Salem
Salem names 5 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Salem a city, port of entry
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city, port of entry, and one of the county-seats of Essex co., Mass.; on Massachusetts Bay and on the Boston and Maine railroad; 17 miles N. E. of Boston. It contains a State Normal School for Girls, court house, a reformatory, custom house, an orphan asylum, hospital, almshouse, the Peabody Academy of Science, the Essex Institute (in which are a large library and collection of relics and portraits); the East Indian Marine Society, the Salem Atheneum, Plummer Hall, the Essex Southern District Medical Society, the Essex Agriculthe Marine Society, waterworks, electric electric lights, several National and savings banks, and the first street electric railroad laid in the United States. It has manufactories of glue, furniture, trunks, shoes, jewelry, chemicals, railroad cars, castings, white lead, lead pipe, jute, cordage, leather machinery, leather, and cotton goods. On Jan. 25, 1914, the city was partially burned by a great fire which destroyed over one-third of its most closely built portion, left 15,000 homeless, and caused a loss of $15,000,000. It quickly recovered, and by 1920 practically all the burned section had been rebuilt. With the exception of Plymouth, Salem is the oldest settlement in New England. It is noted for its many historical interests. Its first house was erected by Roger Conant in 1626, and two years later John Endicott founded the first permanent settlement. The framework of the first church, built in 1634, is still intact. The witchcraft delusion arose here in 1692, and 19 persons were executed because of it. On Oct. 7, 1774, the Massachusetts House of Representatives with John Hancock in the chair met in Salem and declared the independence of that province. On Feb. 14, 1775, the British, in their search for war munitions, were foiled at the North Bridge and forced to withdraw. During the Revolutionary War over 150 privateers sailed from Salem and captured in all 445 English vessels. In 1785 the first vessel from the United States to India and China left this port, and for many years Salem name, 33 miles S. E. of Naples. A hill merchants had a monopoly of trade with those countries. Salem is also noted as the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Pop. (1910) 43,697; (1920) 42,529.
Salem . See Hawthorne
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
. See Hawthorne ; Witchcraft Salic (sal'ik) Law, a code of laws originating with the Salian Franks, a tribe of Teutons. They lived along the lower Rhine. The code was compiled, it is thought, prior to the conversion of this people to Christianity. The oldest manuscripts, however, are in Latin, and date from the time of Clovis. The code is subdivided into sixty-five chapters. It throws no little light on the customs of the people among whom it originated. The provisions relate to lawsuits, fines, theft, kidnaping, injury to persons and animals, and the inheritance of property. The people lived evidently in villages. They cultivated fields and raised cattle, hunted, and fished. They had vineyards and gardens. They had workers in gold and iron. Serfs and slaves are mentioned, but nothing is said of an aristocracy. A noted clause, frequently referred to as the Salic Law, provides that women shall inherit personal property only, real estate going to male heirs. At some time, just when is not clear, the law was applied to the inheritance of the crown. In France, where the Salic Law prevails, no female has ever occupied the throne. If the Salic Law had prevailed in Great Britain , Mary, Elizabeth, Anne, and Victoria would have been excluded from the throne.
Salem a city, capital of the State of Oregon
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city, capital of the State of Oregon, and county-seat of Marion co.; on the Willamette river, and on the Southern Pacific, the Oregon Electric, and the Salem Falls City and Western railroads; 50 miles S. of Portland. Here are the State Capitol, the State Institution for Deaf Mutes, the State Institution for the Blind, the State Penitentiary, the State Insane Asylum, the State Reform School, Willamette University, Indian Training School, public library, public hospital. waterworks, street railroads. electric lights, National and State banks, and daily, weekly and monthly periodicals. The city has daily steamer connection with Portland during most of the year. It has foundries, lumber mills, machine shops, and manufactories of sashes and doors, woolen goods, farm tools, and leather goods. Pop. (1910) 14,094; (1920) 17,679. SALEM WITCHCRAFT. See WITCH- CRAFT.
Salem a city and county-seat of Salem co.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city and county-seat of Salem co., N. J.; on Salem creek, and on the West Jersey and Seashore railroad; 32 miles S. of Philadelphia. Here are the Tyler public library, a high school, a Friends' meeting house, waterworks, electric lights, National banks, and several weekly newspapers. The city has an iron foundry, oil cloth factory, hosiery mill, a number of vegetable and fruit canneries, and several large glass plants. Pop. (1910) 6,614; (1920) 7,435.
Salem a city of Ohio
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city of Ohio, in Columbiana co. It is on the Pennsylvania and the Youngstown and Ohio railroads. It is the center of an important coal mining region and has manufactures of steel, engines, pumps, tools, motor boats, stoves, furniture, etc. Its notable institutions include a Carnegie library, city hospital, a home for aged women, a municipal building, and a park. Pop. (1910) 8,943; (1920) 10,305.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's in 1921 described Salem, Massachusetts as an industrial port turning out glue, jute, cordage and lead pipe, and noted almost in passing that "the witchcraft delusion arose here in 1692." That footnote is now the city's main business: Salem draws well over a million visitors a year to witch-trial sites and October festivities, while the factories are gone and the population (about 44,000) is barely above the 42,529 Collier's recorded. The two institutions the entry lists separately, the Peabody Academy of Science and the Essex Institute, merged in 1992 into the Peabody Essex Museum, and in 2022 Massachusetts formally cleared the last convicted accused witch, Elizabeth Johnson Jr. Of the other Salems, Oregon's capital has grown from 17,679 to roughly ten times that, and its capitol burned in 1935 and was rebuilt; Salem, New Jersey has shrunk to fewer people than it had in 1910.
Written for this edition, 2026.