Salisbury Beach State Reservation is a state-owned, public recreation area on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Salisbury, Massachusetts Salisbury is a small coastal beach town and summer tourist destination in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of Boston on the New Hampshire border. ...

, managed by the

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission i ...

. It is one of the most heavily utilized state parks in the Commonwealth, with "an annual attendance rate of over one million visitors."

History

During the American Civil War the

Fort at Salisbury Point The Fort at Salisbury Point was a fort in use from 1863 to 1865 in Salisbury, Massachusetts, during the American Civil War. It was also called the Fort at Salisbury Beach.Manuel 2020, pp. 73–74 It was a nine- gun earthwork located at the mouth ...

was built on the site, which was eventually lost due to beach erosion. The land was acquired for use as a state park in 1931. It saw improvements in the following decade done by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

and the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

. During World War II the site included a gun battery as the

Salisbury Beach Military Reservation Salisbury Beach Military Reservation was a coastal defense site located in Salisbury, Massachusetts. History The Salisbury Beach Military Reservation was built on state land in 1941. Its mission was to protect the Merrimack River and Newburyport, ...

.Salisbury Beach Base-End Station and 155 mm Gun Battery at American Forts Network
/ref> The reservation came under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Recreation in 1969. Continuing park improvements include the construction of a new jetty in 2015.

Wildlife

Notable wildlife includes

harbor seals The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared se ...

, which are often found on Badgers Rocks in the Merrimack River in the fall and winter. Birds that can be sighted include black ducks, green-winged teal, and great blue herons, along with pectoral, solitary, and least sandpipers. "White-winged and surf scoters can be seen flying low over open water or bobbing in loose flocks among the offshore waves."

Activities and amenities

*Beaches: The park features a beach on the

. Beaches and restrooms are handicapped-accessible. Smaller, non-swimming beaches are found on the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

. *Camping: The park's 484-site campground includes handicapped-accessible sites as well as RV hookups and dump station. *Boating: Motorized and non-motorized boating can be accessed from two boat ramps on the Merrimack River. *The park also offers showers, picnicking, a playground and pavilion, fishing, restricted hunting, a group day-use area, and educational programs. *Fees: In 2015, the park entrance fee was $14 a day for Massachusetts residents and $16 for visitors from out of state.

References

External links

Salisbury Beach State Reservation
Department of Conservation and Recreation {{authority control State parks of Massachusetts Parks in Essex County, Massachusetts Campgrounds in Massachusetts Salisbury, Massachusetts Protected areas established in 1931 1931 establishments in Massachusetts