The decade of the 1980s, plus a year or two on either end, was a fascinating period in Salem's modern history. It was a time when the city looked increasingly to its past to succeed in the future.
It was during this period that Salem rediscovered its harbor and maritime roots. A group known as Salem Sound 2000 (now Salem Sound Coastwatch) began developing plans to clean the local waters. Relatively new marinas or docking facilities at Pickering Wharf, White Street and Winter Island would begin catering to local and visiting boaters, while whale watches and sunset cruises offered landlubbers an opportunity to go to sea themselves.
Interest in the long-neglected Salem Maritime National Historic Site on Derby Street was revived, and a plan for its refurbishing developed. Much of the impetus for the project came from the newly organized (1987) Salem Partnership, which in turn would spawn the Essex National Heritage Area.
One of the charter members of the Salem Partnership, Salem State College, would continue its expansion during this period and begin the long road to becoming a university. The college, by the way, in 1990 would choose a woman president, Nancy Harrington, to lead her alma mater toward that "promised land."
Downtown Salem struggled to find its new identity. A parking garage and indoor shopping mall between Essex and Church streets managed to survive growing pains and became, like Pickering Wharf on the Salem waterfront, a visible and vital piece of the "New Salem." The Essex Street pedestrian mall had become a "living room" of sorts, a place where, at least during nice weather, folks could eat lunch, read or visit with passers-by. While the last of the city's department stores, Almy's and Empire, were on their way out, dozens of boutique stores and eateries were opening. Lured by the promise of a business district makeover, and a marked increase in the number of downtown residents and visitors, their owners held ribbon-cutting ceremonies and waited for the customers to appear.
Some of these new businesses set up shop in the Salem Marketplace. Some may remember Joe Antonelli's Town Hall Antiques, Camera Obscura and Spice of Life. Of course, one could still stop in at one of the old standbys, be it Daniel Low's, Bowman's Bakery, Kennedy's Butter and Egg Store, or Pete Zaharis' Essex Camera Shop.
On any given day downtown, Roger LeVasseur might be spotted doing a tourist's caricature outside Derby Square Bookstore, while just down the street "Sailor Bill" was hitting up an unsuspecting visitor for a buck. On a good day, former Sheriff Robert Ellis Cahill might be seen outside Red's regaling a friend with one of his wonderful, wacky tales.
Interest in the city's neighborhoods was also on the rise. Through the efforts of energized preservation groups and Salem city government, one historic district was enlarged and other, newer ones were established. Awareness of the city's architectural heritage was spread through many different avenues ranging from Christmas house tours to national television programs.
Many larger, historic buildings were retrofitted for condos, and "empty-nesters" and young couples began flocking to the city.
Salem Common underwent a major face-lift, and athletic events and circuses gave way to the occasional concert, Easter egg hunt, bicycle race or military celebration. The adjacent Hawthorne Hotel recaptured its former glory after a devastating bankruptcy in the early 1970s, while a block away the historic Salem Armory was done in by an arsonist's match. A major restoration of Samuel McIntire's magnificent Gardner-Pingree House, located halfway between the two, in the mid-1980s was chronicled in the national media.
A few years later, the mansion's owner, the Essex Institute, would finally merge with its longtime neighbor to form the present-day Peabody Essex Museum.
Annual events like the Heritage Days parade were augmented at various times by festivities marking the opening of a new wing at the PEM, the Salem High basketball team's state championship or other noteworthy community events. The city's popular, and lucrative, Haunted Happenings festival came along in the early 1980s, accompanied by a handful of new commercial "witch attractions" and New Age shops.
"The Line" at Salem Willows was discovered by a whole new generation of children, just in time to see the dismantling of the roller coaster, Tilt A Whirl and other popular rides. Buddy Hobbs, the unofficial "mayor" of the Willows, dished out ice cream and popcorn at his nearly century-old stand. Nearby, at the Salem Willows Pier, orange rowboats were still available for rent.
And from the Willows' shoreline, one could sit and dream of the day when the planned fixed-span bridge connecting Salem and Beverly would finally be finished and take the uncertainty out of travel between the two communities.
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Columnist Jim McAllister will give a one-hour slide presentation on this era in Salem's history on Thursday, June 30, at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the National Park Service's Regional Visitor Center on New Liberty Street. Admission is $10, and proceeds will benefit the Essex National Heritage Commission and North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. For reservations and tickets, contact him at culturecorner@gmail.com or 978-745-6314.
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