Custom House

Office of the Surveyor

The officers of the Custom House worked for the Collector of Customs. He was assisted by the Deputy Collector, who was mainly responsible for the record keeping in the port. Third in the chain of command was the Surveyor, who supervised the Inspectors, Weighers, and Gaugers. These officers weighed and measured the cargo entering the port in order to calculate the taxes owed by merchants. Another member of the staff was the Naval Officer, who served in the capacity of auditor. He assisted the Collector in estimating the duties to be received and kept separate books to verify the accuracy of the transactions.

This desk is in the office of the Surveyor. It was used by the famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne during his term as Surveyor of the Port of Salem from 1846 to 1849.