Historic preservation encompasses managing historic resources for the benefit of both the resource and the public. We often think of grand old houses when we think of historic resources, but what about the history below street level? Yes, these finds are just as worthy of historic preservation--perhaps even more so, as they tell the story of the everyday lives of our predecessors.
As we've mentioned before, Salem's Historic Preservation Officer, Kimberli Fitzgerald, is obtaining a degree in archaeology and cultural resource management in order to provide even better service to the people of Salem. In the not-too-distant future, Salem engineers will be able to learn of any archaeological sites in areas proposed for development before the first shovel breaks ground--not during a private or public work project that must then come to an indefinite stand-still while the ground disruption is studied by state archaeology staff and mediated.
More than half of Salem's 19 neighborhood organizations have potential historic resources within them, but no official surveys have ever been done. You might want to check out this map that shows all the potential historic resources in our city. Check out this active map that shows Salem's growth from 1850 to 2012.
All in all, there is a lot of good stuff happening in our historic town!
Posted by Deb Meaghers