Salem

Salem, known as the "City of Peace," is a small city with a large and layered history. It is the second incorporated city in Massachusetts and the second oldest settlement in New England, having been settled four years before the founding of Boston. A historic coastal city in Essex County, Salem is located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Downtown Salem lies 15 miles northeast of Boston, 16 miles southwest of Gloucester and Cape Ann, and 19 miles southeast of Lawrence, the other county seat of Essex County. From its origins as a small Indigenous fishing settlement through its years as one of early America's most active seaports, Salem has shaped the cultural, commercial, and political history of the region. Today, Salem is a residential and tourist area that is home to the House of Seven Gables, Salem State University, Pioneer Village, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Salem Willows Park, and the Peabody Essex Museum.

Origins and Early Settlement

This land is Naumkeag, or "fishing place," where generations of Indigenous peoples lived and passed through for centuries. The Naumkeag tribe settled the area between Medford, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, though an epidemic that broke out in Native American villages across New England hit the Naumkeag tribe hard and greatly reduced their numbers.

Roger Conant and a group of settlers from the failed colony at Gloucester arrived in the area the natives called Naumkeag — modern-day Salem — and settled it. Conant served as the settlement's governor. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. The town's name is probably the shortened form of the biblical Jerusalem, meaning "City of Peace."

The first Congregational Church in America was organized in Salem in 1629, and Roger Williams, founder of the Rhode Island colony, served as an early pastor. In 1629, the First Church in Salem was organized and is considered one of the oldest churches established in North America. The settlement grew steadily, and by 1630, there were about 40 settlers living there. That same year, John Winthrop and the Massachusetts Bay Company reached the New World and landed in Salem, but the village could not accommodate all of the new settlers, so they continued on to Charlestown and eventually settled in Boston.

Salem is currently a city of approximately eight square miles; however, in early colonial times, Salem encompassed most of the North Shore. Over the years, there were many geographical changes to Salem, with bounds between Salem and Saugus (now Lynn) and Salem and Marble Harbor (now Marblehead) established as early as March 4, 1635. Portions of Salem were progressively set off as new towns were established, including Beverly (1668) and Danvers (1752).

The Witch Trials of 1692

Salem is a destination recognized around the world for its rich history, which includes the tragic Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the glorious maritime era that left an indelible mark on Salem through architecture, museums, and artifacts, and for its month-long celebration of Halloween.

Local Puritans put hundreds of people on trial for witchcraft during a period of hysteria in 1692 and 1693 and executed 20 of them. According to the Boston Public Library's research guide on the subject, out of those accused of practicing witchcraft, nineteen were executed via hanging, one was pressed to death, and many more languished in jail for months before the panic ended.

On October 3, 1692, Increase Mather read to the Boston clergy his direct attack on the concept of spectral evidence. By the end of October, the special court was dissolved and the witch hunt ended. The witch trials, fueled by fear and social tensions, led to the execution of nineteen people and have become a symbol of mass hysteria in American culture.

Several physical relics of the trials survive in Salem today. Outstanding buildings include the Witch House (1642), where Judge Jonathan Corwin lived during the witchcraft trials. The Corwin House, or Witch House, is the only structure remaining from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. The Peabody Essex Museum's Phillips Library holds the original court documents from the trials. The Salem Witch Museum takes visitors back to 1692, when accusations of witchcraft struck fear in the hearts of the townspeople, while its "Witches: Evolving Perceptions" exhibit examines the traditional imagery of the witch and views of witches from the 17th century to today.

Maritime History and Commerce

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Salem developed as one of New England's leading maritime and shipbuilding centers, and during the American Revolution (1775–83) and the War of 1812, its port served as a privateers' base.

Over the course of the American Revolution, 158 Salem vessels were outfitted as privateers, authorized to capture British ships. Together they seized 458 British vessels. One of the most celebrated of these was the schooner Fame. The original Fame was a fast Chebacco fishing schooner that was reborn as a privateer when war broke out in the summer of 1812. She was arguably the first American privateer to bring home a prize, and she made 20 more captures before being wrecked in the Bay of Fundy in 1814.

In the early part of the 19th century, Salem's ships were pioneers in the India trade and opened up commerce with Africa, China, Russia, Japan, and Australia. The wealth generated from this commerce enabled local shipowners and merchants to construct many impressive homes, many of which still stand today, notably along Chestnut Street, celebrated for its Federal-style architecture.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Salem was also involved in the Atlantic slave trade, surpassing Boston in terms of the town's engagement with the triangular trade. The Desire, a Salem ship captained by William Peirce, sold Indigenous prisoners from the Pequot War in the Caribbean in exchange for enslaved people brought from Africa, who were subsequently sold in Boston. This infamous voyage began over 200 years of the American Slave Trade, in which approximately 500,000 Africans were brought to North America.

Shipping declined throughout the 19th century, as Boston and New York City eclipsed Salem and its silting harbor. After the decline in foreign commerce, due mainly to the shallowness of its harbor, the community turned to the production of textiles, leather, and shoes. On June 25, 1914, a fire broke out in a shed at the Korn Leather Factory on Boston Street where flammable chemicals used to finish patent leather were stored. The fire spread quickly between industrial buildings and wooden houses, quickly consuming a fifth of the city. Fire departments from 21 nearby towns rushed to assist, and by the next day the fire was extinguished. Three people lost their lives, over sixty were injured, 1,376 buildings were destroyed, and many thousands were left homeless.

Architecture and Landmarks

Prosperity left the city with a wealth of fine architecture, including Federal-style mansions designed by one of America's first architects, Samuel McIntire, for whom the city's largest historic district is named. These homes and mansions now make up the greatest concentration of notable pre-1900 domestic structures in the United States.

Some of the most elegant houses in the American Northeast — many of them designed by Samuel McIntire, a master of the Federal style — can be found in Salem, and Chestnut Street is architecturally one of the nation's most important streets.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem and made it the setting for several of his novels, notably The House of the Seven Gables, which immortalized the house built in 1668 by Captain John Turner. On the house's grounds are several other historic buildings that were moved to the site, including Hawthorne's birthplace (around 1740), the Hathaway House (1682), and the Retire Beckett House (1655). Hawthorne was employed from 1846 to 1849 as a port surveyor and worked in the Custom House (1819), which, together with the old wharves, is maintained within the Salem Maritime National Historic Site.

Built in 1930 to mark the tercentennial of Massachusetts, Pioneer Village is America's first living history museum. The village sits on three acres of land and contains various examples of colonial architecture: dugouts, wigwams, thatched roof cottages, and the Governor's Faire House.

Salem's City Hall is architecturally significant for its excellent Greek Revival design. It is perfectly proportioned and, in spite of its comparatively small size, gives a feeling of strength and dignity. The architect, Richard Bond (1797–1861), was described in contemporary reports as an architect of great reputation. Salem operated under a town government until the City Charter was accepted on March 23, 1836, making it the second chartered city in Massachusetts.

Museums, Culture, and Tourism

The Peabody Essex Museum is a leading museum of Asian art and culture and early American maritime trade and whaling; its collections of Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese art, and in particular Chinese export porcelain, are among the finest in the country. Founded in 1799, it is one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States. In 2003, the museum completed a massive $100 million renovation and expansion, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, and moved a 200-year-old 16-room Chinese home from Xiuning County in southeastern China to the grounds of the museum.

The campus of Salem State University, founded in 1854 as Salem Normal (teachers-training) School, includes an art gallery, an observatory, and The Chronicle of Salem, a 50-sequence mural.

Each October, Salem draws visitors as the ultimate fall destination, where Halloween, history, and community spirit come together. With its cobblestone streets transformed by autumn colors and costumed revelers, the city comes alive with parades, vendor fairs, haunted tours, and marketplaces. Salem Haunted Happenings, the city's beloved Halloween celebration, draws over a million visitors each year.

Salem is also readily accessible from Boston. Visitors can take the commuter rail Newburyport/Rockport Line from North Station to Salem Station in about 35 minutes. Boston Harbor City Cruises also offers ferry rides to the Salem Ferry terminal near downtown Salem, a trip of about 50 minutes. The city is anticipating its quadricentennial in 2026, when Salem turns 400 years old.