Salem's Local Historic Districts — Preserving Salem (2024)

FAQs

Does Salem still have a historic district? ›

​Salem's Downtown Historic District is a seven-block area bounded by Chemeketa, High, Ferry and Front streets. Nearly 62 percent of the buildings downtown, 57 in total, contribute to the city's history.

The Pickering House is unique in the United States as the oldest house to have been continuously occupied by one family; it is also the oldest known house in Salem MA. The house stands on part of the land granted in 1637 to John Pickering.

Preserving Salem

Recognized for their historic and architectural significance, these districts - Derby Street, Lafayette Street, McIntire and Washington Square - include more than 600 historic buildings, parks, sculptures, landscapes and cemeteries.

Salem in 1630: Pioneer Village

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. Culinary and medicinal gardens and a blacksmith shop further interpret early 17th-century colonial life.

A scenic drive through Salem takes you along Chestnut Street, often labeled the most beautiful street in America for its unrivaled examples of Federal architecture.

The Salem Village Parsonage, in modern-day Danvers, is where it all went down. While the parsonage was built in 1681 (and first housed one George Burroughs, an unfortunate cleric who was later himself accused of witchcraft and hanged), it was torn down by the late 18th century in a state of near-collapse.

Salem was settled in 1626 and was incorporated as a town that same year. It became a city in the year 1836. Boston was first settled in 1625, five years after the colony's first settlement was established in Plymouth. Boston became a town in 1630, and later became a city in 1822.

The House of the Seven Gables (also known as the Turner House or Turner-Ingersoll Mansion) is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts, named for its gables. It was made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables.

Most of the 1993 cult classic was filmed on location in Salem, Mass., and you can even visit many of the historic sites today. While it's a treat to watch all year long, Halloween is the perfect time to revisit Hocus Pocus, the subtly spooky tale of three 1600s Salem witches who respawn in the modern world.

Old Salem takes visitors through the lives and times of Moravians during the late 18th Century. While the historic district is free to walk around, you won't be able to experience much of the history without a ticket inside the buildings.

Does Salem have underground tunnels? ›

Salem has an extensive network of underground tunnels. Throughout history, these tunnels were allegedly used for the transportation of goods, opium dens and socializing.

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.

The Salem Village Historic District encompasses a collection of properties from the early center of Salem Village, as Danvers, Massachusetts was known in the 17th century.

The only structure still standing in Salem that has a direct connection to the witchcraft trials and is open to the public is the Witch House, on the corner of Essex and North Streets. This home, built circa 1675, was the residence of Judge Jonathan Corwin in 1692.

Residents of Salem Village were mostly poor farmers who made their living cultivating crops in the rocky terrain. Salem Town, on the other hand, was a prosperous port town at the center of trade with London. Most of those living in Salem Town were wealthy merchants.

Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, which was originally settled by the Moravian community in 1766. It features a living-history museum which interprets the restored Moravian community.

Old Salem takes visitors through the lives and times of Moravians during the late 18th Century. While the historic district is free to walk around, you won't be able to experience much of the history without a ticket inside the buildings.

Salem's local historic districts are administered by the Salem Historical Commission, a volunteer board of Salem residents appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. A complete map of the City's historic districts can be found here.

According to a source, the former Tavern in the Square in Salem is expected to become home to The Derby Restaurant in March, with a Salem News article saying that indicating that the new spot will have more of a "local feel." The restaurant's president--Giuseppe "Joey" Arcari--says in the post that "We're going to ...