Description
Life at the orphanage often paralleled the events within Salem. Some of those were not positive. In 1918, a severe outbreak of the Spanish flu closed Salem’s schools, churches, and businesses for over a month. Sixty children at the Baptist orphanage contracted the illness, including its nurse, Mary Dunton. Ms. Dunton died as a result, having served as the orphans’ nurse for twelve years. In addition to her, the epidemic took the lives of 13 others living in Salem.