"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." – Margaret Mead Happy New Year everyone! We're very excited to celebrate Historic Salem, Inc.'s 75th Anniversary in 2019. The founding of Historic Salem, Inc. in 1944 was bound up in the fortunes of two of Salem's most historically significant homes. The Witch House, home of Salem Witch Trials Judge Jonathan Corwin, and the Cook House, the last Salem Home of renowned navigator Nathaniel Bowditch (now known as the Bowditch House), were both at risk of being demolished to accommodate the widening of North & Essex Streets. Recognizing the gravity of the potential loss of these buildings, a group of concerned citizens gathered in Salem's City Council Chamber on April 28, 1944 to find a solution. At the meeting, Warren Butler, Chair of the Salem Planning Board, and Boston Architect Gordon Robb proposed moving the historic houses away from the street in order to preserve them and still allow for the planned widening of the roads. Mayor Edward Coffey assembled an Executive Committee tasked with raising the money to put this preservation plan into action. The Executive Committee was incorporated as Historic Salem, Inc. in June of 1944, with a purpose and mission "to preserve historic sites, buildings and objects and to work for the education of the community in the true value of the same." George Benson was elected HSI's first president, Warren Butler its first vice president, and Salem City Treasurer Arthur Brennan its first treasurer and secretary. In the following years, the Witch House and the Bowditch House were both successfully relocated and restored. Today, the Witch House is a historic house museum owned and operated by the City of Salem. The house interprets the Salem Witch Trials and the early modern cosmology of Salem's seventeenth-century inhabitants. It is a major contributor to the city's local tourism economy, seeing about 50,000 visitors a year, most in October. The Bowditch House serves as the headquarters of Historic Salem, Inc. Nathaniel Bowditch artifacts and informational museum panels are on view for the benefit of Salem residents and visitors alike.
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