Salem Tercentenary

Salem Tercentenary, celebrating Salem's 300th anniversary of its founding, was celebrated from July 4 -10, 1926.

The city marked the anniversary with a full week's worth of activities, including concerts, bonfires, and parades. Many dignitaries,

including the Vice President of the U.S., Charles Dawes, were present. The main parade was huge; some 1,000 sailors joined representatives from nearly

75 other organizations and businesses in a massive, "Military, Society, Trade and Civic Parade" throughout downtown Salem.

Approximately 10,000 people marched in the parade, which featured 50 floats and attracted an estimated 100,000 viewers.

The second parade of the week took place on Friday, with a "Floral and Historical Parade" which wound its way down Lafayette Street. This parade had 106 floats. The historical

ones each depicted a tableau from Salem's long and illustrious history.

See Also

• Vertical File in Salem Collection - Salem Tercentenary

• Salem Tercentenary Salem State archives (photos)

• "1926 Fourth of July celebration a lot to live up to" Salem Evening News, Jun 28, 2000, p. A3

• Salem memories: the early years: a pictorial history Salem News, 2015, (photos of parades, p.128,131)

• The Salem Tercentenary: 1926 Streets of Salem blog