Salem Secret Underground: The History of the Tunnels in the CityIn 1801 the son of America's first millionaire, Elias Hasket Derby Jr., enlisted 144 subscribers into the Salem Common Improvement Fund who sponsored the erection of a series of smuggling tunnels designed so they could avoid Thomas Jefferson's new custom duties. These subscribers included a Secretary of the Navy, a Superior Court Justice, pirates, and congressmen. Three presidents had walked through them. They were built by Masons and the country's first National Guard unit. The tunnels extended over 3 miles connecting the wharfs, to their homes, stores, and banks. The hub of these tunnels was an underground train station which smuggled goods to help develop the new mill towns of Lawrence and Lowell. A new architectural style was created to connect the tunnels to their homes called Federalism. The architects who built these homes were Samuel McIntyre and Charles Bulfinch who was the Architect of the Capitol. Throughout the years the tunnels were used for smuggling, shanghaiing, prostitution, gambling, murder, Prohibition, and the Underground Railroad. Enjoy this tale of early American conspiracy conducted by our founding fathers of the Federalist Party that included the Rothschild's American agent, the precursor to Skull and Bones, the man who shaped the early Constitution the most, the captain who brought the first elephant to America, the inspiration of Sam the Eagle, and the most famous murder victim in the nineteenth century. Who knew you could love a dirty book on history in which everyone digs! |
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Salem Secret Underground: The History of the Tunnels in the City |
| Author | Christopher Jon Luke Dowgin |
| Photographs by | Chris Dowgin |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Salem House Press, 2011 |
| ISBN | 0983666555, 9780983666554 |
| Length | 254 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / United States / 19th Century |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |