COLUMN: Hey, Salem, valentines haven’t always been warm and loving messengers

I always thought that historically Valentine’s Day was celebrated by early Salem residents in the late 1800s in much the same way as it is celebrated now.

I imagined lacey cards were exchanged with loved ones, as well as flowers and other treats. I knew about Esther Howland, known as the “Mother of the American Valentine,” who is credited with creating the first mass market printed Valentines in the U.S. beginning in the mid-1800s. She…