for peace..and we want friends as a young nation.
I also was struck by the art...ART is always present, and always symbolizing time...and place and space. This statue also has the flag of the colonies...That this sculpture was made by a local artisan.
i love old cobble streets, this ran behind the narbonne house. Makes me wonder about this exact space 200 years ago...300 years ago...and even 400 years ago. amazing. looking out at the same wharf. the map above shows the same wharf there. 
here we were standing on the old garbage dump of the house, which is where they excavated to find the remains and put together who lived here in the past. this house has contiguous owners and residents which is why it did not get torn down, and NPS acquired it in 1964...so 400 years it had people living in it. amazing. THE MIDDLE CLASS lived in this house in years gone by.
The NPS ranger made a point that often the people who were not wealthy did not have their story told...only the wealthy. So Derby, who the street is named after etc, we have a lot of history if him and his wealth and houses etc. BUT the NPS is also trying to tell the story of the middle class, and then the Polish.
She pointed to a whole area where they tore down Polish tenement housing. She said the only one left was the red brick building here on the left...(and Jim's bar the Pig's eye is right behind it on the corner!). I find this fascinating to think about all those whose stories are not told in our typical history.
The article Tracy sent about the Polish Immigrants and how they pooled their resources was fascinating https://www.nps.gov/sama/learn/historyculture/upload/Vol6no2Polish.pdf
I thought what Tracy said about how not all Polish people got along, there were factions within their culture. She referred to Salem as "Little Poland."
Everyone's history matters, and I like that they are trying to get at that and tell it. I think it would be worthwhile to have more African American history too, and their contribution to the story of Salem. She alluded to it
No comments:
Post a Comment