Salem Common

Salem Common is a 9 acre green space near the center of Salem with three monuments and some 30 buildings surrounding it. Once a low hilly area with marshy ponds, in 1802 this was improved to make a flat training field for local militias. The common was also once used to grazing livestock and rope making. The cast iron fence was added in 1850 and plantings of Elm and maple trees replaced the poplar trees. In the weeks following the Salem Fire in 1914, the common was temporary home to many who had lost their homes in the fire. It was also used as the playground for nearby Phillips School (now replaced with residential housing.) In 1976, the Salem Bicentennial Commission made some renovations to Salem Common and dedicated a new "Washington Arch" at the main gateway. The new arch, which stands at 28 feet high, is based on drawings made the woodcarver Samuel McIntire. The original arch was removed previously. The bandstand at the Salem Common was constructed in 1926 in commemoration of the city's Tercentennial. Philip Horton Smith designed this finely proportioned bandstand in Colonial Revival style, domed and temple-like. The bandstand was dedicated to longtime Salem Band director, Jean Missud or the Salem Cadet Band fame.