Often the best stories, whether they are true or legendary, begin with the phrase "Once upon a time". I was reminded of this story last night when we were recording this week's episode of the podcast and so we will begin with...
Once upon a time, that time between the years 1715 to 1737, there lived in the seaside town of Salem, Massachusetts, a young sea captain by the name of Caleb Pickman. The Pickman family had been long established in that town as merchants who traded goods all over the world. Caleb was captain of the Abigail, a ship owned by his brothers, Benjamin and Samuel. He sailed between Salem and Jamaica hauling timber, fish, indigo, valuable spices, cocoa and cotton. He bravely faced all the perils of the sea in order to make a living, and while there were many who did the same and also lost their lives among the waves, this was not the case for poor Caleb Pickman. Caleb's death, at the age of 22, was brought about by a different force of nature.
The history recorded in the Pickman Family Bible says that Caleb had gone to visit his mother whose house once stood on Essex Street in Salem. The note in the Bible states that Caleb was struck with lightning "while standing before his mother's door." Caleb's body was laid to rest at the Old Salem Burying Point (now called Charter Street Cemetery) and his grave is marked by a slate stone that includes the following inscription:
"Here lyes interrd
The body of Mr.
Caleb Pickman who
Died June 4th, 1737, (Being
Struck with lightning.)
Aged 22 years.
My times are in the hand
I remember my life is wind."
Nearly 300 years later, Caleb's grave can be seen beneath a large oak tree that is located nearly in the center of the small burial ground. Curiously, the tree itself has suffered damage and lore claims that the damage is due to lightning. Some stories claim it was a one time occasion, while others claim it has been struck many times. If the claims are true, it is curious that a man whose death was caused by lightning continues to be haunted by electricity even in death.
There are many other members of the Pickman family buried in Charter Street cemetery. Their names can be found listed on the box tomb of the Pickman family which is located just up the path from Caleb's grave. There are no bodies inside the box, rather they would have been buried beneath it, and there are too many names listed on top of the tomb for them all to be buried beneath the one tomb, though it is likely they are all buried nearby. There is a second box tomb for the Pickman family located in the Broad Street cemetery (also in Salem). Caleb's name and death are also recorded on the top of that tomb, but it is likely that his body was left buried beneath the oak tree at the Charter Street cemetery.
Just outside the gates of the Charter Street cemetery stands the Samuel Pickman house. This Samuel Pickman was the great uncle of Caleb Pickman. According to charterstreetcemetery.com, the house is "A beautiful example of a First Period house, the Samuel Pickman House was constructed for mariner Samuel Pickman by his father, Nathaniel Pickman, who was a professional carpenter. While the Pickmans were not especially wealthy or prestigious, they possessed a certain level of respectability, perhaps most apparent in Samuel’s wife, Lydia, being a member of the team of women called to examine the bodies of several accused during the Salem Witch Trials for ‘witches marks’."
The house has now become the Charter Street Cemetery Visitors Center and can be toured. If you are visiting Salem in October, you should know that reservations are required for visiting the cemetery (due to the thousands of visitors Salem receives this time of year). In recent years the cemetery underwent several preservation efforts and you can no longer walk up to the grave of Caleb Pickman though it can be seen from the path. For more information on visiting charter Street cemetery, please visit https://www.charterstreetcemetery.com/visiting.
