Derby Wharf

The wharf is one of the few surviving pre-revolutionary port facilities in the nation The first 742 feet of Derby Wharf were built in the 1760's by Richard Derby. The wharf was extended to its present length in 1806. Derby Wharf became part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site after the latter was established in 1938.

While noted as a privateering and East India trade center, Derby Wharf also had some interesting tenants in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In addition to the sailmakers, coopers, carting services and stores one would expect to find on a wharf, there were also, at the turn of the century, a junkyard, A.C. Pettingell's wholesale fish dealership, and the Boston and Northern Street Railway Company. Pettingell's sold processed fish under eight different names including the ever-popular "Witch City" brand. The railway company used its Derby Wharf facility for streetcar storage and repair.

Derby Wharf Light Station, constructed in 1871

See Also

Vertical File in Salem Collection - Derby Wharf