Dear Reader: It is a great pleasure to present you with this compilation of our SOÂ year history. Historic Salem, Incorporated has been at the forefront of historic preservation since its founding in 1944. Highlights of the past include saving the Witch House and the Nathaniel Bowditch House. We have also assisted in preserving the Narbonne House at Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Pickman House. Through grants we have funded the Salem Habdbook a guide to historically sensitive home renovation, architectural survey work in Salem's neighborhoods, and development of an architectural history curriculum for 5th graders in the Salem public schools. Recent projects include funding of a design contest for Lafayette Park, a donation for the Witch Trial Memorial, and annual donations to support tree planting in Salem. We continue to operate the historic house plaque program. To date approximately 450 houses have been documented and plaques installed. This research is given to both the Peabody Essex Museum and the Salem Planning Department and is available to the public. HSI will conduct research on any house built before the Great Fire of 1914. This brief history of Historic Salem was compiled by Jim McAllister of Derby Square Tours using our board minutes, HSI files, newsletters, and interviews with past HSI officers. We hope you will find the inf ormation interesting; for some of you this booklet may bring back memories of preservation battles in the annals of Salem. We are proud of all the hard work of our predecessors in this organization. Without the attached history, much of our efforts would be forgotten. We hope this booklet provides an easy document for people to consult when considering the merits of HSI's place in Salem's development. John H. Casey President
Dear Reader: It is a great pleasure to present you with this compilation of our SOÂ year history. Historic Salem, Incorporated has been at the forefront of historic preservation since its founding in 1944. Highlights of the past include saving the Witch House and the Nathaniel Bowditch House. We have also assisted in preserving the Narbonne House at Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Pickman House. Through grants we have funded the Salem Habdbook a guide to historically sensitive home renovation, architectural survey work in Salem's neighborhoods, and development of an architectural history curriculum for 5th graders in the Salem public schools. Recent projects include funding of a design contest for Lafayette Park, a donation for the Witch Trial Memorial, and annual donations to support tree planting in Salem. We continue to operate the historic house plaque program. To date approximately 450 houses have been documented and plaques installed. This research is given to both the Peabody Essex Museum and the Salem Planning Department and is available to the public. HSI will conduct research on any house built before the Great Fire of 1914. This brief history of Historic Salem was compiled by Jim McAllister of Derby Square Tours using our board minutes, HSI files, newsletters, and interviews with past HSI officers. We hope you will find the inf ormation interesting; for some of you this booklet may bring back memories of preservation battles in the annals of Salem. We are proud of all the hard work of our predecessors in this organization. Without the attached history, much of our efforts would be forgotten. We hope this booklet provides an easy document for people to consult when considering the merits of HSI's place in Salem's development. John H. Casey President