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Derby Wharf

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The Derby wharf was the longest and perhaps the most important wharf during the heyday of Salem’s maritime career. Before I went to Salem, I pictured the wharf as a long pier, built on pilings. Union Wharf (now Pickering) may have been built in such a manner but derby wharf looks more like a long spit of land.

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The wharf has been reconstructed. Pictures before the rebuilt show little pieces of land broken up by water. You can see that would happen; the wharf is barely above sea level and at high tide the water would be up to the wall, if not over.

When Will Rees visits Salem, this wharf, and all the others (and there were over fifty) would be lined with warehouses filled with spices, cloth and other luxury goods from the East.

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The building next to the Friendship was moved to this spot but it kind of illustrates what the wharves looked like. The lighthouse at the end, by the way, is new.

A slice of American history. I find it pretty fascinating. Everyone thinks of witches when one thinks of Salem (and there is a lot of witch stuff – subject for a later post) but Salem’s maritime history is just as interesting. When my character visits Salem, it is the wealthiest town in the US and was practically supporting the Federal government on custom duties.

The groundhog is no more

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Yesterday the groundhog came out of its burrow while the dog was outside. Shelby immediately took off after the groundhog and cornered it by the fence. After a battle, Shelby killed the groundhog.

Although I really wanted the groundhog to go away, I feel terrible now. I am thankful that I did not witness the fight. My husband did and said it was brutal.

It remains to be seen if we have a colony of if that was the only one.

I find it ironic that I, someone who writes murder mysteries, could be so upset by the death of a pest rodent.

More about the Friendship

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In 1783 The Grand Turk, a merchant vessel not unlike the Friendship, set sail for the East When it returned with a cargo of pepper from Sumatra, Derby (the owner of The Grand Turk) made a profit of 700%.

After that, merchant ships began sailing back and forth to Turkey, India and finally China. Before the War for Independence, Great Britain had a lock on this trade, and they continued to try and maintain their hold. They stopped American vessels, impressed the seamen, blockaded the coast and otherwise made nuisances of themselves. Needless to say, all it really did was inflame passions and set the stage for the War of 1812.

By the time Will Rees visits Salem, it is sixth largest city in the US and the richest. And all that wealth rested on the backs of the sailors.

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Crews quarters. And a sailor didn’t ‘t ‘own’ your bunk either, but took whatever was available. The first mate’s quarters and captain’s quarters were marginally better. At least they had a whole room, not a large one but something to themselves.

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 The captain had windows.

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the hold was designed for cargo but it was put below – where the crew slept – as well.

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Honestly, I felt claustrophobic the first few minutes I was down there.

Radishes and rabbits

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I’ve thinned the radishes three times so far and plenty more to come.

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We should have peas soon – but not broccoli. I had to replant since the groundhog ate the last planting right to the ground. Since Shelby has been outside, though, no sign of the groundhog. Shelby saw a rabbit yesterday and chased it to the other side of the yard. I think she might have caught it if she hadn’t been yelping in excitement.

Derby Wharf and the Friendship

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Over the weekend my husband and I visited Salem. One of the sights I most wanted to see was the Friendship, a reproduction of one of the merchant ships. The original ship was built in 1797, perfect for the period of my books.

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This is the lighthouse (a more modern addition) to Derby wharf. Derby wharf was the longest wharf for the merchants of Salem and would have been lined with warehouses.

 

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The Friendship tied up on Derby wharf.

 

 

 

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Although the ship looks a lot larger close up (here is the mast and figurehead), I can hardly believe people crossed oceans in something so tiny.

 

 

 

And yes, my friends, my next Will Rees will be set in Salem, Mass.

 

 

 

First garden produce

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Today I thinned the radishes and we actually ate some. They are about the size of walnuts and I am hopeful we will harvest many more. Last year I got one harvest before the groundhog ate the leaves to the ground. This year, with the dog running loose, I am cautiously optimistic that won’t happen.

Shelby and the groundhog

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Hunting the groundhog.

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I don’t think she will ever catch the groundhog but she tries hard, investigating every hole and doing her best to push her 60 pound body inside after him.

 

 

 

 

I must say, last year the groundhog reduced my garden to bare stalks. Since we fenced in the yard and allowed Shelby to run, my garden is untouched.

Las Angeles

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On a trip to LA, I had occasion to stop by Murder, Ink, a mystery book store in Huntington Beach, California.

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Signing in Murder Ink

 

 

 

 

While we were there we took a side trip to San Diego and spotted this weird sight.

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Writing Process Blog tour

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My dear sweet very good friend Dora Machado, a writer who has been generous with both time and expertise, (honestly, I would have had a much harder time understanding the writing world without her)  has passed the baton to me for the blog tours. I must answer four questions:

These are my answers.

What are you working on?

I am finishing up a Will Rees mystery that takes place in Salem in 1796. At the same time I am researching my next Will Rees, tentatively titled “A Cold  Dish of Murder”. I am simultaneously writing the first draft and doing research. I am also already thinking about the next in the series as well as a stand alone.

Why do you write what you do?

I write historical mysteries because I wanted to write about a period in our country’s history that has been overlooked. I have really learned a lot. I don’t think human nature changes very much and although every culture prohibits murder we seem to do it all the time.

How Does your work differ from others in your genre?

There are a lot of historical mysteries. So far I have found very few that take place after the Revolutionary War and before the 1830’s. And yet this is such a fascinating period. Shadows of the coming Civil War and echoes of the previous war are omnipresent in this period, ships were traveling east to open up trade with China and India and people were moving into the western frontier – there was so much going on.

What is your writing process?

I get up every morning at 5 am and spend the next few hours working on my writing. Sometimes it is blog posts. Some times working on a manuscript. Sometimes sweating over edits. But I try to write every day. I think one of the biggest issue for any writer is making the necessary time.

And now I pass the baton to:

Mary Miley is a historian who, after thirty years of writing nonfiction books and articles, made the leap to fiction. Historical fiction, of course, and mysteries, because that is what she most enjoys reading. Her first Roaring Twenties mystery, THE IMPERSONATOR, won the 2012 Mystery Writers of America BEST FIRST CRIME NOVEL award and was published by St. Martin’s Minotaur in 2013. The second in the series, SILENT MURDERS, will be released in September 2014.
And Will Delman, Will has been writing since childhood and is now beginning to cause a stir in the Science Fiction world.He lives in Salem, Mass with his wife.
http://eleanorkuhns.wordpress.com

 

 

Desserts – 18th century style

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I use a reproduction of the earliest American cookbook to guide my descriptions of food in my Will Rees mystery series. As discussed in earlier posts, there are not a lot of recipes for the kind of cakes and quick breads we know. Most of the recipes are highly spiced, probably to hide the bitter taste of pearl ash. I am beginning to think that the invention of baking powder should be up there along with indoor plumbing and central heating.

So what did they eat for desserts? Those who say fresh fruit may be only half right. Puddings, as discussed in Dickens, seem to be a huge favorite. The dessert we know and call pudding is actually called custard.Pudding, at this time, was a boiled dessert with sugar and spices. Think plum pudding which is boiled in a form or special cloth and is too sweet and rich for a modern palate. Interesting note: one of the desserts listed is potato pudding!

There are lots of recipes for pie- and without a good leavening agent this makes sense. Also, not only fruit but slices of pumpkin, lemons and other stuffs were put between the pastry layers as were various kinds of meats. I tried the sliced lemon pie and although it is very sugary I found it quite tart. The lemon gel under meringue is a huge improvement. I wonder how the pumpkin pie is since the pumpkin is not pureed but added to the crust in slices.

Those who talk about fat and sugar consumption now should read some of these recipes. Loaf cake starts: Rub 6 pounds of sugar (or fugar in the type set of the times), 2 pounds of lard, 3 pounds of butter, 12 pounds of flour, 18 eggs — well, you get the picture. Obviously this recipe is for loaf cakes for a large group.

One of the desserts we don’t see in the modern US is syllabub. This may have to do with the ingredients. One recipe begins: start with two parts cream to one part wine. Another begns: take a pint of cream and sweeten it to your palate. This dessert is usually drunk. I can only guess at the number of calories. I have had it in England, where it is still consumed as a dessert and it tasted like alcoholic whipped cream.

One element used to lighten some of the baked goods is egg whites, which have to beaten by hand. One recipe says beat for half an hour. If I had to spend this much time beating egg whites my family would never have cake.