SALEM ATHENAEUM

Although the Salem Athenæum’s charter and name date from 1810, its history actually begins fifty years earlier with the founding of two earlier institutions: the Social Library in 1760; and the Salem Philosophical Library in 1781. Today the Athenæum is home to over 50,000 volumes in its circulating and research collections and the welcoming reading room and garden offer opportunities for quiet work as well as a host of cultural programs including concerts, readings, lectures, performances, and lively social gatherings.

THE FIRST CHURCH OF SALEM

The First Church in Salem is one of the oldest churches founded in North America. Its 377-year history began when thirty of the newly arrived Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gathered together to form a church on August 6, 1629. Among the members present were Roger Conant, the founder of Salem, and John Endicott, the first Governor of the Colony. On that day, the church called two Puritan ministers who had made the voyage from England with the other colonists. The Rev. Samuel Skelton became the church’s first Pastor and the Rev. Francis Higginson was called as the church’s first Teacher.

THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE

"Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”

A database containing information and images of historical markers throughout the country. Search for Essex County if looking for markers nearby.

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Established in 1848 by an act of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts, the Boston Public Library (BPL) was the first large free municipal library in the United States. One of only two public libraries in the United States that are members of the Association of Research Libraries, the Boston Public Library holds extensive special collections in a wide variety of subjects and formats. Click this link to access the BPL Special Collections information. https://www.bpl.org/special-collections-departments

COLONIAL SOCIETY OF MASSACHUSETTS

Founded in 1892, the Colonial Society of Massachusetts is a non-profit educational foundation designed to promote the study of Massachusetts history from earliest settlement through the first decades of the nineteenth century. The chief business of the Colonial Society is to publish documents related to the early history of Massachusetts. All ninety-one volumes of the Society’s publications are freely available to the public either for download or consultation through their website. Click the link below for a list of their publications. https://www.colonialsociety.org/publications

AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY

Founded in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas, the American Antiquarian Society is both a learned society and a major independent research library. The AAS library today houses the largest and most accessible collection of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, music, and graphic arts material printed through 1876 in what is now the United States, as well as manuscripts and a substantial collection of secondary texts, bibliographies, and digital resources and reference works related to all aspects of American history and culture before the twentieth century.

HISTORY HUB

A support community managed by the National Archives for researchers, citizen historians, archival professionals, and open government advocates. The National Archives has developed a platform for researchers to connect with people interested in their topic and people interested in our collections and expertise. It will be a support community for researchers, citizen historians, archival professionals, and open government advocates to provide the answers, interpretations, and perspectives you might need. It’s called the History Hub, and it's available at historyhub.archives.gov.

RESOURCE ORGANIZATIONS