The Salem Custom House - Historic New England

I have to admit that when I saw the Salem Custom House adjacent to its old sea port, I had no knowledge of the history of it. I just loved the... more

by Mark E Tisdale

Title

The Salem Custom House - Historic New England

Artist

Mark E Tisdale

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

I have to admit that when I saw the Salem Custom House adjacent to its old sea port, I had no knowledge of the history of it. I just loved the sunlight hitting it. I loved the brilliant red brick against the vivid blue skies, and I'm a push over for solid old architecture. And although I took a number of photos, this is my favorite, and it's entirely because of the little old lady moving slowly through the scene. I waited for her to get there. She appeared to be local, and I loved the scale of her against the backdrop of the Custom House.

It was only when I got home that I researched the history of the Custom House. It might not seem like it today, but Salem was once a major port city in New England. And this grand Custom House is the evidence. It's not the first Custom House to stand there, but it was the one built under the height of the Federal period of architecture, a period when the new US government was still creating an identity. And one of the ways you do that is with your architecture. You build solid buildings that last forever to show that your country is here to stay.

Once upon a time this was a bustling port, but now it's a history lesson, but a beautiful one on a sunny winter day.

Uploaded

December 6th, 2012