Salem Maritime National Historic Site
The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is a National Park Service- managed area in Salem , Massachusetts .
location
In addition to a visitor center located in downtown Salem, the sanctuary consists of 12 structures, which are spread over an area of approximately 9 acres (36,400 m²) along the historic harbor at Salem Harbor.
Coordinates: 42 ° 31 '14 " N , 70 ° 53' 55" W.
history
As early as 1938, the area was placed under protection to illustrate its outstanding importance for the development of shipping and trade for the entire United States of America. In addition to the importance of Salem as the sixth largest port in the country, the reason for this was the good state of preservation of the historical facilities.
Buildings
The port facilities and some of the buildings in their immediate vicinity are open to the public.
Wharfs
Salem's harbor front was once adorned by more than 50 quays of different sizes, three of which are preserved in the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. In the course of archaeological investigations it was found that most of the systems were created by sinking wood in the harbor silt. Stone and earth were later applied to these structures for the purpose of fortification.
Derby Wharf
Derby Wharf, built in 1762 by order of the merchant Richard Derby Sr., is the best example of an 18th and 19th century wharf; the construction took place in three sections, after an extension in 1783, the extension of almost half a mile (about 0.8 kilometers), which is still visible today, was reached in 1806. The quay was filled in by backfilling previously erected stone walls. None of the 14 warehouses that were once located on the port facility have survived.
Derby Wharf Light Station
The lighthouse at the end of the quay was built in 1871. Together with the lighthouses at Pickering Point on Winter Island and Hospital Point on Beverly , it was designed to provide access to the safe haven of Salem. The building, measuring 12 feet (3.66 meters) square and including the lantern, 20 feet (6.10 meters) high has a 17-inch (43.2 centimeter) sixth-order Fresnel lens that was originally powered by whale oil . The navigation mark, which is operated today with the help of solar energy, emits a red beam of light every 6 seconds.
Hatch's Wharf
This complex is the shortest of the surviving ones; it was only built in its present form in 1819, adding to a much narrower predecessor from 1805.
Central Wharf
The quay, built by Simon Forrester in 1791, was expanded in 1805, and there are still two warehouses on it today, giving an insight into the construction of these buildings, often up to three stories high; the foundations of the Forrester Warehouse on Derby Street near Hatch's Wharf can still be seen. The building that now serves as the orientation center was built around 1770 and is a good example of such a warehouse.
building
The grounds of the historic port of Salem also shelter various-purpose houses built in different periods.
Custom House
A customs house was built in Salem as early as 1649 to collect and administer customs duties on imported goods for the English colonial administration. Until the building, which is still preserved today, was erected, 12 previous buildings were necessary. The US Customs Service took over tax administration from the English in 1789.
The current building was erected in 1819 and, in addition to the offices of the customs administration, also housed storage rooms in an attached warehouse. These were used to pick up goods that had been confiscated or were subject to customs. As a symbol of the local power of the federal administration, the architects were given the task of erecting a representative building; high ceilings, a sweeping staircase and large-scale carvings contributed to an expression of strength and balance.
In 1826, a wooden eagle was attached to the roof, made by local artist Joseph True for $ 50.00; In 2004 this had to be replaced by a plastic replica; the original has been shown in the exhibition since 2007.
The exhibition at the customs house shows tools of the customs administration, examples of the work of customs inspectors and the office of Nathaniel Hawthorne , who here from 1846 to 1848 worked as a civil servant and the substantial experience in his novel The Scarlet Letter (German The Scarlet Letter ) processed.
Public Stores and Scale House
The three-story warehouse was used for the temporary storage of confiscated goods, which had to be kept here until customs duties were paid. The exhibition includes examples of the imported goods and a Whitehall rowing boat built in 1886 which was used by customs inspectors to meet the boats when they reached the port of Salem.
The scale house was not used to weigh the goods, but to hold the scales and other tools that were used to determine the value of landed goods.
Hawkes House
The construction of the house was commissioned by Elias Hasket Derby and his wife Elizabeth from the architect Samuel McIntire in 1780. the Federal Style building was not completed at first, only after it was sold in 1801 to Benjamin Hawkes - the owner of a shipyard near Deby Wharf - the building was completed. The three-story building has a beautifully crafted entrance area and large windows that fill the rooms with light.
Today the administration offices of the National Historic Site are housed here; a tour of the building is not possible.
Derby House and Derby House Gardens
The first brick building in Salem was erected in 1762 as a wedding present from Elias Hasket Derby to his bride Elizabeth Crowninschield. It served as the home of this wealthy family for the next twenty years, and in 1796 it was sold to Henry Prince. His family lived in the house until 1827 before it was acquired by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiques (SPNEA) - now Historic New England - after a number of changes of ownership at the beginning of the 20th century.
As early as 1937, this organization, which had restored the building to its 18th century condition, transferred the properties it managed to the National Park Service.
Derby House - which was built parallel to the Derby Wharf facility - was in the midst of a multitude of warehouses, sheds, and stacking areas so there was no garden. Since the outbuildings have not been preserved, a contemporary garden was laid out in 1990 under the supervision of Suzanne Gentiluomo, an expert in the creation of historical gardens.
The building can only be visited on guided tours.
Narbonne-Hale House
The two-story wooden building, built around a brick fireplace , was built in 1675 on behalf of the butcher Thomas Ives as a typical building for a New England middle-class family. In its original state, the building had only one room per floor; later additions brought a kitchen and a hallway.
The name of the house comes from Sarah Narbonne, whose grandfather Jonathan Andrews bought the building in 1780. The namesake was born in the house and lived here all her life, she died in 1895 at the age of 101. Her daughter Mary bequeathed the building to her nephew Frank Hale in 1905, who sold it to the National Park Service in 1963.
The building, which is accessible as part of guided tours, mainly serves to illustrate the history of architecture and to clarify the history of the building; The use as a workshop for a tanner and a rope maker is also shown.
West India Goods Store
The building, erected in 1804, initially served as a warehouse for goods that Henry Price's ships obtained from East Asia trade, such as pepper , coffee , buffalo skins and turtle shells. It was not until 1836 that it was converted into a shop for colonial goods . The house was reconstructed several times, including changing its location twice, before it was acquired by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiques in 1928. They sold it to the National Park Service in 1937.
The West India Goods Store can be visited daily.
St. Joseph Hall
The St. Joseph Hall was commissioned as a three-story brick building by the St. Joseph Society in 1909. This organization, founded in 1897 as a brotherhood to support its members in the event of illness or financial difficulties, as well as a death benefit, was the carrier of the culture of Polish immigrants , who since the late 19th century increasingly immigrated to the New England area to look for work in the numerous textile factories .
The building has shops and workshops on the ground floor that have been rented; on the first floor there was a large hall which was used for public and private events of the Polish community. The second floor had several apartments that could serve as temporary accommodation for newcomers.
The increasing assimilation and emigration led to the fact that the importance of organizations like the St. Joseph Society increasingly waned, the building was sold to the National Park Service in 1988.
He now uses it for offices and workshops, but the education center of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site was also housed here. The facade of the building has been restored to its original state, the shop windows on the ground floor offer an exhibition on the history of Polish immigrants in Salem.
Friendship of Salem
After the revolution, a special type of ship was developed which was to become of outstanding importance for the trade in New England. Such a three- masted East Indiaman ship was the Friendship , which was laid in the shipyard of Enos Briggs in Salem in 1796 and handed over to the merchants Jerathmiel Peirce and Aaron Waite the following year .
In the following years, the ship was mainly used in traffic with South and Southeast Asia, but the Caribbean and Europe were also approached. On the return voyage from Arkhangelsk , the Friendship was raised on September 5, 1812 by the HMS Rosamond . The captain of the American ship, Edward Stanley, was unaware of the outbreak of the war of 1812. The boat was auctioned off on March 17, 1813 during a public auction.
The replica shown today was from 1996 to 1998 on the Scarano Shipyards in Albany in the US state of New York , built. Other work was carried out at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, the Naval Historical Center Detachment in Boston, and Dion's Yacht Yard in Salem, based on a model and several paintings located in the Peabody Essex Museum Salem.
The ship is 171 feet (52.12 meters) long from jib mast to mizzen boom, the hull is 116 feet (35.36 meters) long and 27 feet (8.23 meters) wide. The draft is 11'3 "(3.43 meters), the height of the main mast above the keel is 120 feet (36.58 meters). The total sail area of the two-deck ship is 9,409 square feet (874.1 square meters).
The replica of the ship was furnished according to the early 19th century, it is accessible by visitors and sails as an ambassador for the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Essex National Heritage Area.
Salem Armory / Visitor Center
The Salem Maritime National Historic Site Visitor Center is located in downtown Salem in the original Salem Armory. This was part of the headquarters of the Second Corps of Cadets (Second Cadet Corps), whose history can be traced back to the late 18th century. The neo-Gothic buildings were almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1982, today's Armory Park - also part of the complex was not rebuilt, the National Park Service received its new visitor center here in 1994.
This provides information on the Historic Site, Essex National Heritage Area and other Essex County landmarks . The complex also includes a bookstore.
See also
Derby House
Narbonne House
Custom House
Hawkes House
Custom House, ca.1880
Salem - 1820
