Salem Merchants and Mansions Guided Architecture Walking Tour

Start of the tour

Duration of the tour

This is where we touch on Salem's history of spice trade, her motto (and why we have it), point out where the old ship building yard used to be (near where the Adirondack chairs are located at the far end of the open space) and then discuss the mansions visible from near Derby Wharf.

This is a discussion of Georgian architecture, and how this simple building reflects the burgeoning wealth and power of Salem and New England merchants as a whole.

a perfect way to show how 17th century (First Period) architecture could be (and was) added to and modified to enlarge it.

Discussion

We point out the Hocus Pocus location (the old school) but then talk about how Salem Common evolved, from a series of marshy pools and unusable ground in the 17th and early 18th centuries, to the manicured pleasure park of the 19th century, and how it became the new fashionable district starting in the mid-to-late 19th century, Salem's last gasp of wealth and mansions, with Second Empire and Greek Revival style buildings.

Variety of collection homes

We touch on the unique religious heritage of Salem.

Architecture

Discussion