Update on Friendship

You may have noticed a big, gaping hole in our waterfront this month.  Indeed, the Tall Ship Friendship is not currently in port.  We miss her dearly.

I have an update on Friendship's status, and a few answers to the frequently asked questions we've been hearing around town.

First, a Q&A:

1. Where is she?  Friendship is at the Fairhaven Shipyard, which is in southern Massachusetts near New Bedford. 
2. Why is she gone?  Per her US Coast Guard certification, Friendship is required to have an annual haul-out. It's like a physical examination for a large, wooden vessel. 
3. Why now? It's our busiest season!   Making an appointment for a haul-out is not as dependable as making a doctor's appointment.  She was originally scheduled to be gone in September, in which case she would have been home in October, but the schedule was delayed by the shipyard schedule.  Also worth noting, the last time Friendship was hauled out, a considerable amount of work was needed and she was gone for more than six months - April through October, 2009.  Rather than risk that happening again this year, the National Park Service opted to have her haul-out done in the fall.  This way another "worst case scenario" would impact Salem Maritime National Historic Site over the winter months, not the summer months. 
4. What's being done?  Friendship is being checked for wear-and-tear, power-washed, and receiving a new paint job above and below the waterline.

Next, a couple of pictures.

These pictures from her haul-out are courtesy nps.gov/sama.  She is due back in early November.  When the work is done in Fairhaven, she is going to be in port and open for visitation at New Bedford Whaling National Historic Site for two days.

We're really sorry if you came to Salem and missed Friendship.  She is a wonderful piece of our waterfront and our maritime heritage.  She is also a great ambassador for Salem and the Essex National Heritage Area, so when she isn't here, we will let you know where she is (last summer she was in New York City and Gloucester for different events), and perhaps you can visit her when she is traveling.

I'll let you know when she's due back in Salem.  It's always a great photo opp when she comes in on the high tide!

Junior Ranger Day on April 24

Mark your calendars for Free Family Fun at Salem Maritime National Historic Site! On Saturday, April 24 the National Parks will be celebrating Junior Ranger Day, and Salem Maritime National Historic Site will have free family activities at the Regional Visitor Center (2 New Liberty Street) and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site (160 Derby Street).

But wait - there's more! April 24 is also Earth Day so the National Parks in Massachusetts are working with the MBTA to encourage you to take public transportation to your National Parks. NPS Rangers will be meeting trains at the Salem Depot on April 24th between the hours of 10am - 3pm and leading passengers on a guided, narrated walk from the Depot to the Visitor Center. Visit nps.gov/sama for a complete list of activities, and the train schedule.

NPS presents: "To Claim Justices: Charles Lenox and Sarah Parker Remond in their own words"

Charles Lenox Remond and Sarah Parker Remond were in their time among the most important African Americans in the world.

Their father, John Remond, rose from penniless ten year old immigrant to grocer, restaurateur, leading caterer of Salem, and early member of the American Antislavery Society, while their mother Nancy worked with her husband as cook and business partner. Charles was the first African American hired by the American Antislavery Society. Sarah was one of the first female abolitionist lecturers. In their lectures and pamphlets, they spoke out against slavery across the United States, England, Ireland, Scotland, Europe. They fought for equal rights for all people of color, for all women, in Salem, in Massachusetts, across the United States. They helped preserve and forever change our city, our state, and our nation.

On Valentine’s Day, discover these heroic siblings with park ranger and storyteller Merrill Kohlhofer. Along with Park Ranger Deanna West, Kohlhofer will relate the stories of their lives, in their own powerful and moving words.

Lecture: To Claim Justice: Charles Lenox and Sarah Parker Remond in Their Own Words
Date: Sunday, February 14
Time: 2:00PM
Place: National Park Service Salem Regional Visitor Center,
2 New Liberty Street, Salem MA 01970
FMI: 978-740-1650, nps.gov/sama

National Park Service prepares for the return of Friendship of Salem!

National Park Service Superintendent Patricia S. Trap announced today that Friendship of Salem is sailing home. "It is time to celebrate. Friendship is in the water and if the weather holds, we invite the community to join us Sunday, November 22nd, shortly after 2:30 pm on historic Derby Wharf to wave her home."

Part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Friendship has been under repair at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard since May. She was launched off the marine railway on Thursday, November 19, 2009. Since then, the Friendship crew has been hard at work getting the ship ready to set sail home.

"We plan to depart Boothbay on Saturday, November 21, with an anticipated arrival during high tide on Sunday, November 22nd," confirmed the Chief of the Marine Divison, Colleen Bruce. "Inclement weather can delay her departure and subsequent arrival, so we suggest that anyone interested in welcoming our ship home to first check the park's website (nps.gov/sama) or contact the National Park Service Visitor Center at 978-740-1650," she urged.

To celebrate her arrival, the National Park Service will distribute a free, commemorative handkerchief to the first 75 people. The hankies will be distributed from the National Park Service Orientation Center at 193 Derby Street starting at 1 pm on the day of Friendship's arrival.

In the 18th century, family and friends would gather on the wharf and wave their hankies as a ship arrived home after an extended absence. "Waving the ship into port is both a fitting tribute to her homecoming and a great way to commemorate Salem's rich maritime heritage," stated Trap.

The West India Goods Store

There are hidden gems, and then there are hidden gems. This one isn't hidden at all, but it is petite, and it is a gem.

Locals shop here, so you know it's good.

The West India Goods Store was built in 1800 as a retail shop for Henry Prince, who was then living in the house next door. Today, it is a retail shop once again, operated by the NPS partner Eastern National. It caries coffees and teas and spices, glassware, redware, games for young and old, and gifts that celebrate Salem and the sea.

I love the spices and the coffee, myself. And the glassware makes great gifts.

You can take a virtual tour on the Salem Maritime National Historic Site's website at nps.gov/sama.

Stepping into the West India Goods Store does feel a bit like stepping into another era. You really get a sense of the goods that were bought and sold at the end of Salem's wharves during the seaport's glorious maritime age. And, despite the store's name, the inventory at the West India Goods Store is from around the world.

A Glimpse of Friendship

We miss our tall ship! We really do, and it pains us to know that she will be away from port through October. National Park Service has been great about keeping us in the loop, and this morning park historian Emily Murphy sent me a link to pictures and information about the Friendship, which has been hauled out for work in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

The drama of the missing tall ship began in May this year, when Friendship traveled to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, for her haul-out and required US Coast Guard certification inspection. Unfortunately, during the inspection a considerable amount of rot was discovered in the ship's stem. (Like a plant, if the stem is compromised, a boat doesn't have much holding it up.) It's important to remember that Friendship is a wooden vessel, and she sits in water 24 hours a day. Rot is not unusual, and it is something that needs to be taken care of to ensure the Friendship will return and be here for many years into the future.

I suppose the difference between the original Friendship's Salem of 1797 and today's Salem is that the boatyards were all here in Salem. She would have been hauled out locally, and the local gossips and town criers would have kept us all abreast of Friendship's status. Today she is far away, and we wish her well for speedy repairs and a safe return.

You can see pictures of the ongoing work on Friendship on nps.gov/sama. I've pulled two of my favorites into the blog.

I'll let you know when Friendship is scheduled to return to her berth on Derby Wharf.

Kalmar Nyckel is in port

The Kalmar Nyckel, a replica of a 1638 colonial ship that first voyaged to the New World in 1638, is in port in Salem! She is berthed at Central Wharf at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site for the weekend. She will be open to the public for tours on Saturday, August 1st.

The Kalmar Nyckel brought 24 settlers of Swedish, Finnish, German and Dutch descent to establish the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. She made a total of four round trip crossings of the Atlantic - more than any other ship of that era.

For more information on the Kalmar Nyckel, visit http://www.kalmarnyckel.org/.For more information on the Salem Maritime Festival - "Free family fun featuring ships, sawdust, sailors and song" - visit nps.gov/sama.

I took these pictures of the Kalmar Nyckel

on Thursday afternoon.

Timber Framing Demonstration to take place on Derby Wharf

Seventeenth Century Saturdays will be enhanced this month by a special presentation at Salem Maritime National Historic Site. In addition to hosting an open house in the 1675 Narbonne House on September 6 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, the National Park Service will welcome master carpenter James Whidden and architect Mathew Cummings to Derby Wharf. Cummings and Whidden will demonstrate traditional timber framing techniques at 1:00 and 3:00 pm. In addition to showing some of the ways that posts and beams were joined by colonial carpenters, Cummings and Whidden will talk about the work they have done on some of the most historically significant 17th- and 18th-century houses still standing on the North Shore.

About James Whidden and Mathew Cummings
James Whidden is a master joiner, including timber framing. For over 20 years he has practiced the art of recreating early American woodwork, hoping to preserve a vanishing skill. His woodworking shop is in Ashburnham, Mass., but his projects are primarily on the North Shore including the Day-Dodge House (Ipswich, ca. 1737) and the Captain Sutton House (Ipswich, ca. 1685). Jim serves on the Ashburnham Historic Commission.

Seventeenth Century Saturdays
This presentation is part of 17th Century Saturdays, an Escapes North program to open the North Shore’s 17th century architectural treasures on the first Saturday of the month from June to October. For more information, and a list of participating historic buildings, visit http://www.escapesnorth.com/.

Ten Bentleys to Park on Central Wharf

Salem will be the final stop on a day-long driving itinerary for lifestyle journalists from around the world who are participating in a month-long press event for Bentley Motors. Ten Bentley Continental Flying Spurs will be arriving at Central Wharf at approximately 3:00 PM on Tuesday, July 1st and Thursday, July 3rd.

Bentley sets the standard for automotive luxury and performance, and in addition to providing cars HRH The Queen of England, Bentleys appear in the latest James Bond book, Devil May Care.

Salem was selected because of its history, its seaport, and the beautiful backdrops. Organizers were able to choose from Chestnut Street, Central Wharf, and other scenic locations. Central Wharf was ultimately selected for the harbor backdrop and to showcase the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and tall ship Friendship.

The public is welcome to come to Central Wharf to see and photograph the cars. The journalists and cars are expected to depart Salem at 4:00 PM on both days.

Audio Tours of Salem Maritime National Historic Site Now Available

This just in from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site (they make blogging about Salem so easy!)

A new audio tour of Salem Maritime National Historic Site is now available for downloading from the site’s web site at www.nps.gov/sama/photosmultimedia/audiotour.htm.. The self-guided tour consists of ten stops, and informs visitors about the wharves, buildings, and replica tall ship at Salem Maritime. A map of the site with the tour stops marked on it is also available on the web site and at the Orientation Center on Derby Street.

The audio tour was produced by the National Park Service from a script written by Salem Maritime’s curator, Dave Kayser. “This product was initially developed as a tour for visually impaired visitors,” stated Kayser, “but we realized that all of our visitors, especially local residents who use the park in the mornings and evenings, could benefit from the tour.” According to Salem Maritime’s webmaster, Emily Murphy, the National Park Service has been using podcasts and downloadable audio tours to reach new audiences. “Many National Parks have been offering audio tours for some time now,” says Murphy. “With the addition of sound effects, and even music, an audio tour is a different way of experiencing a park from taking a guided tour or reading the informational signs.”

In addition to professional actors reading the script, the audio tour features music by two local Salem groups: the early music duo Poor Richard’s Penny, and the sea chantey trio Ye Mariners All. “Music was a very important part of life in the 18th and 19th centuries,” says Larry Young, a member of both groups. “People would sing and play instruments on the ships, in Salem’s houses, and even on the streets. We are glad that the Park Service was interested in using music from the time period of the historic houses at Salem Maritime.”

The Salem Maritime National Historic Site audio tour is only one of many exciting things available on the Salem Maritime web site. Besides information about upcoming events, tour schedules, and exhibits in the Salem Visitor Center, the web site also contains information about items in the collection, printable copies of the highly popular McIntire Historic District walking tour, and many other printable tours and activities. Visit Salem Maritime on the web at www.nps.gov/sama.

Happy Birthday, Salem Maritime National Historic Site!

The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is 70 years old today. The first National Historic Site, Salem Maritime was designated on March 17, 1938. (The picture is from a school field trip to the Custom House, ca. 1955.)

Here's a bit about the history of Salem Maritime:

Salem's waterfront has been greatly altered since the days of its prominence, when more than 30 wharves and dozens of ships lined its shoreline, but the historic site preserves intact an important section of that old waterfront. Its buildings and wharves, most of which date to the port's most prosperous years, formed the heart of historic Salem's commercial district. After the decline of Salem shipping in the late 19th century, the structures were left unprotected and unrestored until 1938, when the area was designated a National Historic Site. The site is located on Derby Street, Salem... [From "Salem: Maritime Salem in the Age of Sail, National Park Service Division of Publications, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., 1987. Page 140]

And the future is bright! Since NPS published the guide mentioned above, Salem Maritime has become home to the tall ship Friendship, an addition that brings Salem's maritime heritage to life for visitors and residents of Salem and thousands more who get to see and board her when she visits other ports. Salem Maritime is also home to the NPS Regional Visitor Center, which tells the stories early settlement, maritime, and industrial stories of Salem and the Essex National Heritage Commission. Salem Maritime is currently building the Pedrick Storehouse, a building that was scheduled for demolition in Marblehead before NPS saved it, deconstructed it, and is now reconstructing it on Derby Wharf. The site also includes the Custom House (1819), Derby House (1762), The Scale House (1829), Narbonne House (1670), Derby Wharf (1762), Derby Light (1871), Central Wharf (1791), Hawkes House (1780), and West India Goods Store (good shopping!). The regional visitor center is housed in the Salem Armory (ca. 1880's).

The www.nps.gov/sama web site is wonderful, informative, and comprehensive. You will find history, information for planning your visit, printable walking tours, and downloadable audio tours of the site.

Salem is fortunate to have the Salem Maritime National Historic Site as its centerpiece. It brings a magic all its own to the heritage and future of Salem, Massachusetts.

Friendship's Mighty Volunteers

Yesterday Captain Jim Fox, who is the volunteer captain of Salem's replica tall ship Friendship was recognized for his contributions to Salem and the region with a Hospitality Award, given at the annual Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism. Captain Fox leads an incredible group of volunteers who not only keep Friendship ship-shape, but who actually sail her to ports of call including Gloucester, Newburyport, Boston, and Newport.

The Boston Globe ran a wonderful article about the shipwrights who donate their time to Friendship last year. I recommend reading The Old Men and the Sea.

The original Friendship was built in 1796-1797. The three-masted, square-rigged, 342-ton vessel was an “East Indiaman,” the type of merchant ship that made Salem a leader in trade with the Far East in the years after the American Revolution. The model used to construct Friendship is on display at the Peabody Essex Museum. The National Park Service has a bulletin about Friendship available on their web site, www.nps.gov/sama. Friendship is open for visitation year-round.

Congratulations to Captain Fox on his award, and many thanks to Captain Fox and all of the volunteers and NPS staff who contribute so much to ensure Salem's maritime heritage is alive and well on Derby Wharf.

Where Past is Present

Have you seen the Ten Free Things to do in Salem list? It's worth checking out, especially since most of the things on the list are available year-round (although the gardens are, admittedly, a bit drab in February).

The best, and first, thing on the list is the free film at the National Park Service Regional Visitor Center. It is the 27-minute film, Where Past is Present. The film provides an overview of the history of Salem and the entire Essex National Heritage Area, which is the 34 communities of Essex County. Whether you are from the area or visiting, it will give you a sense of place and a sense of the historical significance of Salem and its surrounding communities.

For more information on the National Park Service in Salem, visit www.nps.gov/sama. It is an excellent web site, chock full of "did you know" facts and links to Salem walking tours and brochures.

It's Vacation Week!

There is lots to do in Salem during February vacation week - here are a few ideas:

- Explore art and culture at the Peabody Essex Museum. http://www.pem.org/. The PEM was ranked one of the nation's top 10 art museums for children. In addition to the galleries that present American art, maritime art and history, and art from China, India, Japan, and beyond, the PEM has an interactive, hands-on Family Center.
- Visit the Salem Wax Museum and spend some time in their Salem Souvenir Factory, where you can create a variety of souvenirs to take home. http://www.salemwaxmuseum.com/. The Salem Wax Museum's presentation depicts Salem's history from the Witch Trials of 1626 through the Maritime age in the 18th century.
- Explore the Salem Maritime National Historic Site - which includes the replica tall ship, Friendship. This National Park Service site was the first National Historic Site in America and includes a free 17-minute film, To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East, the Friendship, The Custom House, Derby House, and Narbonne House. www.nps.gov/sama

The weather forecast for this week looks pretty good for walking the red line, too. You will find all of Salem's attractions and historic sites along the red line, which is painted on the sidewalks of Salem. Stretch your legs off of the Red Line and walk out to Derby Light in Salem Harbor (be warned, it's usually windier and colder on the walk back to Derby Street!) and around Salem Common. If you do get a chill, slip into one of Salem's yummy restaurants for a warming bite to eat.

Discover the magic of school vacation in Salem!