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Text Box: Chestnut Street British Mystery writer P. D. James once called Chestnut Street the most beautiful street in America.  The street was first laid out in 1796, but didn’t take on its present form until the turn of the 19th century. Many of the houses on the street were built between 1800 and 1840. Today, the street is part of Salem’s historic McIntire District. The entire street is listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Landmarks. The wide street (80 ft) was made this way so that horse drawn carriage could turn around without difficulty.  Number 48 Chestnut Street, a Colonial Revival house designed by famous architect William Rantoul in 1909, depicted the 1762 Derby House, which can be seen today on Derby Street.  Number 34 is the Stephen Phillips Trust House, the only house on the street open to the public. You can take guided tours through the house and carriage house. In the carriage house you can see Pierce-Arrows, a Model T Ford, and horse-drawn carriages. The origins of the house are most unusual. In a sense it all started with Elias Haskett Derby, the famous Salem shipping merchant and America’s first millionaire. Derby’s daughter, Elizabeth, married Captain Nathaniel West. They inherited farmland that Derby owned in Danvers, Massachusetts, and built a country house on it. The Wests were divorced in 1806, but Elizabeth died eight years later. One of their three daughters died in 1819, and West inherited one-third of the estate. He promptly moved four rooms to what is now 34 Chestnut Street in Salem. West proceeded to add more rooms and floors producing the house as we see it today. In 1911 the house was purchased by Stephen Willard Phillips (1873-1955). Since then the house has flown the flag of Hawaii, where his father served as Attorney General to the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1866 to 1872.  Number 27 Chestnut Street, a grand Federal Street house, was once the home of Benjamin Shreve (1872-1898), one of the founders of Shreve, Crump & Low.  Number 19 (1805-06) was built by President Grover Cleveland’s great-uncle, the Rve. Charles Cleveland. It was sold to Captain Israel Williams. In 1905 local architect William Rantoul purchased it and restored the house in the Colonial Revival style.  Number 18 was the home of world-famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne from 1846-1849. During this time he was employed at the Salem Custom House.  Number 14 (1834) was the home of American impressionist Frank Benson from1925-1957. Benson had begun his career in a studio at 2 Chestnut Street.  Number 12 (1805) is the only documented Samuel McIntire private house on the street. Salem native and world-famous mathematician and and navigator, Nathaniel Bowditch, lived here from 1805-1811. Bowditch’s New American Practical Navigator was first published in 1802, and to this day the latest edition can be found on the bridge of every American naval vessel.  Number 9, Hamilton Hall (1805), was built as a meeting hall and named after famed Federalist Alexander Hamilton. The Marquis de LaFayette was feted here as a thank you for his help in the American Revolution. This building was also designed by Samuel McIntire. ■■■