page_title: Salem Harbor
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Salem Harbor / History
caption_attribution_description: Plan of the town of Salem in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, from actual surveys, made in the years 1796 &amp; 1804; with the improvements and alterations since that period as surveyed
context_page_description: Salem Harbor is a harbor in northeastern Massachusetts spanning an area north and south of Salem. Historically the Salem Harbor was the site of one of the major international ports in the colonies. During the American Revolutionary War, merchant ships were enlisted as privateers, an important role to augment the ill-prepared Continental Navy. In 1790, Salem Harbor was a world-famous seaport and sixth-largest in the United States of America. Now the harbor is used for commercial and recreational purposes and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site is very popular with tourists from around the world.
context_section_description: The harbor was defended by Fort Miller in Marblehead from 1632 to 1865, and by Fort Pickering on Winter Island from 1643 to 1865.
  Salem merchants defended the colonies during the American Revolutionary War through privateering.  When the 13 colonies declared independence, the Continental Navy had only 31 ships.  To support their efforts Letters of Marque were issued to private merchant ships to authorize them to attack enemy merchant ships.  George Washington's Army numbered 11,000 men; there were 11,000 privateers at sea in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and between Ireland and England.  One of the goals was to obtain gunpowder, outlawed for import by the British.  Over 2 million pounds of gunpowder and saltpeter were brought in by the privateers and merchantmen.  They also captured British soldiers and over 10,000 seamen from the British Royal Navy, for the Continental Navy the total was 16,000 captured British.
  Titus, a slave to Mrs. John Cabot of Salem, established a business and successfully recruited blacks as privateers during the war. Captain Jonathan Haraden was considered one of the best privateers, simultaneously fighting three armed British ships.  His efforts resulted in the capture of 10,000 cannons.
  During the late 18th and early 19th centuries made, international trade was conducted in Salem from the Atlantic coast "to the farthest ports of the rich east."  Salem was one of the leading international ports by the end of the 18th century, importing ceramics, furniture, decorative arts, artificial flowers, textiles, spices and dye.
caption: Map of Salem, Massachusetts circa 1820
exif: {}