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Date: September 16, 2007
Contact: Emily Murphy, 978-740-1691

NPS photo

New citizens at Salem Maritime during the 2006 citizenship ceremony

On September 17, 2007, Salem Maritime National Historic Site will celebrate Citizenship Day and the 220th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States with a naturalization ceremony. Approximately forty new citizens will be sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Custom House in Salem at noon. The Custom House was built in 1819, and was the workplace of the famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Today, it is one of the historic buildings that are administered by the National Park Service in Salem.

In addition to the information supplied by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the new citizens will also receive the National Park Service’s National Park Owner’s Manual for New Citizens. “We are honored to be hosting a naturalization ceremony here at Salem Maritime for the second year in a row,” says Superintendent Patricia Trap. “Salem has a rich immigrant history, stretching back nearly four hundred years. We are proud to add to that history.”

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the ceremony at Salem Maritime National Historic Site is one of 125 naturalization ceremonies that will be held around the country during Constitution week. Over 23,000 men and women will become citizens of the United States during this week-long commemoration.