History

Essex Heritage would like to invite visitors (ages 4+) to come and build their very own model lighthouse using every day materials! Special guest instructor and children’s book illustrator, Katy Bratun, will be leading this family friendly craft starting at 1:00pm at the NPS Visitor Center in Salem.

Maudslay State Park invites you to be an archaeologist for the day!  Learn how to think like an archaeologist…excavate a test unit, screen for and identify artifacts, and document and record soil levels.  Other activities focus on the extensive and rich peopling of the area dating back thousands of years.  Find out why this place was and is so special to the First People of Massachusetts. Learn how to use a bow-drill, grind corn with a mortar and pestle, weave a fishing net, make a ground stone-tool fishing weight, make a ceramic pot in the traditional indigenous way, play the game of Hubhub, bring an artifact for the experts to ID, and even try your hand (arm) at throwing an atlatl!

Did you know that all of Essex County is considered a very special place? Essex County is a National Heritage Area, which are regions known for having a lot of important natural, historic and cultural resources. With so many different things to do, see and explore, National Heritage Areas are pretty cool places to live! At Essex Heritage, we want to help people who live in Essex County get outside and discover new sites close to home, something we like to call…Exploring Your Own Backyard!