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Salem Cross Inn LbNA #37542

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Nov 17, 2007
Location:
City:West Brookfield
County:Worcester
State:Massachusetts
Boxes:1
Planted by:suzietoots
Found by: emergency girls
Last found:Aug 7, 2016
Status:FFFFFFFFFFaFFFFFaFFa
Last edited:Nov 17, 2007
"The Salem Cross Inn is named for the witch-mark found on the front door-latch of the Inn. In the town of Salem and throughout the Bay Colony this mark was used to protect their inhabitants against "ye evills of witchcraft and diverse other manifestations of devilltry."
Since the Inn has been restored by the Salem family, led by Richard Salem, the pun on the name decided the title of the Inn. Furnished throughout with American antiques, the Inn displays the nation's only known operating Roasting Jack, a c. 1700 device the innkeepers use to cook beef, game and fowl at the huge hearths.
The original King's Grant of the Salem Cross Inn was made to a grandson of Peregrine White, the Pilgrim child born on the Mayflower as it lay in Plymouth Harbor. For eight generations members of the White family lived here, through Queen Anne's War, the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and numerous Indian raids. John White was killed by the Indians in Brookfield in 1710, prior to the building of the main house. The original ell with its "borning room" and walls lined with crude hand-made bricks to deflect Indian arrows awaits restoration.

The area, historic in Indian Wars, was crossed by the Bay Path, the Hadley Path and the old Boston Post Road, and it was a favorite camping grounds for the Wampanoags, whose chieftain, Philip of Pokanoket, is remembered for King Philip's War. Relics are still to be found in freshly turned fields. The choice of the house site itself was dictated by the ever present fear of Indian attacks, for in the cellar, not too far from the giant central chimney square, flows a steady stream of pure, cold spring-water. Legend has it that when the house was preparing for possible attack by Indians, pots of water were placed in every room against the use of fire arrows, and the smaller children were told to hide in the cellar in a recess within the chimney base.
Of additional interest is the fact that the Salem Cross Inn is located in West Podunk, being about two miles westward of the area known from Indian times as Podunk. To the rest of the country Podunk has connotations of a mythical location, but around these parts it always has referred to as specific area."
My family and I love coming from NY for dinner here. We have been to the Fireplace Feast and the Drover's Roost.
The Inn is charming and has great memorabilla.

The letterbox sits below the base of a multi-leader Ash tree very close to a telephone pole. It is on the right hand side of the parking lot closest to the main road. On the back side of the Ash tree closest to the field is the box. Please rehide well. It will be a while before I can return to retrieve or fix a problem