The Pattee Area

A cordwainer, or shoemaker, by trade, Jonathan Pattee used this portion of the site as the foundation for his house, a wooden structure that burned in 1855. His stonework was cruder and more utilitarian than that of the original builders, but his alterations made this open area habitable. In 19th century Salem, town records show that the chambers here were used to shelter people who had fallen on hard times. Shortly before the Civil War, Pattee also used the site to hide runaway slaves, a secret act of courage later confirmed by the discovery of broken manacles there. After Jonathan Pattee's death in 1849, his son Seth began deconstructing the existing structures and illegally pawning the archaic stones to local quarrymen to evade the town quarry tax. After 14 years of abuse, what remained was saved by the intervention of Jonathan's grandson George in 1863.

Salem, New Hampshire · United States