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Private tour in Boston Donald F
Salem through the Centuries
4.7
(17) reviews
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2 hours
1
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2 hours
1
Donald F.
4.8
Guide rating
24
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22 hrs
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Hello, I'm Donald. In the 16 years I've lived in Salem, I have shown the city to hundreds of people—personal friends, college classes, teacher enrichment programs, Historic Salem, Inc. special events. Although I had known Salem as a Boston native, a summer visitor to the North Shore, and a historian of colonial America, I turned familiarity to intimacy by walking every street in the city of Salem to observe its historic waterfront, its urban development, most interesting buildings from the 17th century to the 21st, and the special character that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. I will be happy to show you the Salem that I now know well. Let me tell you a bit about myself—born in Boston (19 miles from Salem), educated at the Boston Latin School (founded in 1635), Brown University (A. B. ) and University of Pennsylvania (Ph. D. ), college teacher, museum director, lecturer, tour planner and guide for several institutions, and longtime President of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Honorary Trustee of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, appointed member of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and Director Emeritus of Historic Deerfield, a museum of New England history and life. A.B., American Civilization, Brown University Ph.D., American Civilization, University of Pennsylvania Appointed member, Massachusetts Historical Commission Fellow, Massachusetts Historical Society Elected member, American Antiquarian Society past President, Colonial Society of Massachusetts Licensed guide, City of Salem I find that walking tours are the most effective way to see a city or town.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Donald F.
An Introduction to Salem's Past and Present
Overview of your Boston tour
Is this your first visit? Do you have a lot of questions about Salem, past and present? Then, this is the tour for you! On our walking tour we will see Salem Harbor, once one of the busiest ports in the U. S. , sending sailing ships all over the world. Now full of pleasure craft from May to November, it is still surrounded by the grand mansions and public buildings here 200 years ago. We will hear about the tragic witchcraft episode in 1692 and how Salem has become "the witch city" in recent years. We will learn how the vast profits from global trade after the American Revolution were reinvested in manufacturing—textiles, shoes, Parker Brothers toys and games—and see what a tourist mecca Salem now is, attracting visitors from all over the world, especially at Halloween. See Salem with an expert! I'm not only a Boston native and resident of Salem's McIntire District since 2005, but an historian specializing in early America, who was Director of the Historic Deerfield museum for 28 years.
Your Boston tour itinerary
This is an outdoor walking tour. We will not enter any buildings, most of which are not open to the public. Derby Wharf (1762, 1806). The Friendship, original built at Enos Briggs Shipyard, Salem, 1797. Naumkeag. U. S. Custom House (1819). Town Common or "Town Swamp, " renamed Washington Square in 1801. Hawthorne Hotel (1924-1925). Gardner-Pingree House (1804). Samuel McIntire, architect. Grimshawe House (c1770), home of Sophia Peabody Hawthorne and her family. Charter Street Burying Ground, grave of John Hathorne, a judge at the Salem witch trials. Salem Witchcraft Memorial (1992). East India Marine Hall (1825), now Peabody Essex Museum. Jonathan Corwin House (before 1675), aka the Witch House. Ropes Mansion (1720s; Colonial Revival renovations 1894). Chestnut Street (1796, widened 1804). Hamilton Hall (1805-1807). Samuel McIntire, architect.
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Transport details
Type: Walking
Walking tour
What's included
What's not included
Meeting location
193 Derby St, Salem, MA 01970, USA
Airport: ,Cruise: ,ByGuide: In front of Waite & Peirce Museum Store, 193 Derby St, Salem, MA 01970.
- You can request a specific meeting location (for example, your hotel) during the checkout.
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Traveller reviews for this private tour in Boston
17 reviews
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If your tour is valued over $200 USD and booked at least 45 days before the tour date, you can book with a deposit!
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