The Hodges-Webb-Meek house stands in the heart of the business district at 81 Essex Street, built in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Located just back from the street, it has been for many years the only one left of the row of houses where the exclusive set of Old Salem formerly lived. It is a gambrel-roofed building of architectural importance and is closely connected with the early history of the city. Would that these old porches could relate the many romances and tragedies they have witnessed since coming into being--to tell us of the days when Salem was a social center, composed of the ship-owners and their families, of which there were a sufficient number to make a story which links itself with her wealth and ventures. It is interesting to trace as far as possible the incentive which they had in designing their homes, with their wide hallways and large, square, white paneled rooms opening on either side, often ending with the old-fashioned garden, laid out at the rear of the houses. THE PICKMAN-SHREVE-LITTLE HOUSE Along tree-shaded Chestnut Street stand houses that were built just after the decline of commerce, and it is to these that we turn for the study of the different periods. Notable among them is the Pickman-Shreve-Little house at 27 Chestnut Street, a large three-story brick mansion with both front and side porches; but it is that which faces the residential street of Old Salem of which we wish to speak. The house was built in 1816, and, while similar in style to the Dodge-Shreve house, has the distinction of having the very best Corinthian porch on Chestnut Street, impressive with its hand-tooled lintels, displaying central vertical bead-moulding. Originally it was built for one of the most daring of the intrepid ship-owners who had amassed a fortune in the days when the East Indies opened up trade which brought glory to the old seaport town--days when level-headed merchants vied with each other in competing in foreign lands. It has been said of young Pickman, the first owner of this house, that he was a man with a mind as keen as a Damascus blade, faithful in friendship and an absolute genius in financial affairs, especially during the days when forests of masts rose at the wharves, when men worked with a will, aided by their wives and daughters, who were willing to assist them with wise economies. In the years to come the history of Salem and her commerce will have faded from the minds of the younger generation. This makes it imperative that accurate facts be culled from the oldest inhabitants, through which we may learn narratives never told concerning the days and ways when ships were linked with her business life. Salem architecture will never fade--it will grow more valuable as time passes on; therefore, it behooves us to cherish not only her porches and her houses, but her wall-papers, her hand-tooling, and the treasures brought over by merchantmen and clipper ships just after the Revolutionary War.