You’ll see… Lynch Park!
In light easterly or westerly winds, FAME often sails north out of Salem Harbor in the direction of Beverly, tacking off Lynch Park or Hospital Point [see Hospital Point blog]. Beverly was a port town in Colonial days, although never as busy as Salem, Marblehead, or Gloucester. The location of its small harbor, half a…
Five Top Things You’ll See on your Salem Cruise!
You’ll see the sails go up… and the captain turn off the motor! Yes, we really do sail our traditional wooden schooner, and we love the reaction we get when our guests realize that the wind alone is powering our progress through Salem Sound! One of our skippers calls out “Welcome to the 19th century!”…
What did Salem Harbor look like in 1812?
Salem was one of the busiest harbors in the country in 1812. There were several long wharves and piers stretching far out into the harbor. These wharves were covered with warehouses and work sheds. During the War of 1812, the fort on Winter Island was put back into fighting shape, and vessels entering the port…
You’ll see… Children’s Island!
Children’s Island is owned by the Marblehead YMCA, which offers summer camp sessions every summer. It was previously known as Cat Island and briefly Lowell Island, when it had a 100-room resort hotel. The hotel became a children’s sanitarium in 1878. A hundred years earlier, a hospital had been built on the island to inoculate…
Wait — what shipwreck?
The shipwreck that lies between Great and Little Misery is the steamer CITY OF ROCKLAND. Built in 1900, she was 274’ long and weighed 1700 tons. She had a checkered 23-year career carrying people up and down the New England coast, including groundings, a collision, and sinking at a Boston dock. After her last grounding,…
You’ll see… the Misery Islands!
Misery Island is the biggest island in Salem Sound, over 80 acres. It’s currently owned by the Trustees of Reservations, but it used to be home to 25 summer cottages as well as a resort featuring piers, clubhouse, saltwater swimming pool, and a nine-hole golf course. The resort (and many of the cottages) burned in…
You’ll see… Marblehead Light!
Marblehead Light was built in 1896 and is the only light of its type in the US. There had been an earlier lighthouse on the spot, built in the 1830s, when there were few buildings on Marblehead Neck. But as the area became popular, cottages obscured the small light. After trying various workarounds — like…
You’ll see… Baker’s Island!
Baker’s Island is home to over 50 summer cottages as well as the Baker’s Island Light, which was built in 1821. There used to be two lighthouses, side by side, “Ma” and “Pa”. Once Salem was no longer a major port, it was decided one light was enough, and “Ma” was bulldozed into the sea….
You’ll see… The Willows!
The Willows is named for the willow trees planted in 1801 to form a shaded walk for patients at the nearby smallpox hospital. The area became a public park in 1858, and was a summer destination for residents of the North Shore, who traveled there on the newly popular streetcars. In fact, it was the Naumkeag Street…
You’ll see… Hospital Point!
Hospital Point in Beverly got its name from a smallpox hospital built on the site in 1801. Used as a military barracks during the War of 1812, the hospital burned down in 1849. The lighthouse was first lit in 1872, around the same time that the Derby Wharf and Winter Island lights were built, in an…