Death of an Empire: The Rise and Murderous Fall of Salem America's Richest City

Most readers know Salem only for the citys notorious witch trials. But years later it became a very different city one that produced Americas first millionaire (still one of historys 75 wealthiest men) and boasted a maritime trade that made it the countrys richest city. Westward expansion and the industrial revolution would eventually erode Salems political importance but it was a shocking murder and the scandal that followed which led at last to its fall from national prominence. . Death of an Empire is a finely-written tale of a little-known but remarkably rich era of American history drawing in characters such as Nathaniel Hawthorne John Quincy Adams and Daniel Webster.