{"nrhp_refnum":"66000048","name":"Salem Maritime National Historic Site","other_names":["See Also:Derby Waterfront District","Lighthouses of Massachuse"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Derby St. between Orange, Essex, and Koselusko St. and Salem Harbor","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salem","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.51958700000006,"lon":-70.88599379856112,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation","Architecture","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A roughly nine-acre urban waterfront district at 178 Derby Street in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, containing seven historic buildings, one foundation and two wharves, with structures dating from about 1670 to the 19th century.","why_significant":"The site illustrates the role of New England shipping in the early United States economy. Derby Wharf was a major base for Revolutionary War privateering, and Salem merchants later opened trade with China, India, Sumatra and other ports. Salem customs duties supplied a notable share of early federal revenue, and the surviving wharves and buildings preserve an early 19th century waterfront scene.","narrative":"Salem Maritime National Historic Site occupies about nine acres of waterfront on Derby Street in Salem, Massachusetts. It holds seven historic buildings, a historic foundation and two wharves, among them the 1819 brick Custom House and Bonded Warehouse, the 1761 Derby House, the Narbonne House begun around 1670, the 1829 Scale House, the Hawkes House, and Derby and Central Wharves. All have been altered through use and restoration. The site matters because it shows how New England shipping helped build the early American economy. During the Revolution, Salem was the only major American port the British did not close, and Derby Wharf served as a base for privateers. After the war, Salem merchants opened trade routes to China, India, Sumatra and elsewhere. Customs duties collected at the port provided a significant share of federal revenue, and the surviving structures give a picture of an early 19th century waterfront.","period_of_significance":"18th Century (specific dates 1819, 1761, 1829)","architect_builder":"Samuel McIntire (Hawkes House design, begun 1779)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition reported as good overall; Derby Wharf is in poor condition, Central Wharf fair, and preservation work was in progress at the Narbonne House. Owned by the public and open to visitors, used as a park and museum.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.19637-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7947/63794742/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/66000048.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000048/a18a850241-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000048/a18a850241-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Fletcher6","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Derby_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Fletcher6</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Derby_House.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"76000297","name":"Derby Waterfront District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/derby-waterfront-district-76000297/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794742","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_Maritime_National_Historical_Park","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2214191"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/salem-maritime-national-historic-site-66000048/"}