The earliest houses at Salem were, of course, mere cabins of logs, roughly and hastily built, utility being the only consideration. They were for shelter from the weather, and for protection against enemies, whether beasts or men. The doorway, therefore, was a mere opening in the log wall, which could be barred at a moment’s notice, converting the little hut into a sturdy fortress. In the first rude architecture of the colonists no thought was given--for in the exigencies of the situation none could be given--to style and attractiveness, utility being, through stern necessity, the prime factor in the construction of their simple homes. A love of beauty, however, was by no means wanting; and this soon became evident in the beginning of decoration, simple enough, it is true, as was natural, but showing a desire to make the doorway, always architecturally speaking the keynote of the dwelling’s exterior, as attractive as possible. The first period of Salem’s architectural development, passing over the very earliest years as of little or no value, was characterized by the construction of gabled houses of various kinds, from the simple story and a half cottage to more complex and rambling structures, of which the famous ‘House of the Seven Gables’ is a conspicuous example. Others are the Deliverance Parkman house and the Governor Bradstreet mansion (1638) pictures of which may be seen in the Essex Institute at Salem; the beginnings of the ornamental doorway are to be found in both these instances, recessed somewhat to afford protection from the weather, and possessing an arched lintel of the characteristic Elizabethan type. The door of the Bradstreet mansion is ornamented by a lozenge pattern, corresponding with the diamond panes of the casement windows, the intersections of the pattern being marked by large-headed nails. The trim of the early doorways was simple in the extreme, the architrave and pediment tentatively emerging as though feeling their way. Some of the oldest houses of the second, or lean-to period, possess enclosed porches with gable roofs and small sashes in the sides for lighting the dark entry.