Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/586

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562 SALEM manufacturing towns being the chief item. Recently the fisheries, which ceased as the East India trade grew up, have been resumed. The value of imports from foreign countries into the customs district, which includes also Beverly and Danvers, for the year ending June 30, 1874, was $60,717 ; of exports to foreign countries, $50,153 ; number of en- trances, 84, tonnage 8,468 ; clearances, 100, tonnage 11,767; number of vessels belonging in the district on that date, 91, tonnage 9,409 ; engaged in the cod and mackerel fisheries, 55, tonnage 3,386, The number of entrances in the coastwise 'trade during the same year was 98, tonnage 10,443 ; clearances, 41, ton- nage 5,461. Manufacturing is a prominent in- terest, and is increasing. The manufacture of leather is the most important branch. Other articles are jute bagging, cordage, twine, ma- chinery, foundery products, cars, chemicals, boots and shoes, white lead, leather belting, lead pipe and sheet lead, trunks and valises, furniture, and glue. The car shops of the Eastern railroad company are here. The Naumkeag steam cotton company has two large mills, with 1,438 looms and 73,594 spin- dles, and employs a capital of $1,200,000. There are seven national banks, with an ag- gregate capital of $2,015,000 ; two savings banks, with about $8,000,000 deposits; and five insurance companies. Salem is divided into six wards, and is governed by a mayor with a board of six aldermen and a common council of four members from each ward. It has an efficient police force and a good fire department. The streets are lighted with gas, and water is supplied by an aqueduct from Wenham lake, 4 m. distant. The assessed value of property in 1874 was $25,845,675 60, viz.: real estate, $14,121,000; personal estate, $11,724,675 50. The taxation on prop- erty amounted to $438,995 65, of which $32,- 880 was for state purposes, and $22,243 80 for county purposes. The net expenditures for the eleven months ending Dec. 1, 1874, were $279,680 29 ; city debt, less cash assets on that date, $1,858,753 07. Besides the alms- house and smallpox hospital, there are an or- phan asylum, a dispensary, a reform school for boys, and several charitable societies. The public schools are under the general manage- ment of a school committee of 20 members, who appoint a superintendent. There are a high school, five grammar and twelve primary schools, two evening schools, two drawing schools, and a special school for factory opera- tives and others unable to pursue the regular course. The number of pupils enrolled in the public day schools in 1874 was 4,206 ; average attendance, 2,953 ; number of teachers, 80. The total expenditure for schools was $71,180 55. One of the state normal schools (for fe- males) is here. Among the principal public institutions is the East India marine society, organized in 1799, and formed of those who, as captains or supercargoes, have doubled Cape Horn or the cape of Good Hope. The museum of this society is one of the most interesting and valuable in the country. Together with the scientific collections of the Essex institute, it has been placed in charge of the trustees of the Peabody academy of science, founded by George Peabody in 1869 by the gift of $150,000. The joint collections, with those of the acad- emy, are deposited in the East India marine hall, and are accessible to the public. The Essex institute, organized in 1848 by the union of the Essex historical society and the Essex county natural history society, besides its ex- tensive cabinet of natural history, has a library of 80,000 volumes, a large collection of por- traits, and many historical and other relics. The Salem Athenaeum, formed in 1810 by the purchase of the social and philosophical libra- ries as a basis, has a library of 15,500 volumes. These two last named institutions occupy the fine building known as Plummer hall, erected in 1856 from funds bequeathed to the Salem Athenaeum by Miss Caroline Plummer. In the same building are the libraries, each compri- sing about 1,000 volumes, of the Essex agricul- tural society, incorporated in 1818, and the Es- sex southern district medical society, formed in 1805. The office of the permanent secre- tary of the American association for the ad- vancement of science, organized in 1848, is in the East India marine hall, and contains a small and select scientific library. The chari- table mechanical association, organized in 1817, has a library of 4,000 volumes. Other impor- tant associations are the marine society, insti- tuted in 1766; thelyceum, in 1830; the young men's union, in 1855 ; and the young men's Christian association, in 1858. Two semi- weekly and three weekly newspapers and two monthly periodicals are published. The num- ber of churches is 20, viz. : 3 Baptist, 3 Con- gregational, 2 Episcopal, 1 Free Advent, 1 Friends', 2 Methodist, 1 New Jerusalem, 2 Roman Catholic, 4 Unitarian, and 1 Univer- salist. Salem is the oldest town in Massa- chusetts except Plymouth, having been settled in 1628 by John Endicott, before whose arri- val, however, a house had been built there by Roger Conant in 1626. In 1629 11 ships ar- rived here from England, bringing 406 immi- grants, who settled in various localities in the vicinity. The first church organization effected in this country was at Salem in 1629, with the Rev. Francis Higginson as its pastor. In 1692 the famous witchcraft delusion made its ap- pearance, and 19 persons from this and adja- cent towns were executed on the eminence now known as Gallows hill. It had its origin in what is now the town of Danvers, and the persons connected with it belonged to several other towns also. (See WITCH.) The town was incorporated in 1630, and received city privi- leges in 1836. Its Indian name was Naumkeag. SALEM, a city and the county seat of Salem co., New Jersey, on a creek of the same name, 3 m. from its mouth in the Delaware river,