Last week I had a terrible night full of no sleep and the worst thoughtsβit was the debate, my garden, my book, everything and nothing catastrophic, just made so in the dead of night.
I calmed way down, was capable of enjoying the low 80s, sunny and no- humidity weather, and forgot my concerns for a good part of the day. Joseph Wheelwright. There are some 60 sculptures outside and the castle-like main building is currently closed for HVAC repairs.
The last time I visited was in the fall, and the sculptures were stunning against the foliage, but this was a glorious day too. I was browsing through the Flickr photographs of the Salem State Archives and Special Collections the other day, when I came across several photographs of crowds in and around the Gardner-Pingree House on Essex Street.
The photographs were from the Salem Evening News, which is my new favorite collection at Salem State, and they were part of the coverage of the reopening of the Gardner-Pingree after a substantive, source-based restoration in It was absolutely stunning to me; I can still remember being shocked by the colors and patterns and detail.
At that point in my life I was finishing my dissertation, then starting my teaching career, but at the same time I was increasingly obsessed with historic interiors. I had all the magazines and books, and they were like carrots that got me through all the work I had to do. My obsession is part of the reason I moved to Salem, and seeing this house just reinforced my instinct that it was the right place for me.
