I made it to Christmas in Salem this weekend, and it was - as usual - a fantastic event. If you were not able to join Historic Salem, Inc. for their annual tour of private homes that were exquisitely decorated for the holidays, I highly recommend marking your calendar for December 1 & 2, 2012. In addition to the homes, there are concerts, lectures, and lots of shopping and dining.
Scores of volunteers make Christmas in Salem work, including tour guides and house captains - thanks to everyone involved for another wonderful event.
I also got to stop in at Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie for their annual Holiday Open House, which included a candy cane making demonstration, candy canes formed into children's initials, and free samples. It was decadent, sweet, and festive.
It's time. It really is. The Trolley Christmas Carol tickets went on sale in September. Nutcracker commercials dance across the television. And Christmas in Salem home tour tickets can now be purchased on line.
The theme for the 32nd annual Christmas in Salem tour is "Rediscover McIntire," which means we will be strolling along Chestnut Streets and Essex Street, seeing some of the most splendid Federal style archicture in the country. Christmas in Salem is a wildly popular fundraiser for Historic Salem, Inc. The program invites ticket holders into some of the most beautiful private homes in Salem, which are decorated for the holidays by local florists and interior designers.
I highly recommend buying your tickets in advance, either online or at one of several downtown shops, so you can attend the Candlelit Preview on Friday night (and you'll save a few dollars by buying in advance).
Historic Salem, Inc. Celebrates Summer on the Friendship
It’s back by popular demand!
Join Historic Salem, Inc. aboard the Friendship of Salem on Sunday, July 24, 2011 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. for its annual summer fundraiser.
This is a great way to support HSI's preservation efforts in Salem while having fun aboard one of Salem's most unique event venues. There will be wine and appetizers, music performed by "Jazz in the Air," and a silent auction that features fabulous prizes from local restaurants, hotels, cultural attractions and retailers.
Tickets are $50.00 for members of Historic Salem, Inc. and $65.00 for nonmembers. Tickets purchased on the day of the event are $65.00. Advance ticket purchases are suggested as space is limited and this event typically sells out. Tickets may be purchased online at HistoricSalem.org, by phone at 978-745-0799, or by visiting the headquarters located at 9 North Street.
Historic Salem, Inc. would like to offer special thanks to the National Park Service for their assistance with this event.This event will be dockside. In case of inclement weather, the Summer Sipping will be held at St. Joseph’s Hall on Derby Street. The event is handicapped accessible; though prior notice is requested to best fulfill the attendee's needs. The National Park Service requires that visitors wear soft-soled footwear.
This is always a great party, so if you are looking for something to do on March 18, I think you've found it! For more information, visit HistoricSalem.org.
Join Historic Salem, Inc. and the Salem Athenaeum at a fun lecture given by Massachusetts redware potter and historian Rick Hamelin. The lecture is on January 25, 2011 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at the Salem Athenaeum on 337 Essex Street in historic Salem, Massachusetts.
Lidded Redware Pitcher by Rick Hamelin
The clay industries of Salem, Massachusetts were established as early as 1629. Primarily in the villages of Beverly, Danvers and South Danvers (Peabody) these local clay works provided pottery, bricks and tilesfor household, agricultural and industrial use.These wares were widely traded out of the bustling port, especially to islands in the Caribbean.The height of the manufacture was between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War when local industrial production ended.
Co-presented by the Salem Athenaeum and Historic Salem, Inc., the story of the early potters, their lives, and wares will be presented by Rick Hamelin, a Massachusetts Humanities Scholar in Residence at the Peabody Historical Society and recognized Massachusetts Cultural Council “Keeper of Tradition” redware potter.Rick has taught and worked in museums and art centers, and is currently demonstrating pottery
and lecturing throughout Massachusetts.
Tickets are $10.00 for members of Historic Salem, Inc. or Salem Athenaeum and $15.00 for nonmembers. Students can get in free with their student ID.For information and to register, please contact Jean Marie Procious at the Salem Athenaeum at 978-744-2540 or at info@salemathenaeum.net.
While an awful lot of people were watching the Patriots win their first game of the season, about 25 of us were enjoying a fascinating walking tour hosted by Historic Salem, Inc. The tour, led by historian Margherita Desy, was entitled, "Looking South: Salem's South River."
We began at the Gedney House on High Street, which once faced the water, and walked to Central Wharf, which we learned was once called Forrester Wharf, at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. The tour was fact-filled, focusing on the changing topography of Salem over the past 200+ years, and touching on some of the devastation of the Great Salem Fire of 1914.
In the photo above, we are standing in the municipal parking lot in Riley Plaza. Much of the tour took us over landfill. This spot looks up to Mill Hill and over toward the police station which was once the Mill Pond. The mills in Salem ground wheat, snuff, and chocolate (not at the same time, we hope).
Here we are on the corner of New Derby Street and Lafayette Street. The building on the top left of the image where Engine House Pizza is located is the only building on this block that survived the Salem Fire. From this spot (above) on the South River Harbor Walk, adjacent to Finz, we learned about the Pequot Mills (now Shetland properties), which was the largest building under one roof when it was built.
Adjacent to Shetland Properties is the Pequot House, above. This house was built for the 1930 tercentenary of the settling of Massachusetts. It is not a First Period structure. When it was built by the Pequot Mills, it was for interpretive purposes. They had costumed guides and decorations that they believed represented the 17th century (but apparently they really represented the 18th century).
I always new this house was a replica, but I never knew why. The information is particularly useful because we have received letters at Destination Salem from visitors who are horrified to see the picture window in a 17th-century structure!
And we ended on Central (formerly Forrester) Wharf, adjacent to the tall ship Friendship (which is on Derby Wharf).
This was one of two Sunday in September Walking Tours. The second tour will be on Sunday, September 26 at 2:00 pm at Salem State University. The tour will include the history of Salem State, from Normal School to Teaching School to Salem State College, now University. The September 26 tour will also go to the Forest River conservation area to talk about the former Salem Lead Mills.
It’s back by popular demand! Join Historic Salem, Inc. aboard the tall ship Friendship of Salem for a “Summer Sipping” Fundraiser on Sunday, August 15, 2010 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
On board, attendees will be able to sip a selection of wines courtesy of Market Wine and Spirits and Salem Wine Imports, sample cuisine from Salem’s finest purveyors, and bid high at the silent auction, which will feature a selection of prizes from local hotels, restaurants, cultural attractions, and retailers. (You can see the whole list at HistoricSalem.org.)
This event will be dockside. In case of inclement weather, the Summer Sipping will be held at St. Joseph’s Hall on Derby Street. The event is handicapped accessible; though prior notice is requested to best fulfill the attendees needs. The National Park Service requires that visitors wear soft-soled footwear.
Tickets are $50.00 for members of Historic Salem, Inc. and $65.00 for nonmembers. Tickets purchased on the day of the event are $65.00. Advance ticket purchases are suggested as space is limited and this event typically sells out. Tickets may be purchased online at HistoricSalem.org, by phone at 978-745-0799, or by visiting the headquarters located at 9 North Street.
