The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is a National Historic Site consisting of 12 historic structures, one replica tall-ship, and about 9 acres (36,000 m²) of land along the waterfront of

Salem Harbor Salem Harbor is a harbor in northeastern Massachusetts spanning an area north and south of Salem, Massachusetts, Salem. Historically the Salem Harbor was the site of one of the major international ports in the colonies. During the American R ...

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. Salem Maritime is the first National Historic Site established in the United States (March 17, 1938). It interprets the

Triangle Trade Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset t ...

during the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

period, in cotton, rum, sugar and slaves; the actions of

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

; and global maritime trade with the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

, after independence. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

manages both the National Historic Site and a Regional Visitor Center in downtown Salem. The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

. In 2014, the

, which runs the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, released figures and statistics for 2012: there were 756,038 visitors to Salem who spent an estimated $40,000,000. The

celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016.

Properties

The site preserves and interprets numerous maritime resources in the form of artifacts, collections and structures, including: * Derby House (1762) – built in 1762 by Captain Richard Derby as a wedding gift for his son

Elias Hasket Derby Elias Hasket Derby (August 16, 1739 — September 8, 1799) was a Colonial American merchant based in Salem, Massachusetts who owned or held shares in numerous privateers. The crews of these ships took more than 150 prizes during the American ...

; it is a fine example of Georgian architecture. The younger Derby became one of the wealthiest men in the United States after independence. * Derby Wharf (1762, extended 1806) – Owned by the Derby family business, this was Salem's longest wharf (nearly 1/2 mile). When in active use, it was lined with warehouses of goods from around the world. The

Derby Wharf Light Derby Wharf Light Station is a historic lighthouse on Derby Wharf in Salem, Massachusetts that is within the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. It was built in 1871 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The United Sta ...

(1871) remains at the end of the wharf. * ''

Friendship of Salem The ''Friendship of Salem'' is a 171-foot replica of the ''Friendship,'' a 1797 East Indiaman. It was built in 2000 in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in Albany, New York. The ship usually operates as a stationary museum ship during most of the yea ...

'' – a replica of a 1797

East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

. The replica ship was built in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, in 2000. It is operated as a museum ship. The original ''Friendship'' made 15 voyages during her career: to Batavia, India, China, South America, the Caribbean, England, Germany, the Mediterranean, and Russia. She was captured as a prize of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

by the British in September 1812. * Hawkes House (1780, 1800) – designed by famous Salem architect

Samuel McIntire Samuel McIntire (January 16, 1757 – February 6, 1811) was an American architect and craftsman, best known for his work in the Chestnut Street District, a classic example of Federal style architecture. Life and career Born in Salem, Massachus ...

, building was begun in 1780. The unfinished building was purchased and completed around 1800 by Benjamin Hawkes. * Narbonne House (1675) – The part of the house with the high peaked roof was built by butcher Thomas Ivesl. He later added a lean-to the south side and a kitchen lean-to at the back. Around 1740 the southern lean-to was replaced by a gambrel-roofed addition that still exists. From 1750 to 1780, the house was owned by Capt. Joseph Hodges. It was purchased in 1780 by tanner Jonathan Andrew. Descendants of the Andrew family lived there from 1780 to 1964, when the house was sold to the

. *Pedrick Store House, a three-story building, constructed around 1770, is a historic rigging and sail loft. It was relocated to the Salem Maritime National Historic Site from

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...

in 2007. * Salem Custom House (1819) – This is the 13th

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

in Salem; the first was built in 1649. Taxes were collected on imported cargoes.

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

wrote about the eagle on top of the Custom House in his novel ''The Scarlet Letter'' (1850). The eagle was carved by woodcarver and cabinetmaker Joseph True. Other works of his are in the

Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and the ...

in Salem. * St. Joseph Hall (1909) – Original home of The St. Joseph Society (1897), a fraternal society established by late 19th century Polish immigrants. The first floor was retail space that could be rented out to provide an income for the support of the building. The large hall on the second floor was the site of hundreds of weddings, dances, plays, and other social events in the Polish community. It increased rapidly in the late 19th-early 20th-century immigration wave. On the top floor, the Society built several apartments to house new immigrants until they could get permanently settled. The building now serves as park headquarters. * West India Goods Store (1804) – Built by Captain Henry Prince about 1804, it was likely first used as a warehouse. Prince stored goods that he imported from the East Indies, such as pepper, coffee,

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

hides, and tortoise shells. By 1836, Charles Dexter had a shop in this building. It was one of many that served Salem households by selling candles, oils, clothing, tin, and glassware. Besides stocking general groceries such as grain, cheese, dried beans and rum, the store attracted customers with many foreign imported goods and luxuries from Europe, Asia and Africa. The store continued to operate as a retail space throughout the nineteenth century. Later occupants included painters, a tobacconist, and a wine and liquor merchant.

Gallery

File:Derby House - Salem, Massachusetts.JPG, Derby House File:Narbonne House - Salem, Massachusetts.JPG, Narbonne House File:Custom House in Salem, MA.jpg, Custom House File:Benjamin Hawkes House - Salem, Massachusetts.JPG, Hawkes House File:Old Customs House Salem Massachusetts.jpeg, Custom House, ca. 1880 File:Derby Wharf Lighthouse MA.JPG,

File:1820 Salem Massachusetts map bySaunders BPL 12094.png, Salem - 1820 File:SalemMassCustomHouse3ty13533.jpg, Eagle atop the Custom House File:Friendship asail (15728504423).jpg, ''

'' File:SalemMassCustomHouseFriendship1ty13537.jpg, Custom House seen from the deck of the ''

'' File:West India Goods Store - Salem, MA.jpg, West India Goods Store, 2015

Adjacent historic areas

A short walk from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site are the

Chestnut Street District The Chestnut Street District is a historic district bounded roughly by Bridge, Lynn, Beckford, and River Streets in Salem, Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and enlarged slightly in 1978. The district ...

Federal Street District The Federal Street District is a residential and civic historic district in Salem, Massachusetts. It is an expansion of an earlier listing of the Essex County Court Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In addition to ...

Downtown Salem District Downtown Salem District is a historic district roughly bounded by Church, Central, New Derby, and Washington Streets in Salem, Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and represents a major expansion of ...

, Bridge Street Neck Historic District, Charter Street Historic District, Crombie Street District,

Derby Waterfront District The Historic Derby Street Neighborhood, also known as the Derby Waterfront District in Salem, Massachusetts encompasses a historically significant portion of the waterfront area of the city. It encompasses properties along Derby Street, which ...

, Essex Institute Historic District, Salem Willows Historic District and the Salem Common Historic District.

References

External links

Salem Maritime National Historic Site

Salem Maritime National Historic Site - Attractions

McIntire Historic District

3D Model collection
{{authority control National Historic Sites in Massachusetts Maritime museums in Massachusetts Open-air museums in Massachusetts Museums in Salem, Massachusetts Salem, Massachusetts Protected areas established in 1938 1938 establishments in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Massachusetts

Properties

Gallery

Adjacent historic areas

See also

References

External links