Salem Maritime National Historic Site

The Salem Maritime National Historic Site consists of 12 historic structures and about 9 acres (36,000 m2) of land along the waterfront in Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts, plus a Visitor Center in downtown Salem. It was the first American National Historic Site, and interprets the triangular trade during the colonial period; privateers during the American Revolution; and sea trade, especially with the Far East, after independence. Located a short boat ride from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site are the Misery Islands which are a nature reserve, established in 1935 and located in Salem Sound and are managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The islands' name come from shipbuilder Robert Moulton who was stranded on the islands during a winter storm in the 1620s. The island, in the past, has been home to a club with a golf course and subsequently about two dozen cottages. The island is now uninhabited. A short walk from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site are the Chestnut Street District, Federal Street District, Downtown Salem District, Bridge Street Neck Historic District, Charter Street Historic District, Crombie Street District, Derby Waterfront District, Essex Institute Historic District, Salem Willows Historic District, Old Town Hall Historic District & the Salem Common Historic District. A short distance from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site is Winter Island, an extension of Salem Neck which juts out into Salem Harbor.

Structures in the historic site include:

  • The Friendship of Salem - a replica of a 1797 East Indiaman, built in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in Albany, New York, in 2000. The original Friendship made 15 voyages during her career to Batavia, India, China, South America, the Caribbean, England, Germany, the Mediterranean, and Russia. She was captured as a prize of war by the British in September 1812.
  • 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. The new Fame is a full-scale replica of this famous schooner. Framed and planked of white oak and trunnel-fastened in the traditional manner, the replica of Fame was launched in 2003. She is now based at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site at Pickering Wharf Marina, where she takes the paying public for cruises on historic Salem Sound.

Read more about Salem Maritime National Historic Site:  Derby Wharf, Derby House, Narbonne House, Hawkes House, Salem Custom House, Gallery

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