Since many of you likely haven't seen or may not follow my social media pages for my true paranormal books, I thought I'd share some of the recent posts I've made. I put a lot of effort into them, and they're only seen by a couple of thousand people (sadly). But, I love doing them. Hope you get something from them.
NEW VODCAST! WATCH or LISTEN HERE... Luisa, the wonderful host of the Passion Harvest Vodcast Interviewed me this summer and we talked about the Afterlife. Ghosts, Entities & Spirits
This 38-minute interview was such a delight. Luisa is such a wonderful, warm host and has a great vodcast!
If you've read the Scarlet Letter, or any other of Nathaniel Hawthorne's great novels, now you have the opportunity to live in his house... if you're super-wealthy. It just went on the market in Salem, Massachusetts. Since it was a private residence before, I never visited it, other than seeing the outside. Here's the story.
Photo: The 4,558-square-foot Georgian property may be the oldest surviving structure on Salem's historic Chestnut Street.
18 Chestnut Street in Salem. Remark Visions
There’s no scarlet letter on this historic stunner.
18 Chestnut Street in Salem is a six-bed, six-bath home where Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of legendary books like The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables, lived with his family from 1846 to 1847, when he worked as the surveyor of the Port of Salem and Beverly, according to historical documents. Now, the two-family home, which could easily be reverted to a single-family property, is on the market for $1.85 million.
Believed to have been built by 1800, the 4,558-square-foot Georgian property may be the oldest surviving structure on Chestnut Street. However, it was entirely transformed in a 3-year renovation by a local mother-daughter renovation team and features all new plumbing and electrical, while still boasting the historic beauty with which it was constructed. From original wide pine floors to the fully restored and custom-made windows, every detail has been considered.
Step into the entrance, which leads into an elegant foyer. To the left is the two-bed, two-and-a-half bath unit 1, where a set of green doors open into the 215-square-foot living room. There, you’ll find four windows that stream in natural light and a gas fireplace under a salmon-colored mantel with original woodwork. Continue through the hallway, where you’ll find a half-bathroom, and you’ll find the 214-square-foot dining room, home to a historic, non-working fireplace, and several windows. The first-floor unit’s kitchen is also a highlight, thanks to its stunning central exposed brick gas fireplace that anchors the space, as well as stainless steel appliances and ample counter space.
“This house is bathed in light,” says Michael Selbst of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, who has the listing. “What’s nice about the house is its orientation— you get direct light the whole day, and in the morning the sun is on the front of the house. In the afternoon, it’s along that long wall.”
ABOUT NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE: His four major romances were written between 1850 and 1860: The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven Gables (1851), The Blithedale Romance (1852) and The Marble Faun (1860). In sum, he wrote nine novels. Another novel-length romance, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828. He is best known for his novels The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of the Seven Gables (1851). His use of allegory and symbolism make Hawthorne one of the most studied writers. Hawthorne's works belong to the cultural movement called romanticism. His novels and short stories are cautionary tales.
BACK TO THE HOUSE:
There is one bedroom on the first floor, which measures 186 square feet. A staircase that cascades past exposed brick leads upstairs to the second bedroom, which measures 148 square feet and features a spacious closet and an en suite bathroom. That’s likely the bedroom where Hawthorne slept, according to Selbst. Shortly after moving out, he completed The Scarlet Letter.
The second unit has three or four bedrooms, depending on the configuration, and two-and-a-half baths. The stairway leads to the entrance on the second floor in the elegant living room, which has a gas fireplace and four large windows. That connects to a 107-square-foot office space overlooking Chestnut Street. Similar to the first-floor unit, it features a half-bathroom in the hallway and a stylish dining room that measures 227 square feet. That easily flows into the kitchen, with top-of-the-line appliances that sit under a beamed ceiling.
The third floor’s beamed ceilings are a romantic throwback to Hawthorne’s time. There, you’ll find the 199-square-foot primary bedroom, with a historic, non-working fireplace, closet, and en-suite bath. There are two additional bedrooms on the third floor, as well as the family room, which could function as a bedroom as well.
In the backyard, a brick and cobblestone patio is easily accessed by both units and can be used as additional parking during snowstorms. A prime location on Chestnut Street in the McIntire District, which is lined with early 19th-century mansions, provides close access to downtown shopping and restaurants, as well as public transportation. “The setting for this house is just remarkable,” says Selbst.
The Salmon Falls River is the line between the states of New Hampshire to the west and Maine to the east. Recently, we drove south from where we are in Maine and followed the river into South Berwick, Maine, at the state line with Dover, New Hampshire. There was an amazing waterfall and an historic building. Today's blog provides a look at the river and the hydroelectric dam!
(Photo: The waterfall near the Counting House, So. Berwick, Maine 6/30/24. Credit: J.C)
ABOUT SALMON FALLS RIVER - The Salmon Falls River is a tributary of the Piscataqua River in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire. It rises at Great East Lake, and flows south-southeast for approximately 38 miles, to its confluence with the Cocheco River, forming the border between York County, Maine, and Strafford County, New Hampshire. There are 15 dams on the river.
(Photo: Jordan took some amazing pics of the falls -that are in this blog. Credit: R.G.)
THE HYDROELECTRIC DAM - The hydroelectric dam borders the Town of Rollinsford, NH on one side of the river and South Berwick, Maine on the other side. It generates electricity today and is operated by Green Mountain Power Corporation.
Most of the Project’s infrastructure including the intake, penstocks (a floodgateforregulatingthe flow of a body of water or a channel forconveyingwater to awaterwheelorturbine). ) and a powerhouse, all on the New Hampshire side. On the Maine side is the left abutment of the dam located in South Berwick, ME. The project dam was constructed in 1910 with the addition of the penstock in 1928. The hydropower components of the project were installed in 1983.
(Photo: Tom (seated), Rob and Tracey enjoying the falls. Credit: R.G.)
ABOUT THE POWER BUILDING - The Powerhouse, the building that houses the turbines and generate the energy from the falls, is a 38-foot-long by 60-foot-wide brick masonry structure. You can look in the windows of the Powerhouse and see 2 identical vertical 750-kilowatt (kW) Siemens Allis synchronous generators each with an output voltage of 4,160 volts and two identical vertical James Leffel Co. Type “Z”Francis turbines, each having a rated output of 1,000 horsepower (hp) and operating at 360 revolutions per minute (rpm) at a rated flow of 228 cubic feet per second (cfs). (If you're an hydro electric engineer, you get this. If not, just work with me here)
A HAVEN FOR FISH - There are fish that migrate and those who do not. The migrating Diadromousfish (those who live part of their lives in Fresh water and part in salt water) who live in the Salmon Falls River include American shad, American eel, and river herring (blueback herring and alewife). Atlantic salmon were also present up until around 1750 as upstream dams, overfishing, and sawdust pollution disrupted these runs until salmon no longer returned to the river.
OTHER FISH SPECIES THERE -If you're into fishing you'll want to know that yellow perch, largemouth bass, bluegill, golden shiner, brown bullhead, redfin pickerel, white sucker, black crappie, bluegill, several species of bass and fallfish also dwell there.
AN UPSTREAM FISH PROJECT IN THE WORKS -
American shad have not been recorded in the reach between the South Berwick and Rollinsford projects. Passage facilities at the South Berwick project have been utilized by river herring thus upstreamfish passageis currently in development at the Rollinsford project. Passage will be completed on site by 2026 or viatrap and truckoperations by 2025. There are 3 partners working together: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Department of Marine Resources, and NH Fish and Game.
OTHER DAMS ON THE RIVER - Upstream of the Rollinsford Project, there were historically 24 dams, but some have been removed, breached, or are in ruins. Today, there are 15 dams on the Salmon Falls River, seven of which are used for hydropower generation. The other dams are used for flood control, water supply, and recreation.
(Photo: Map that shows the Salmon Falls Riverway at the small park Taken April 30, 2024. Credit: R.G.)
A SPOT WE LIKE - Counting House Park is located adjacent to the historic Counting House (which I'll explain shortly), and has a parking lot for about 15 cars. There's a small riverside walk (you can walk it in 5 minutes) with a beautiful view of a large waterfall, the sound of which is very soothing. The sun also sets behind the falls, painting the sky and giving a nice image. Sometimes we take the dogs there in the truck and listen to the waterfall as the sun sets.
(Photo: Sunset over nearby Somersworth, NH, April 2024. Credit: R.G.)
I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob
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