Salem's Maritime History Celebrated With National Park Designation

SALEM, MA — Salem's vast and significant history as a seafaring community dating back four centuries — beyond its more well-known connection to the 1692 Witch Trials — recently got elevated with the re-designation of the Salem National Maritime Site as the Salem Maritime National Historic Park.

Federal, state and local officials were at the site on Thursday morning to celebrate that designation, what it represents, and the hope for additional tourism that it will bring to the city as it looks toward its 400th anniversary in 2026.

• Salem On Cusp Of Getting National Park Designation

"Every year, Salem welcomes four million guests to our city," Salem Mayor Dominick Pangall said. "And while most of them may not come here to learn about our connections to the sea, thanks to this site and the dedicated staff and park rangers here who maintain it, when those visitors leave, they more than likely discovered something new about Salem.

"The Salem Maritime National Historic Park is central to the story of our history."

Salem Maritime was established in 1938 as the first National Historic Site to be included in the National Park System. Salem Maritime encompasses nine acres of land and 12 historic structures.
Its downtown visitor center introduces thousands of visitors to Salem and the Essex National Heritage Area.

Essex Heritage CEO Annie Harris was one of the central proponents of re-designating the site to a national park — a process that U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Salem) said began about a decade ago and culminated with President Donald Trump signing the change into law this summer.

"It's important to hear about he value of history," Moulton said. "This is a time in America where some people want to rewrite history to tell a story of their truth. The National Parks Service is here to remind us of the truth."

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Moulton co-sponsored the legislation that also requires that the Secretary of the Interior conduct a boundary study of sites associated with maritime history, military
history, and coastal defense in Salem and its vicinity, allowing the National Park Service to assess worthy possible additions to the Historical Park.

The hope beyond tourism is that the designation as a national park will help preserve the site and the adjacent coastline amid climate change.

"We stand here today on hallowed ground," said Markey, adding that the site contributed an estimated $34 million to the local economy in 2023. "This land, Salem Maritime, bore witness to American slavery, the fight for freedom, and our powerful maritime history. It is a memorial to Black resistance, liberation and the struggle for equality."

(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.)