A little bit of Salem news for the blog today!! The new park over on Derby needs a name and the city of Salem is looking for input. There are some options being considered and now is your chance to add your opinion. Details are per the city of Salem and the Salem Patch.
“Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll is inviting Salem residents to weigh in on a slate of options for naming the new park at 289 Derby Street. The new park, where construction wrapped up recently, is now open to the public and will host a variety of programs this summer and in the months ahead.
The space, which was constructed thanks to a state grant, features outdoor seating, swing seats, a boardwalk that connects around most of the South River, and open space for programs and performances. An adjacent private property owner is also advancing plans that will create outdoor dining opportunities that will border onto the park.
Now, residents are invited to vote for their preference for naming the new park by visiting http://www.salem.com/289Derby by 4:00 p.m. on July 31, 2019. There, they will be able to rank in their order of preference among the following potential names:289 Derby, Charlotte Forten Park, Naumkeag Park, Nathaniel Bowditch Park, and South River Park.
Charlotte Forten was Salem State’s first African American graduate, as a member of the Class of 1856. During her life, she was an abolitionist, educator, writer, poet, translator, and women’s rights activist. Her story starts in Philadelphia where she was brought up in a prominent abolitionist family. She traveled to Salem for equal education and graduated from the Salem Normal School (now Salem State University). She faced inequality due to her race and gender throughout her life and used her pen to express her outrage and advocate for solutions. For 65 years Charlotte was a tireless advocate for the end of slavery, equality for women and people of color, and education for all.
The Naumkeag tribe were a Native American people of the Massachusetts-Pawtucket Tribe who inhabited the Salem region. The name is said to refer to “fishing place,” from namaas (fish) and ki (place). In 1619 the tribe’s Sachem, Nanepashemet, was killed during a war with another tribe and the Naumkeag governance was taken up by his widow, Squaw Sachem. His youngest son, Wenepoykin, was Sachem by the time English arrived in 1629. In 1633 a plague, probably smallpox, just about killed off the remaining members of the tribe. Despite the hardships they suffered following the Europeans’ arrival, the tribe was largely peaceful in their relationship with the Europeans. Toward the end of the 17th century, several towns in the area had secured deeds from the heirs of Wenepoykin, including Salem.
Nathaniel Bowditch of Salem was a largely self-educated man who first went to sea in 1795 at the age of 22. During his five voyages, Bowditch became interested in the mathematics of celestial navigation and began correcting mistakes he found in the English navigational manual, The Practical Navigator. By 1802, he had corrected the manual so much, he decided to publish his own version, The New American Practical Navigator. It became the western hemisphere shipping industry standard for the next century and a half. In 1866 the United States government purchased the copyright and since then the book has been in continuous publication, with regular revisions to keep it current. The impact of Bowditch’s American Practical Navigator was so profound that to this day mariners refer to it simply as Bowditch.
“This new public space offers an open connection linking downtown, the Point neighborhood, and our historic waterfront,” said Mayor Driscoll. “Whether you visit it for a program or activity, grab a seat to eat your lunch, or just wander through to stroll around the South River, the park is a great new amenity for our community. I invite all Salem residents to provide their feedback on what this new public space should be officially named.”
Click the link here to cast your votes. Enjoy!! <3
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