News at Eleven: But it was Salem, more than any other

North Shore community, that held the strongest attraction for [Ralph Waldo] Emerson. During his lifetime, the philosopher would travel to Salem more than 30 times to speak at the Salem Lyceum on Church Street. These lectures would be a barometer for Emerson as to whether or not the topic covered in his talk was worth writing about.

On one of these occasions, Emerson was invited to speak by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the just-published romance, "The Scarlet Letter" and one of three Salem natives with whom he would develop a deep personal and professional relationship during his lifetime.

from Essex County Chronicle: 'Sage of Concord' had close ties to the North Shore

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