THE SILSBEE-MOTT HOUSE
Although fallen out of favor at the beginning, as unsanitary and damp, brick houses in Salem finally triumphantly came into their own, and the opening of the nineteenth century found them the prevailing type.
It was some time before so-called double houses, or ‘semi-detached’ houses, began to be erected; but a first attempt had already been made in 1814 and soon after we find a number of examples.
Notable among these is the Silsbee-Mott house, built for two families, at the corner of Oliver Street and Washington Square. Instead of a double house, however, we seem to have two single houses of similar design joined together.
Our plate shows the handsome porch and entrance of the Mott side of the house.
The Hodges-Webb-Meek House
THE HODGES-WEBB-MEEK HOUSE
The Hodges-Webb-Meek house stands in the heart of the business district at 81 Essex Street, built in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Located just back from the street, it has been for many years the only one left of the row of houses where the exclusive set of Old Salem formerly lived. It is a gambrel-roofed building of architectural importance and is closely connected with the early history of the city. Would that these old porches could relate the many romances and tragedies they have witnessed since coming into being—to tell us of the days when Salem was a social center, composed of the ship-owners and their families, of which there were a sufficient number to make a story which links itself with her wealth and ventures. It is interesting to trace as far as possible the incentive which they had in designing their homes, with their wide hallways and large, square, white paneled rooms opening on either side, often ending with the old-fashioned garden, laid out at the rear of the houses.