I hope the building (second one on the left) that housed Webber Dry Goods had a new and much better fire escape in 1914 than it had in 1906. If you enlarge the image and look closely, you'll see it had no railing at its very small top landing, nor on its steps. That's very dangerous when dry, but if wet, or worse, covered with snow and ice, it would've been many times more dangerous.

[If you look even closer, you'll see that you're wrong on both counts. - Dave]

I can't get past the location of the scale. Seems odd to be out in the elements, as opposed to a store front under an awning or even inside. It looks lonely.

Putting the scales in the town square shows just how important weighing for witches was in Salem.

Salem's 17th-century ordeals ended in hanging, not burning, but such was not the case three centuries later: in 1914 it became one of the last American cities to be decimated by fire (The actual answer to the question is "south" ... the flames were stopped but two blocks from this location.)

You would probably have to walk up three flights of stairs to get to Coots School of Elocution, Oratory, and Acting. I imagine on warm, summer days the classroom windows were open and voices projected out, into Town House Square. Perhaps an Eliza Doolittle was up there, being made into a great lady.

A guy I used to work for had three of those old penny scales kind of like the one in the picture that he inherited from his grandfather. The story goes that he owned three gas stations, and had one at each location. They were in his barn in southern Missouri when he passed, and my boss took them back home. A few years later he became curious and opened the coin traps on them. He said enough Indian head pennies fell out of them to fill a five gallon bucket. A coin collectors dream.

... by the number of Bowler Hats in this image. Most of the men are wearing one except for a few Trilbys.

Almost like Where's Waldo, only with bowlers.