Event

Step Inside the Historic Custom House

Salem Maritime National Historic Site

Fee:

Free.

Repeating Event

Days:

Every week on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

Dates:

May 24, 2025 to September 28, 2025

Time:

9:30 AM

Duration:

7 hours

Type of Event

Talk

Description

Take in the views of this prominent building where Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked and the U.S. Custom Service operated.

This Custom House was built in 1819 and housed offices for the officers of the U.S. Customs Service, as well as an attached warehouse, the Public Stores, used for the storage of bonded and impounded cargo.

Today, the U.S. Custom House in Salem contains exhibits on the tools of the Custom Service, the work of the Customs inspectors, and the office of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous American author whose three-year-long stint in the Salem Custom House inspired his classic novel, The Scarlet Letter.

The exhibits in this building are open from 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM. Park Rangers and volunteers are available to answer questions and provide public talks.

Reservation or Registration: No