Although perhaps best-known for the infamous Salem Witch Trials, Salem also has an illustrious maritime history. By 1790, Salem was the sixth largest city in the United States, with much of that due to its thriving seaport. During the 18th and 19th centuries, codfish, sugar, molasses, tea and silks were transported back and forth from such exotic locales as China, the West Indies, Russia, Africa and Australia. In the mid-1840s, Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the classic novel The Scarlet Letter, managed Salem’s port, working in the Custom House across from Pickering Wharf.
Today, the city offers visitors a wealth of historic and modern activities. Salem is also located just a short distance from Boston, with a train and seasonal ferry available to bring you into the city and back again.
This 17th-century mansion was made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale. The center houses a complex of early homesteads and luxuriant gardens on Salem’s waterfront.
The PEM encompasses world-class collections of Maritime Art and History, Asian Export Art, American Architecture, and Decorative Arts, and Yin Yu Tang, an antique Chinese house. Open year round, the museum is located 200 yards from the hotel.
Presenting one of the most tragic and emotional events in American history: The Witch Hysteria of 1692, the museum is open year-round and 100 yards from the hotel.
Home of the “Friendship,” a scaled replica of a 1797 East Indian merchant tall ship. Operated by the National Park Service. Waterfront wharves and buildings from Salem’s years as the foremost American seaport, including Derby Wharf, the 1819 Custom House, and West India Goods Store.
This 9-acre area was used to train militia and graze livestock in the 17th and 18th centuries. During the early 19th century, it was landscaped and renamed Washington Square. The surrounding houses were built by merchants with profits from the China trade.
1642 home of Jonathan Corwin, one of the judges of the Salem Witch Trials. Examinations of persons accused of witchcraft were held here.
