1887 Eugene Breyman House

This classic 1887 photograph shows Ben Taylor, a postman, riding his bike east at 619 Court Street, the home of Eugene Breyman.

The Court Street Breyman house was moved to Summer Street in 1932. This Shell service station was established in the Court Street location. The residence next door, originally built by Mr. Eugene Breyman for his daughter Jessie upon her marriage to Charles McNary, was later occupied by the Breyman Boise family. The WMCA, built in 1926, appears at the right.

Comparing the Eugene Breyman house as it appeared on Court Street in 1887 and this 1940 photograph of it in its second location at 795 Summer Street shows a contrast. The turret is gone and the depth of the house is illustrated.


This third photograph shows the Summer Street location of the house, just south of the Mill Creek bridge. Although the house was eventually demolished for the construction of the State Lands Building, it is included here as an example of a residence that occupied more than one site in its useful life to several generations of a Salem family.

1910 Court Street and "Piety Hill"

This 1910 photograph is included to illustrate the changes in the historic Piety Hill residential neighborhood since it was then seen from the State House dome, a popular place for Salem aerial photography. This view of Court Street gives a good view of more than two blocks of homes:
At Summer Street in the foreground at right, the Cooke-Pattons shared a city block (between Winter and Summer Streets) with the Thomas Kay family.
At Winter Street were the Krause family, then the Bishops (Fannie Kay Bishop) and the Max Burens. Two other houses are obscured by trees.
At Cottage Street there is an empty lot and then, just visible, the McNary house. The Eugene Breyman house, just beyond at the corner is not seen. However, the old City Hall rises in the left margin of the picture. Notice the barren hills of what would be West Salem.
Looking up Winter Street, are the homes of Joseph Albert, George Pearce, Thomas Rigdon.
The numerous church spires illustrate why the neighborhood got its name.
The Unitarian Church (center), St. Joseph's Catholic Church's Sacred Heart Academy and St. Paul's Episcopal Church have all moved to new locations.
The Court Street houses would be demolished by 1963.
The one structure still remaining is Garfield School, the white building in the upper right margin.