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The Scene – The Peabody Essex Museum was born from the merger of two adjoining museums. The gift shop is especially rich in China-trade reproductions and books on antique American furniture. The Museum Cafe has some of the city's best midday fine dining. – – The Collection – The Essex Institute showcases 18th and 19th century furniture, as Salem boasted leading cabinetmakers. Behind the Essex are several important period houses that show the town's growth in wealth and worldliness. The Peabody portion was founded in 1799 by local captains and supercargoes (chief…