Salem COVID-19 Memorial To Honor 140 Residents Who Died During Pandemic

SALEM, MA — Salem will unveil a memorial dedicated to those lost during the COVID-19 health crisis during a ceremony at Palmer Cove Park on Friday.

The city's Department of Planning and Community Development, Salem Housing Authority and Mayor's Office created the memorial as part of the improvements to Palmer Cove Park to honor the approximately 140 Witch City residents whose deaths were attributed to the disease, as well as to the community hardship, spirit, resilience and healing displayed throughout the pandemic.

The dedication ceremony will be on Friday at 9 a.m. outside of Pioneer Terrace Building #5 near the waterfront.

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Salem Poet Laureate J.D. Scrimgeour will share an original work of poetry for the memorial’s dedication, and his words are engraved on the memorial.

"All of our lives were turned upside down in one way or another," Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "This memorial, located in the newly improved Palmer Cove Park, adjacent to beautiful Salem Harbor, offers a space for community members to reflect, remember, and reconnect."

All members of the Salem community are invited to attend the dedication and to visit the memorial i the future.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)