Day 19: January 19, 2010
I live in a historic coastal area with lots of places to take beautiful photographs, the kind you see in books or on postcards or calendars. That’s great, but what I really like is the nice little scenes of ordinary beauty like this snowy day view from the parking lot of the Crane River Laundromat in Danvers.

Day 11: January 11, 2010
Just another picture of the cemetery I drive past nearly every day. I took it on my lunch hour. Less than two weeks into this year’s attempt at doing the photo-a-day thing, and I feel like I’m running out of steam. The weekends are fine, it’s the workdays that are so difficult in the long, dark winter. But I’m determined to do really try this year!

Day 10: January 10, 2010

I have taken several photographs of the old Salem Jail complex and the adjacent Howard Street Cemetery in recent years, but none since the groundbreaking last spring for the development of this property. Soon there will be housing units, a restaurant, exhibits on the history of the jail, and I think at least one unit will be for an artist’s workspace.

I haven’t followed the news or plans for this site, because I really liked it the way it was. I know it was an eyesore, and that the historic buildings were being damaged by wind, water and general abandonment. I know it affected nearby property values. I know there were security issues here, and possible health and safety issues. Every time I walked around looking at the old buildings, I wondered if there were mice inside. And bats. And rats. I hoped whatever was in there would stay inside.

I had my own memories of this place from the early 1970s. I worked at the Salem Public Library and we had a collection of books there. I didn’t have much to do with that project, but a few times I was sent to accompany the staff member who made regular visits there. I don’t remember why, and I don’t remember exactly what we did there. I just remember the feeling of entering that building and going through security. The building seemed old, damp and dark, and I was quite frightened but I tried to appear calm and casual, as if I were in and out of jails all the time. And most of all, I remember the sense of relief I felt walking out of the jail and into the sunlight. I wanted to shout “Freedom!” though I had been inside for less than an hour.

Today was the first time I went over to take a look. It looks like they have done quite a bit of work on the jail itself and on the jailer’s house. According to an article in the Boston Globe, the old barn had to be pulled down and replaced with a replica. It says they would try to reuse some of the material, but I don’t know if they did. I hope this project works out, and that it brings economic benefit to the city, and that people move in and enjoy their new homes.

But the truth is, I no longer really care about this place. Every time I see empty, apparently abandoned old properties, I want to take pictures of them, explore them, and want to see them saved, restored and transformed. But as soon as that happens, the place doesn’t seem real to me anymore, and I lose interest. When I was there today, I only took a couple of pictures, but it just didn’t feel the same, and I don’t think I’ll go back again.

Day 9: January 9, 2009
Miles River at Walnut Road, Wenham, Massachusetts

I have many pictures taken at this spot where Miles River flows under Walnut Road. I have pictures taken in every season and all kinds of weather and at all hours of day. Some people think this is my special place, a view that inspires me, but I really started taking pictures here as a matter of convenience. It’s about five minutes from my house, and it’s easy to pull over and park right by the culvert, so I often stop here as I’m passing by, or turn down this road if I just feel like taking a picture before going home. I’m never there for more than ten minutes at a time, often less. I’m a point-and-shoot photographer, and this is just my point-and-shoot place.

And yet, I’ve stopped here so often over the past few years that I’ve become rather attached to the place. I notice changes in the level of the water and the curve of the stream and the pattern of the weeds. I notice the seasonal changes here — what I noticed today was that it was really cold, and that spring is far off.

Taken at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, Massachusetts

The Clam Box of Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a landmark example of representational architecture — the restaurant is shaped just like the boxes they sell their clams in. It’s high-concept. The American roadside used to have a lot more buildings in this cheerful, tacky style — tea shops shaped like teapots, orange juice served out of giant oranges, etc.

This was the mid-20th century version of the Attention Economy, an attempt to catch the eye of motorists and cause them to make the quick decision to turn in. Or, more likely, to catch the imagination of the kids in the backseat, causing them to launch into a chorus of, “Oh, Daddy, can we PLEASE stop there? Please, please, please?”

Growing up, I was that kid, the one who couldn’t resist these roadside attractions. Still can’t.

Clam Box
246 High Street
(Route 1A)
Ipswich, Massachusetts

Check it out:
Roadside Packaging — An interesting post on this topic from the great BoxVox blog

Russell Orchards is one of my favorite places in the world, especially in the fall, and I’m happy to recommend it and give them a little publicity — not that they need it.

Priceless Picks — “Delicious doughnuts, perfect pumpkins”

The Capitol DIner is in downtown Lynn, but it’s tucked away on Union Street, just off Washington Street, and it’s a beautiful example of a dying breed : a real diner.

The Capitol was built by the Springfield factory of the J. G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is generally considered to be the only real Brill diner still in operation. It has the typical Brill monitor roof, and entrances at either end, a style borrowed from streetcars and trains. The Capitol sits perpendicular to the sidewalk on a small lot, which has been nicely enhanced with the fenced-in garden. Outside the far entrance, there’s a small deck for outdoor dining, a very unusual feature, and one that has been added without changing the essential character of this fine old diner.

The Capitol Diner was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 22, 1999.

Capitol Diner
431 Union Street
Lynn, Massachusetts

The graves here seem to be mostly from the early 1800s, and as with all old cemeteries, you can’t help but notice how many babies and young children there are, often two or three from the same family.

Perhaps this cemetery has received so little attention and care because by Salem standards, it’s not old enough. No Mayflower passengers here, no Salem Witch Trial judges here. And its location is unfortunate, sharing a long border with the old Salem Jail Complex, a historically significant site that has been empty for more than fifteen years, has become derelict and damaged by fires. The jail site and cemetery are included in tours of Salem’s haunted places, since supposedly people see ghosts here. The Jail Complex is scheduled for development, so perhaps the Howard Street Cemetery will get cleaned up as part of that effort. I haven’t seen that mentioned anywhere.

But as it is now, the Howard Street Cemetery is a disgrace to the City of Salem.

Salem Jail and Howard Street Cemetery — More of my photographs

Most Endangered Historic Resources: Salem Jail Complex — Information from Historic Salem, Inc.