To the editor:
Many of Salem's street names hold mysteries. When a street was named, the reason for choosing the name was not always recorded. Now, many years later, some of the information appears to be lost.
For example, how was Orange Street named? The street was laid out by a mutual agreement of the land-holders Paul Mansfield and Edward Bush. The Reverend Bentley maintained that Orange Street should have been Bush Street.
Sometimes the meaning of a street name is obvious, such as the former Creek Street, which was built over a creek; or Mill Street, which led to the South Mills. Fort Avenue led to the blockhouse. Planters Street was named for the first settlers, or "planters" as they were called.
Arbella Street used to be Arabella Street, so named by the City of Salem in 1860 to honor the wife of Isaac Johnson and the ship in which they sailed with John Winthrop in his memorable 1630 voyage to Salem.
It is a fact that the name of the street was changed to "Arbella" at some point after the publication of the 1897 city directory. When the City Council records were later typed by volunteers, the updated version was used in the typed copy. (The name of the street should be "Arabella" since the lineage record in England shows that's how Mrs. Johnson spelled her first name.)
At one time, Hathorne Street was Circus Street, listed in the 1837 city directory. The fields in this area were a great place to stage the first circus performances in Salem.
It is generally known that Washington Street was named for President George Washington, and Lafayette Street was named for General Lafayette.
Lynde Street was named for Benjamin Lynde who served as chief justice of Massachusetts from 1729 until his death in 1745.
Norman Street was named for its ancient proprietor, John Norman. English Street was laid out by Philip English, Salem's wealthiest early merchant who was accused of witchcraft in 1692 and fled to New York to escape execution. Williams Street was laid out by Henry Williams. And Peabody Street was laid out by Salem merchant Joseph Peabody.
The naming and history of Salem's streets is a topic of interest to me and I would welcome any additional information from readers.
If you know how Orange Street or any other street in Salem was named, e-mail me at Mehitable@hotmail.com.
Jeanne Stella
Salem
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