History – Page 6 – Salem Main Streets

Take a Tour of the “Other” Salem

Nov 062016

There are tours a plenty in the night to give you a fright here in Salem, especially during Haunted Happenings, but there are more than a few by day that serve to put on display the architectural and social history of the great seaport town of Salem. For example among the tours today are:

Ropes Mansion Tours

Recognized as one of New England’s most significant and thoroughly documented historic houses, the Ropes Mansion, located at 318 Essex Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This Georgian Colonial, built around 1727, was home to four generations of the Ropes family. Filled with original furnishings, the Ropes Mansion contains superb examples of 18th and 19th-century furniture, ceramics and glass, silver, kitchenwares, textiles and personal objects. You can tour the house from noon to 4pm.

U.S. Custom House Tour

Take a self-guided tour through the U.S. Custom House that was built in 1819 to house the offices of the U.S. Customs Service. During the height of Salem’s East Indies trade, the Customs Service in Salem collected millions of dollars in taxes on incoming cargo. These taxes provided vital financial support for the new United States government. For three years this building was the workplace of the famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s experiences during his stint in the Custom House inspired his most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.

While the 1-2pm tour is free, reservations are required. Please call 978-740-1650 or visit the Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street on the day of your visit to make a reservation

Derby and Narbonne House Tour

This tour, presented by the National Park Service, is a ranger-led program that leads visitors through two distinct historic homes. The Derby House, constructed in 1762 was the first home of Elias Hasket and Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby. It is an exemplary example of a wealthy merchant’s Georgian home and is furnished to reflect the Derbys’ 20-year long residence in the house. The Narbonne House, built in 1675, spans nearly 300 years of history as a home of successful businessmen and their families. The Narbonne House is unfurnished and contains displays of some of the nearly 150,000 archaeological artifacts excavated from the home’s backyard.

While the 2:30-3:30pm tour is free, reservations are required. Please call 978-740-1650 or visit the Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street on the day of your visit to make a reservation.

No Trick, Salem Treats You to a Halloween PARTY!

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Oct 272016

Halloween is no longer just for kids and adults with kids. October 31st in Salem Ma has had a tradition of proving just that. This year, even being on a Monday night, we expect record crowds of adults to converge on Washington Street like a horde of zombies for completion of our month-long Haunted Happenings celebration.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) “Millennial consumers (ages 18-34) are now the most likely of all adult generations to participate in Halloween. They’re also one of the top spenders on Halloween costumes, spending an average $42.39 compared with $31.03 for all adults.”

This youthful population segment has big plans for those costumes too: their intent to attend parties is up 10.9% from 2006, reports the NRF.

Winifred Sanderson: Sisters, All Hallow’s Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok!

Sarah: Amok! [dances around] Amok, amok, amok, amok, amok.

And… that brings us back to Salem Ma. We are having a party. Millennials and every other older generation are invited but we want this night of fun and frolic to be a safe one.

This is a link to Halloween Night’s Be Smart, Be Safe, Have Fun suggestions flyer that we urge you to read and make use of. Simple advice is offered, such as if you have to drive here, park someplace else, like Beverly or Danvers. Don’t bring liquor. Don’t bring real swords. Don’t bring fake swords or anything that looks like a weapon. They WILL BE confiscated.

The second part of the flyer has the day & evening festivities schedule, from Shock Top Beer Garden, ( 21+) on Federal St. at Washington Street, to all the different bands at various locations in the Downtown District, to the 10:15pm Halloween Finale Fireworks at Washington Street & Bridge Street.

After the closing fireworks show, please be respectful as you leave town. You may not know this but many parts of the Downtown District are residential. There are people trying to get some sleep because they ARE going to work Tuesday. That brick structure you are leaning up against may look like an empty office building, but it is really a refurbished apartment complex.

And if you are using social media to share with all your friends not lucky enough to be here, consider using the tags #SalemMA and @hauntdhappnings in your pictures & tweets.

Have a great time, we made this party for you!

So You Think You Know About the Salem Witch Trials?

History, Salem Event, SMS News No Responses »

Oct 232016

You’ve read The Crucible in high school. You went to see movies like Salem’s Lot and Hocus Pocus. You may be a fan of the TV show Salem. You know a lot about Salem. Or do you?

For example (spoiler alert) when visitors ask one of our Info Guides to give directions as to where the witches were burned, our response is that no one was “burnt at the stake” in Salem for allegations of witchcraft. Nineteen were tried & hung, another was tortured to death and four died in prison awaiting trial.

Curious about whether what else you know is true or not? Come to Salem this Thursday, Oct. 27 at noon for a 15 minute Tent Talk discussion of The Salem Witch Trials: 10 Misconceptions with Kate Fox, Executive Director, Destination Salem, Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs for the City of Salem. It is sponsored by the Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice.

You are invited to separate the facts from the fiction, ask questions, and gain a firmer understanding of what happened here between 1692 and 1693. The Tent Talk discussion is free of charge.

The tent will be set up, appropriately, at the Witch Trials Memorial, located on Liberty Street between Charter and Derby Streets.

Drawing upon the lessons of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the mission of the Salem Award Foundation is to promote awareness, understanding and empathy in support of human rights, tolerance and social justice. It advances social change through educational programming, stewardship of the Salem Witch Trials Memorial as a place of reflection, and by awarding and celebrating contemporary champions who embody its mission.

Parade To Set Tone of Haunted Happenings

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Oct 032016

While October 1st technically starts Salem’s month-long celebration of Halloween, the real kick-off has been the Annual Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade. This year, the 21st annual parade will be held Thursday, Oct. 6th from 6:30pm-8pm.

The Salem Chamber of Commerce cordially invites you to participate as a walker, to become a volunteer, or just attend this year’s event, which will feature the theme “100 Years of Parks and Play.”

The term “children of all ages” could not better describe the participants as thousands of Salem’s students from kindergarten to college and our local business owners will be ready to march from Shetland Park to the Salem Common.

Along the way you will see colors, lights, sounds and faces of kids basking in the limelight that for that given moment they are the center of attention. They represent all that is fun about Salem.

The Annual Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade will be starting from Shetland Properties on Congress Street then turning left onto Derby Street, right onto Central Street, left onto Front Street, right onto Washington Street, right onto the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall and ending at the Common.

This will necessitate certain road closings from 6pm until 9:30pm.

Congress Street will be closed from Harbor Street to Derby Street.
Derby Street will be closed from Congress Street to Central Street.
Commuters will not be able to use Route 1A between Dodge St. and Brown Street which includes Derby Street, Hawthorne Boulevard and Washington Square at the Common entrance.
Front Street and Washington Street between New Derby Street and Church Street will be closed.
Essex Street will be closed at Washington Street.

When it all stops at the Common, it does not end as there will be a continuing celebration with local favorite DJ Doug entertaining the crowd.

For the latest developments, please check the Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade Facebook page

It is a parade, it is a party, it is a traveling brochure of things to come during Haunted Happenings in Salem Ma. this month. And by attending, you will be a part of it!

Costumed Cats, Disguised Dogs, All Part of Salem’s “Howl-O-Ween”

Contests, History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Sep 282016

Have your pets been acting a little strange the past few days? Dogs and cats almost meeting in secret corners of your home? What could they have in common to discuss? How about this Sunday’s upcoming 2^nd Annual Howl-o-ween Pet Parade.

Yes, a Halloween-themed parade with pets as costumed participants; steps off at Derby Sq., Oct. 2 at 1 pm.

“Salem is going to the dogs, and we couldn’t be happier about it,” explains Kylie Sullivan, Executive Director of Salem Main Streets, which is producing the 2^nd Annual Howl-o-ween Pet Parade.

“Last year’s event was an enormous success with some amazing costumes,” she says “and we’re anticipating that this year will be even bigger. Salem is such a pet-friendly city; it seemed like a no-brainer that we needed a community pet parade during Haunted Happenings. It’s such a special way to engage our residents, appeal to our visitors, and celebrate our local businesses.”

The 2^nd Annual Howl-o-ween Pet Parade will include a pet photo booth by Salem Pet Photo, an area with information about local rescues and pet-focused downtown businesses, as well as the parade and costume contest with prizes.

Kylie points out, “Pets of all species are welcome, but should be well-behaved and comfortable at a busy event where there are likely to be many dogs.”

While the Howl-o-ween Pet Parade is a free event, pet-owning participants will be asked to register their pet’s name for judging and verify that all required vaccinations are up-to-date.

Spectators will be encouraged to join friends and families on Derby Square, along Artists’ Row, or perhaps even “tail”-gaiting on the Lobster Shanty’s dog-friendly patio.

Salem Main Streets along with Salem Pet Photo, the New England Dog Biscuit Company, Creative Salem, Artists’ Row, and a number of other community partners are producing this 2^nd Annual Howl-o-ween Pet Parade.

This event is rain or shine.

For additional or specific pet-related details, contact Salem Main Streets at 978-744-0004, or by email at kylie@salemmainstreets.org, or visit the website at www.salemmainstreets.org .

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