Salem Maritime National Historical Park

Alexander Leslie

George Roberts

This former firehouse at the corner of Derby and Bentley Streets was a meeting place for several of Salem's Polish organizations between the 1920s and the time it burned down in the 1960s. These groups reflected different time periods and generational experiences in Polish Salem.

Introducing the national and regional recipients of the 2014 Freeman Tilden Awards, given in recognition of new and innovative programs in interpretation.

View 2022 recipients of the National Park Service Excellence in Education Awards, which recognize expertise within the field of education.

Few employees have left as visible a mark on National Park Service (NPS) exhibits as John A. Segeren. His work has been enjoyed by generations of park visitors who never knew his name but appreciated his intricate wood carvings and playful animal figures displayed in parks throughout the system. A master woodcarver described by former President Lyndon B. Johnson as "a legacy to this country," Segeren carved out his own place in NPS history.

D-Day–June 6, 1944–saw the launch of Operation Overlord, the massive Allied invasion of France. One of the first units to land on Normandy was the 5th Ranger Battalion, whose mission was to eliminate German defenses and clear the path for follow-on forces.

Founded in 1916, the Polish American Citizens Club seems to have emerged from older efforts to promote citizenship and naturalization among Salem's Polish immigrants. With its close ties to religious, fraternal, cultural, military, and other groups in the city, the region, and Polish America in general, it was effective in registering Polish American voters and electing politicians.

This is a story of a Black woman named Rose (Lane) Derby. The earliest known records of Rose are in a collection of papers from a wealthy Salem family. The records that illuminate the life of Rose allow us to re-imagine the landscape of Salem, where she lived and worked. Through Rose, we gain a fuller and more accurate picture of early Essex County history.

Thomas Jefferson was never more wrong. In late June 1812 he wrote to his friend Thaddeus Kosciuszko that no war had been “entered into under more favorable auspices” and that “[o]ur present enemy will have the seas to herself, while we shall be equally predominant at land, and shall strip her of all her possessions on this continent.”