The Shire of Worcester, Part the Ninth

From Dave Brigham:

Often times when I post photos on Instagram that are also featured on this blog, people will ask me how was the food at the diner, or did I down a cold one at a dive bar, etc. Almost always I reply, "I didn't go inside." And that was the case with all of the buildings in today's latest Worcester post - save one. And I didn't check it out on the day I was exploring, but shortly after.

I made a long list of Worcester destinations some time ago (see the bottom of this post for links to the previous eight installments in this ongoing series). I flagged the area just east of Salisbury Pond, just west of Interstate 290 and a bit northeast of Worcester Polytechnic Institute for one reason...which I'll get to shortly.

The first site on this relatively short tour was the former Washburn & Moen cotton mill on Grove Street.

"The building was originally constructed as a three-story cotton mill in 1863 by the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, which grew to become the world’s leading manufacturer of barbed wire and other wire products during the second half of the 19th century," according to MACRIS. "A fourth story was added to the building between 1888 and 1892."

Founded in 1831, the company manufactured barbed wire, telegraph wire, piano wire, crinoline wire (for hoop skirts!), wire nails and other products. The company became part of U.S. Steel in the early 20th century.

Several businesses occupy the massive space today, including Safeway Luxury Transportation, Medi Tresse Worcester, some law offices, The Fix Burger Bar and Fuel America coffee house.

OK, let's get to, as Homer Simpson would say, the working overtime part.

I hope that sign lights up real purty at night time. If you walked or drove by that sign at the northern edge of the Washburn & Moen complex, you might take a quick look around and think, "Huh, cool sign. Too bad the diner's not around anymore." But you, thankfully, would be very wrong.

Walk east through the parking lot next to Safeway Luxury Transportation and the wonderful truth becomes more evident.

When I saw this compound on Google Street View many moons ago, I flipped out. Old signs, a diner, a big space built behind the diner - located in an industrial back parking lot. "What the hell is this place?" I wondered.

Ralph's Rock Diner is a singular food and entertainment destination, with a long history of feeding people's stomachs and souls. As you can see, this legendary joint started life as Chadwick Square Diner, and, according to MACRIS, may be the city's oldest existing diner. The Worcester Lunch Car Company built it in 1930; its production number is 660.

The eatery was originally located about a mile north on Grove Street. "During the 1960's and 1970's, the Chadwick Square Diner was operated by Ralph Dryden at another location, 1475 Main Street," according to MACRIS. "The diner returned to Grove Street, not far from its original site, in the late 1970's."

There is a medium-sized brick building extension of the diner, which I assume by the industrial look of it, is a former cotton mill structure. Ralph's web site says it has a "full bar and original lunch car vibes," so I assume the diner retains at least some of its 1930s charm. I also assume the diner was moved to this location with the precise idea of turning it into what it has become.

I made these photos on May 3 of this year, on my way back from a trip to Connecticut. As I was editing the photos from this jaunt, I looked up Ralph's Rock Diner online to see what it's all about. Checking the club's event calendar, I saw that on Friday, May 16, an artist named Arto Vaun was playing the club. I've been a fan of his for years, since seeing one of his bands play at a friend's party many years ago, so I decided I had to go.

I rallied my buddy who had hosted Vaun's band in the late '90s, and we drove out to Worcester on May 16. We didn't go into the diner, but instead straight to the bar at the back of the first floor. The place has a real roadhouse vibe, with pool tables, dim lighting, tattooed rockers hanging out, vintage movies playing on TVs above the bar.

My buddy Lee and I thoroughly enjoyed the wacky horror flick on the telly. I asked the bartender what is was.

"'Howling III,'" he replied. "The full title is 'Howling III: The Marsupials.'"

The three of us cracked up.

After one drink ('Gansett for me, inspired by the big sign on the exterior wall), we paid the cover charge and headed upstairs to the bar. I thought there were supposed to be four bands on the bill, and that Arto Vaun was playing second or third. But within about 15 minutes, he and his crew took to the stage and away we went.

(Arto Vaun, center, and his band.)

They sounded great, ripping through several new songs I didn't fully know, and many older ones that I did. The crowd at that point was pretty small -- a handful of older guys like Lee and me, and, I was happy to see, some younger, gothier folks. After the set, Lee called out to Arto, who was flabbergasted. "I saw you from the stage," he exclaimed. "And I said, 'Is that Lee?'"

The three of us chatted for a few minutes. Arto is a really nice guy in addition to being a talented singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Here's a taste of his music:

The interior of the bar, both upstairs and down, is a feast for the eyes.

I hope to get back to Ralph's, as it's a great venue. Maybe next time I'll try the food!

From Ralph's, I headed east to Prescott Street, and then north. I walked past several industrial properties. The first one that caught my eye was an older one-story brick buildling occupied by Harpers Payroll Services.

There's nothing particularly interesting about the building or the company. I just kinda liked the sign. The building dates to 1960, per the Worcester assessor.

The next building is a lot more, uh, interesting.

What I've dubbed the Silver Apple Building was built in 2005, according to the assessor's database. I'm not sure I believe that. Sometime between October 2017 and September 2019, per Google Street View, the building was renovated, going from a warehouse-style that looked like a barn and a house simultaneously, to its current incarnation, which gives one an industrial, space-age apple farm vibe.

It is occupied by an outfit called Workplace Resource, which, among other things, conducts office space planning and work station design and budgeting, per its web site.

Finally, a named building in a gritty part of the city, with a history tied to farming.

Located at 100 Prescott Street, this building, currently known as the Washburn Building, rose in 1874 and was leased at that point to the Ames Plow Company. The owner was Stephen Salisbury III, hence the "SS" carved into the plaque in the photo above. "The Ames Company continued manufacturing plows on Prescott Street until 1911 when this branch of the company was moved to South Pramingham, Mass.," according to MACRIS.

Current tenants include Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Washburn-Garfield, a process piping specialist that is a division of the Collins Companies, and Waites Industrial, another subsidiary of that firm.

Below are links to the previous eight installments in this Worcester series.

August 2, 2025, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Eighth"

July 19, 2025, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Seventh"

July 5, 2025, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Sixth"

November 16, 2024, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Fifth"

April 13, 2024, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Fourth"

February 10, 2024, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Third"

February 3, 2024, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Second"

January 27, 2024, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the First"

The Shire of Worcester, Part the Sixth

From Dave Brigham:

Benvenuti all'ultimo post su Worcester!

For this latest installment of my ongoing series about Woostah, Mass., I trekked through the eastside, the heart of the city's Italian-American community. I wasn't aware of that designation when I set out along Shrewsbury Street, but I figured it out quickly enough.

Located on Muskeego Street, just southeast of Shrewsbury St., near several industrial properties and large empty lots, the Biscee Club was founded as a mutual benefit society for the Italian-American population, as far as I can tell from the limited information I found online. Evidently it's no longer an active social club.

Around the corner on Shrewsbury Street is Franchi Brothers Auto Body, which has been in business since 1936.

I dig the signage, which looks like it's well taken care of.

I continued west along Shrewsbury Street, stopping at the entrance to Cristoforo Colombo Park. Of course, Cristoforo Colmbo is the Italian spelling of Christopher Columbus. Stone griffins flank each side of the main entrance to the park.

They're quite impressive. MACRIS says the artist was Charles McCann and that the sculptures date to 1874.

So, let's learn a bit about this neighborhood.

"New York has Little Italy. Boston has the North End. Worcester has Shrewsbury Street," states this September 2015 article at Pulse magazine's web site. "Shrewsbury Street became the home of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century and early 20th century," the article continues. "Today, roughly 13 percent of all residents in and around Shrewsbury Street are of Italian descent. The Italians brought their culture and love of food to Worcester and opened the fresh food markets that would eventually evolve into the swath of restaurants locals know and love."

While there are plenty of Italian sites along Shrewsbury Street, other Mediterranean countries are also represented.

Meze Estiatorio is a restaurant owned by "first generation Worcester natives serving what we know so well; authentic, unadulterated Greek food," per its web site. The mural may have been done by someone from Artifakt Studios, a collective that completed a painting inside the eatery.

I featured Artifakt in a previous Worcester post (see February 10, 2024, "The Shire of Worcester, Part the Third"). Also check out the other four installments that preceded this one: Part V, Part IV, Part II and Part I.

In the main entryway to 156 Shrewsbury Street, currently occupied by Root & Press, a cafe and bookstore outfit, I spied another hint of the neighborhood's past.

This space has been occupied by restaurants for many years. I suppose deMarco could have been an eatery or perhaps a market a long time ago.

A few doors down, on the north side, heading west, is the Parkway Diner.

I like the Red Sox font but I'm not crazy about the look of this place. Serving breakfast, lunch and drinks from the bar, the Parkway has been expanded a few times, I believe, since opening in the 1930s as a traditional Worcester Lunch Car Company diner. There is a more traditional-looking diner across Shrewsbury Street that I will discuss below.

At the major intersection of Shrewsbury and East Central streets stands Pampas Brazilian Steakhouse, which is located in the former D'Errico's Market building. I'm unsure whether D'Errico's runs its butcher shop, which opened in 1947, from another location.

On the side of 102-116 Shrewsbury Street -- aka the Zamarro Block -- I found an old sign that had me scouring the Internet, breaking out my magnifying glass and fine-tuning my photo-editing software.

The building, which was built in 1911, was "[i]mportant in the life of Worcester's Italian community throughout the first half of the 20th century," according to MACRIS. Constructed by Carmine Zamarro, who owned a bank on Shrewsbury St., this block housed businesses such as an Italian-language newspaper, several Italian doctors, a dry goods store, bakeries, a shoe shop, a restaurant and many more, MACRIS continues.

I tried my best to decipher the ghost sign but had no luck.

Near the western end of Shrewsbury Street, across from the railyards serving Union Station, is a fantastic old building, the likes of which I haven't seen in such great condition.

Currently home to Wormtown Brewery and Volturno Pizza, the former Worcester Buick Co. showroom looks amazing from the outside. I'm guessing the interior is no less fantastic.

Opened in 1922 from a design by architect Arthur Hunnewell Bowditch, whose notable projects include Boston's Paramount Theatre and Myles Standish Hall (now a Boston University dorm), the building served as a Buick and GMC dealership until 1961.

"The Worcester Buick building is Worcester's only unaltered example of the 'grand' automobile showroom," according to MACRIS. "The slightly earlier F. S. Howard Showroom (1918) on Main Street is little altered but not as elaborate or imposing as this. The 'grand' M. E. Tuller Showroom (1928-1929) on Park Avenue has been altered. Because of its excellent state of preservation and because its relative opulence recalls an era when the automobile was still a luxury, this building is important in the history of the automobile in Worcester."

I've mentioned Bowditch in posts about Boston's Downtown Crossing area (see April 12, 2020, "Crossing Through More of Boston's Downtown"), the Newton Corner neighborhood (see December 31, 2021, "I Seek Newton, Part XI: Newton Corner (Section 3)") and Brookline (see March 13, 2014, "What's in a Named Building? (Part 2)").

I have written about old car dealerships before. In the summer of 2018, Google Maps led me to an old Saab business once run by author Kurt Vonnegut (see October 24, 2018, "A Literary Icon, a Naval Celebrity & a Stern Warning About Micturation"). Earlier this year I mentioned a place that's currently home to a market in Everett, Mass., that was originally a Chevrolet dealership, followed up by a BMW showroom (see May 3, 2025, "Kicking Around Downtown Everett"). In 2024, I included a former Willy's dealership in my write-up about Somerville's Davis Square (see November 2, 2024, "It's Hip to Be Davis Square").

Next door to the old Buick dealership is another well-preserved old building.

I haven't found any background on this place. It is currently home to Carbonneau Bridal and Formalwear, as well as Keller Williams Realty.

At this point, I doubled back, heading east on Shrewsbury Street. At the intersection with East Worcester Street, I was impressed by a restaurant's large sign.

Via Italian Table says on its web site that it has been "acclaimed Worcester’s best Italian restaurant and most romantic restaurant in recent media polls." Along with other businesses, the eatery is located in a former Worcester public schools maintenance facility (!).

Built in 1905, the building is the gateway to a few other municipal buildngs I made photos of.

The Worcester Public Works building on East Worcester Street dates to 1920. It is located on the property of the former Pine Meadow Burial Ground, according to MACRIS.

Next door is the headquarters of the Worcester Sewer Department.

Built in 1932, the sewer department building, according to MACRIS, replaced a wood-frame structure belonging to Darling Brothers, which I'm assuming was a construction company.

Back out on Shrewsbury Street, I knew in advance that I needed to check out a few places, starting with Wonder Bar Pizza.

Opened in 1922, Wonder Bar was closed at some point in the last decade, I believe. But new owners brought it back to life. My photo doesn't do the sign justice. It is truly wunderbar!!

Continuing northeast, I arrived at the spot that was my inspiration for checking out this neighborhood: the Boulevard Diner.

Now THAT's a diner, right?!

Built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company some time between 1934 and 1936, the Boulevard is in the popular barrel-roof style that diner guru Richard Gutman has called "the VW Beetle of diners," according to MACRIS. "Additional distinguishing features seen here are the Art Deco neon roof cresting with illuminated central clock and the striped metal facade awning," MACRIS continues. "Both were probably added in the 1940's or 1950's. A brick structure was added at the rear sometime before 1957."

Claims have been made, but not substantiated, MACRIS adds, that the Boulevard is the oldest continuously operated diner in the United States.

Across Plum Street from the diner, I spied a nice old bank entryway.

Now occupied by an Italian restaurant named Piccolo's, 157 Shrewsbury Street dates to around 1890 and was originally home to a grocery store and apartments. MACRIS picks up the story: "About 1917 the store became the real estate office of Laraia and Ermilio. The principals in this firm were Gennaro Laraia and Pompeo Ermilio. Laraia, among the city's earliest Italian settlers, had come to Worcester from Italy in 1878. Ermilio was born in Anzi (Potenza), Italy. In 1900, he came to the United States, settling first in Philadelphia and coming to Worcester about 1915. Laraia, who had begun his real estate business about 1912, took Ermilio as his partner about 1917 when his daughter, Catherine, and Ermilio were married....About 1924, or perhaps earlier, the business was expanded to include banking services for the Italian community in the surrounding neighborhood."

So cool that the entryway has been preserved.

Across Shrewsbury Street, next to the Greek restaurant mentioned above, is the East Side Improvement Club.

I haven't found anything about this club online, as is often the case with these neighborhood joints. I'm guessing it was founded a long time ago to help out new immigrants from Italy.

Back on the south side of Shrewsbury Street, across from the entrance to the previously mentioned park, I spied a date of 1925 and a difficult to read name at #179.

Occupied by Invidium Salon / Hair by Eva, this place was originally occupied by Reliable Auto Radiator, per MACRIS. "By 1930 the Arthur S. Manzi Motor Co. was in business. By 1934 the building housed and (sic) auto repair business, trucking Co. (sic) and Arthur S. Manzi Funeral Home Inc. The Funeral Home eventually took over the entire building."

I was impressed by the entrance to 225 Shrewsbury Street, home to Mexicali Cantina Grill.

My photo doesn't give the feel of this place, which is a large rectangular building with fancy flourishes at the roofline, looking like it dates to the 1920 or 1930. I suspected it was once an auto dealership, and I was right.

Lawless Cadillac-Pontiac was located here from at least 1961 to 1979, from what I've found online. I'm not sure if the place was built as a dealership.

OK, I'm wrapping up this installment in my ongoing Worcester series with an underwhelming building, using the theory of leave the audience wanting more....

I made that photo of #252 because I am a sucker for coin dealers. Unfortunately, Rare Metals, which dealt in jewelry, diamonds, gold, silver and coins, appears to be out of business. Make sure to check for the seventh, eighth and ninth posts about Worcester, covering a biker bar with a Hollywood connection, a factory that makes spacesuits, great ghost signs, murals, a place called Smoke 'n' Munch, a diner-slash-live event venue and much more.

Walking in Witch City

From Dave Brigham:

In most towns, if you walk around looking for signs of Halloween nearly seven weeks ahead of time, you may find a half-aisle of candy at the super Stop & Shop or an inflatable Frankenstein on the weird lady's lawn. Take an excursion through Salem, Mass., in mid-September, however, and you bump into scores of costume-clad folks happily filling the streets on their way to the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch History Museum, the Witch Dungeon Museum or the Witch House. That is, if you can successfully weave around the countless adults happily shopping for magic wands, black fishnet stockings and Jason Voorhees masks and taking selfies with street characters like the Predator, Michael Myers and Morticia Addams.

If you're me, you get a few chuckles at all the spooky hubbub and then move out of the stream of gore-loving humanity and into the gritty, lesser-known corners.

At 10 Boston Street in the Gallows Hill neighborhood (aka Blubber Hollow, which is an awesome nickname) is a rather unassuming brick building currently housing a dentist's office and other small businesses. Below is a crappy shot of the building, which was the best I could do given that big tree in front.

In one of the rare instances where MACRIS let me down, all the database has to say about this Colonial Revival building is that it was built circa-1920 and that the "facade features cast-stone details, including a second-story sillcourse, keystones and corner blocks." But what then, oh superhumans of MACRIS, am I to make of this detail?

For starters, this pinpoints the date of construction at 1916, something the MACRIS author should have seen. Secondarily, the cross on that chunk of concrete raises the question of whether this was originally a church or rectory or some other house of worship-adjacent structure, as opposed to "one of several commercial buildings of the early 20th century constructed at the intersection of Boston and Essex Street," as MACRIS tells us in incorrect grammar just before we nod off.

It doesn't look like a church, so I'm going with parsonage or church office building. I've looked online for maps that might be helpful, but haven't found anything more about this building. If anybody knows, let me know.

I passed through Salem on my way to a barbecue in neighboring Beverly, so I did a bit of research before my trip. I singled out a diner two doors down from the mystery building above as a must-see destination.

Built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company as #725, this diner was installed at the end of 1936 and known as the Pilgrim Diner, according to MACRIS. "The diner was built for Louis Proulx and George G. Craigie," and replaced a similar business established on the site in 1929. Proulx operated the diner into the mid-1950s. In the ensuing decades, different folks ran the joint under a variety of names, including George's Diner, Boyle's Diner (aka Boyle's Elm Tree Diner) and Deb's Diner."

"The Pilgrim Diner is one of the better preserved examples in Massachusetts of the 1930s, barrel-roof lunch car built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company," MACRIS continues. "The...car rests on a foundation of rusticated concrete blocks. The exterior is sheathed in flat porcelain enamel panels with the name of the diner baked in."

Sigh...the porcelain enamel panels.

Before being partially obscured by the current Black Cat Diner banner sign, those original panels were sort of covered by one for Deb's Diner for more than 10 years. I understand that each new owner wants to put his or her own stamp on the business, and that, as one of my Instagram followers pointed out, perhaps owners want to distance themselves from the baggage behind the concept of "Pilgrim," but these temporary signs just cheapen the image. Maybe new signs could go on the roof, or painted into the sidewalk?

Steps away, on the east side of Essex Street, is a business that has had the same name for decades.

ASAP Drains, which covers the entire North Shore, has been unclogging things since 1979.

I started heading towards downtown, north-northeast along Essex Street. There are many beautiful old homes along here, the sort that one thinks of when imagining an old Colonial town, which Salem is, having been settled by Europeans in 1626. The one that caught my eye, because of the plaque on the front, was the Lindall-Barnard-Andrews House.

"HERE LIVED REV. THOMAS BARNARD," the sign says. "First Pastor of North Church Peace Maker at North Bridge Affair Feb. 25, 1775."

My initial assumption was that the North Bridge in question was the well-known one in Concord, Mass. That bridge was the site of "the shot heard 'round the world" that started the American Revolution. But alas, my Greater Boston bias is showing, because this is not the bridge in question. I mean, why would someone travel 28 miles by horse to be a peace maker?

Rather, Rev. Barnard was involved in an incident at a bridge about a half-mile walk from his home. On February 26, 1775 (a day later than the marker on the home indicates), Barnard and others intervened in an incident in which the British military sought to capture cannons on the north side of the North River from some Salem Minutemen.

Military Governor Thomas Gage dispatched "Lieut. Col. Alexander Leslie with the 64th regiment by ship to Marblehead with instructions to march to Salem with 240 troops and seize the cannons and munitions of war," according to this Historic Ipswich article. The Minutemen and residents of Salem were waiting for them, and had raised the drawbridge, preventing Leslie and his men from crossing the river.

There was a brief scuffle between the British and the Colonists, which may have "brought about what may have been the first bloodshed in a war that was yet to begin," per the article. "Capt. [John] Felt, Rev. Barnard, and Col. [David] Mason negotiated with Col. Leslie, who was at length persuaded to offer a compromise, pledging his word and honor that if the inhabitants would allow him to cross, he and his troops would in a peaceable manner proceed no more than fifty rods beyond the bridge and then return without molesting any person or property."

So the British proceeded, simply so Leslie could report to Gage that he crossed the bridge and couldn't find the weapons, which the Minutemen had told him they'd hidden. They weren't about to let him look for them.

Pretty funny.

As for the other two names on the historic record for this home, Judge James Lindall had the place built in 1740. "The house was purchased in 1816 by John H . Andrews, and remained in the Andrews family throughout the nineteenth century," according to MACRIS.

At the intersection of Essex and North streets, I looked to my left and saw lots of folks milling about outside the Witch House, "the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin...and...one of the few structures you can visit in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692," per the web site. I was more intrigued by what I saw across the street.

Man, what a mish-mash of holiday decorations! Happy Hallow-Easter-Mas!

Witch City Consignment closed in mid-December after nearly two decades in business. The store, which on the day of my visit had a line out the door, looks like it was pretty great. As for the building, it dates to 1897 and is known historically as the David Pingree Building, per MACRIS.

Pingree was one of Salem's wealthiest people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, per MACRIS. In the early years, this storefront was occupied by a bakery and a grocery store. After that, tenants included New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, Kingley Insurance Agency and Jerry’s men’s furnishings company. The store to this day still has signs indicating Jerry's Department Store and Jerry's Army & Navy Store. I'm not sure whether the consignment store was owned by the same folks who ran Jerry's.

I continued east along Essex Street, weaving in and out of the Halloween revelers, before heading south on Crombie Street. I saw some cool seasonal decorations and a sweet old muscle car before stumbling across the next site of interest on the corner of Margin and Gedney streets.

Steve's Quality Market has been in business for more than 80 years. Look at that sign!

A little further south, along Canal Street I spied another nice sign atop Sammy's Roast Beef.

The sandwich place has been in business for more than 20 years.

From there I wandered around until I ended up on Lafayette Street. As I walked south, I looked down Peabody Street and did my usual, "Whoa! Look at that!"

Beemans Gum was introduced to market in the late 19th century. "The product became a part of the American Chicle Company in 1898, and continued on after the purchase of American Chicle by Warner-Lambert in 1962," according to Wikipedia. "Production ceased in 1978 due to lagging sales. In 1985 the brand was revived in a nostalgia campaign, as an ordinary chewing gum without the medical claims, marketed along with Clove and Black Jack chewing gums."

Simultaneous to my noticing the ghost sign, I spied the Salvador Dali mural painted on a building just below it.

(I love how a door opens at the bottom of this painting - perhaps into the artist's soul? It was painted by an artist named Sipros.)

I continued east on Peabody Street for a short while, making photos of other murals.

(Painted by Don Rimx.)

(Painted by Ruben Ubiera.)

I was amazed at the size and quality of these works of art. Having done no research ahead of my visit beyond the Black Cat Diner, I had no idea that as I walked along Peabody Street I was seeing just the tip of the iceberg that is the Punto Urban Art Museum. There are dozens more -- 75 in all -- located in a three-block radius in this neighborhood!

The open-air museum has two primary goals, according to its web site: "To create a beautiful, uplifting environment for Point residents, particularly for children to grow up in" and "To break down the invisible divide between the Point Neighborhood and the rest of Salem by inviting visitors into the Point to experience world-class art first-hand."

The social justice art program was created by North Shore CDC, which invests in neighborhoods to create thriving communities, per its web site. As for the murals and artists, check the art museum's web site for artists and locations of their works. I wish I'd known enough to keep exploring this neighborhood. Oh well, gives me something to look foward to on my next visit.

Heading northwest along Washington Street I stopped to admire a quaint little house tucked between and across the street from several four-story apartment buildings. I make photos of funky places like this in hopes that MACRIS will come through for me.

"Although 259 Washington Street was not listed in a street directory until 1933, stylistically it would appear to have been built with the Audet Apartments next door [which date to 1916]....In 1933 it was listed as the office of Alfred Audet, (possibly associated with the apartment building) with Barry Printing, Peerless Paper Co., and Joseph Perron, millwright, in the rear. There is no front listing for 259 Washington Street in the 1935 street directory. In 1936 Henry Goudreau, a contractor, was listed as having offices here."

Thanks, MACRIS!

It is presently a one-family home.

I peeked down the driveway to a much newer building and saw something I needed to document.

This roached-out sign (tip of the hat to Mike Wolfe from "American Pickers") is for Paul N. Oulette & Sons Pianos, which is (or was) located in this building, which is located on Dodge Street. Currently occupied by The Salem Flea, the building dates to 1945, per MACRIS. As for Paul N. Oulette & Sons, the company was started in 1946 as a piano wholesaler, according to this web site. The company also restored, tuned and moved pianos.

From there I headed north along Washington Street, back toward the Halloween-loving masses. Outside Ledger Restaurant & Bar, I fawned over the clock.

The restaurant is located in the old Salem Savings Bank, which was completedin 1855.

I headed east on Essex Street and spied another ghost sign.

Located on the side of 209 Essex Street, which is occupied by the Hotel Salem, the sign advertised fine apparel, clothes and accessories for Newmark's Store, which moved to this location in 1965. I think I see another layer or perhaps two underneath the sign.

The building opened in 1895 as the home to Naumkeag Clothing Company, and was home to other clothing retailers businesss over the years.

At the eastern end of the Essex Street pedestrian mall is the Peabody Essex Museum. The institution is well known in Massachusetts, and traces it origins back more than 200 years.

"The roots of the Peabody Essex Museum date to the 1799 founding of the East India Marine Society, an organization of Salem ship captains and supercargoes who had sailed near or beyond either the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn," per the PEM web site. "The society’s bylaws included a provision for the establishment of a cabinet of 'natural and artificial curiosities,' which we would now call a museum. Society members came back to Salem with a diverse collection of objects from the Pacific Northwest, Asia, Africa, Oceania, India and elsewhere. By 1825, the society had moved into its own building, East India Marine Hall."

The museum grounds include the hall and other buildings. You can continue reading about the museum's evolution here. Let's talk about East India Marine Hall. "As originally conceived, East India Marine Hall was intended to have third floor pavilions at both ends, and a main entrance on its west side," according to MACRIS. "Ultimately these were eliminated, and a two-story, pitched-roof, granite-facade-and-brick structure constructed, with business rental space at ground level and a commodious exhibition and meeting hall above."

The PEM is the oldest coninually operated museum in the country.

My final stop in Salem was a Quaker burial ground known as Friends' Cemetery.

I was tired and in a bit of a rush, so I just snapped a photo from the sidewalk in front of the graveyard. Established in 1718, the cemetery is Salem's third-oldest and smallest, according to the Historical Marker Database. "For the visitor, the only view into Friends Cemetery is through the Essex Street fence. There one sees a flat, compact, neatly laid out, peaceful cemetery landscape, which reflects its Quaker heritage, with its emphasis on simplicity," according to MACRIS. "Once inside, glimpses of the surrounding clapboarded houses, most of which are recognized historic structures, lend an air of inclusiveness and neighborhood."

I'll have to check it out more thoroughly on my next visit.