Ship Rigger: John Newman

A passion for ships and maritime history

Years ago I ran a workshop for adults with disabilities, and one of my volunteers worked for the National Park Service. One day he told me about a tall ship the National Park Service was acquiring at his park site, Salem Maritime. We had gotten to know each other pretty well, and he knew I had a passion for ships and maritime history. He encouraged me to apply for a job and consider a career with the Park Service.

John Newman inside Pedrick Store House at Salem Maritime

NPS Photo

So I took a page from his book and started volunteering at Salem Maritime with a group called the Shipwrights. We built a jolly boat (usually used to ferry people to and from a ship) in 1993 that still goes into the water each year! Three years later I started my first job at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site. It was great and I loved sharing history with visitors, but I still really wanted to work on the ship they had brought to Salem. Eventually Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works merged to be under the same management. Slowly I began to transition over to Salem, and I’ve been here ever since.

Now I am the ship rigger for Friendship of Salem, the replica tall ship which was built for Salem Maritime in 1996. I’m responsible for the installation and care of all the ropes, masts, yards, and wood components of the rig. I also coordinate all the ship volunteers. They're hardworking, dedicated, and we couldn't operate Friendship of Salem without them.

I still really enjoy the time I spend interacting with the public. Our mission is to help visitors experience the National Parks, and I think that’s my favorite part of my job. I’m an extravert, so I love opening up conversations with strangers, teaching them and learning from them too.

Preservation and enjoyment

At the National Park Service sites, we’re the guardians of very special places and things. Especially on the East Coast, we preserve a lot of human-made buildings and artifacts, like the Salem Custom House, Derby Wharf, waterwheels from the 1600s. These objects and places are often delicate and in need of continual care. And they’re also part of the American story. I wish people understood how difficult the National Park Service mission is. The tension between preservation and enjoyment is an incredible, but complicated dual purpose.

Friendship of Salem may be a replica tall ship, but very few vessels of her type exist now in the world. Ships like the original Friendship connected New England to different people and cultures from around the globe. But at the time, I think these ships were given as much thought as we give 18 wheeler highway trucks today, and so consequently, not many survived. And now, the skills involved in operating a vessel like Friendship of Salem are in danger of disappearing as well. You might think, ‘Who cares?’ But these vessels represent an important part of American history. Before our own country was even whole, we were connecting with other countries across the world.

John Newman at Salem Maritime Festival

NPS Photo

Our greatest hope

This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and the mantra has always been - save the Earth. But Earth is more durable than we think. The Earth will be here; it’s more a question of whether or not we’ll destroy Earth to the extent that we can’t live on it. Most creatures know not to foul their own nest, but not humans. We’re our own worst enemy when it comes to Earth. But we’re also our greatest hope. I often think back to the phrase, ‘give us reverence for this Earth, our island home,’ and I ask myself what I can do to take care of Earth, my island home.