Salem Maritime National Historical Park

Salem Maritime National Historical Park protects historic waterfront properties in Salem, Massachusetts, that illustrate the city’s maritime and seafaring past. It is administered by the U.S. National Park Service as a nationally designated historic park.

The park encompasses wharves, warehouses and interpretive museum spaces along Salem Harbor, with exhibits about shipbuilding, trade and daily life in the maritime era. Visitors can walk historic wharves, see period buildings such as the Custom House and view or board historic vessels tied to the park’s interpretation.

The park preserves structures and properties associated with Salem’s prominence in 18th- and 19th-century international trade and seafaring. The Custom House and other preserved buildings are interpreted to show the town’s commercial and maritime roles; the site is part of federal historic preservation efforts.

Located on Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts, the park sits on the North Shore north of Boston and is integrated with the city’s downtown historic district.

• Maritime history: The park preserves maritime structures and waterfront properties that interpret Salem's 18th- and 19th-century seafaring and trading history.
• Visitor services: A visitor center on the waterfront provides orientation, exhibits and information on walking tours of the historic district and wharves.

What to See #

• Derby Wharf: Derby Wharf extends into Salem Harbor and forms a primary historic waterfront feature with preserved wharf structures and waterfront access.
• Custom House: The Custom House, a historic brick building on the waterfront, interprets Salem's maritime commerce and is associated with Nathaniel Hawthorne's work there.
• Friendship of Salem (ship): The historic vessel Friendship of Salem, a replica of an 18th-century East Indiaman, is associated with the site and is berthed at the harbor near the park's waterfront properties.