SALEM — The city’s heritage trail, which takes visitors through a path consisting of over 400 years of Salem history, will be going through a “strategic revisioning” in the near future.
The project will seek to construct a more inclusive path focusing on BIPOC stories in Salem as well as immigration and religious diversity stories that are a part of the city’s rich history.
“The vision for the new heritage trail incorporates a more inclusive approach to that goal, reflecting stories, people, and places from too frequently overlooked parts of Salem’s history. The new trail will better relate the history behind the important locations along the trail,” said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.
One of the trail’s biggest changes will involve the repainting of the red line to gold, one of the colors found in Salem’s city seal. The path for the heritage trail was painted red in order to mark and identify it on sidewalks and streets and the trail became known as “the red line” over time. The term redlining however, is used to describe the discriminatory practice of denying financial services based on race and ethnicity. The negative historical connotations led the overseers of the project to decide to repaint the line to a color that better represents Salem.
“Today, we recognize the phrase, ‘Red Line,’ has a negative connotation and evokes a dark period in our history when redlining was a discriminatory practice that denied financial services to people based on race, ethnicity, or demographic. As a community that strives for inclusion, maintaining a component of our downtown that makes members of our community uncomfortable is not acceptable,” reads a statement on the heritage trail website.
Officials recently launched a new website for visitors who want to learn more about the trail and where it runs through. Complementing the website will be a new app that will be able to provide information on highlighted sites throughout the trail. These sites will also have signage with a QR code, making this information easily available for visitors of the trail.
“It will be a way for people to learn about significant sites,” said Kate Fox, executive director of Destination Salem. “We want to use the trail to dive deeper than what’s on the surface.”
Another big change for the trail will be the moving of the path’s starting point. The trail previously began on Orange Street, but will now begin on Little Hawthorne Boulevard, located between Essex and Derby streets.
The project was started in a conjoined effort by the City of Salem, Destination Salem, and multiple community partners, including historians and business owners.
“I am grateful to the City staff, community partners, and members of the City Council who have worked to advance this reimagining of this important City asset,” Driscoll said.
The project is currently going through the municipal approval process and is aimed to be completed sometime in 2023.
Progress updates on the heritage trail can be found at www.salemheritagetrail.org.
Ryan Vermette can be reached at [email protected].
