There are 49 National Heritage Areas throughout the United States. Massachusetts shares three of its four with neighboring states: CT, NH and RI. The fourth, Essex National Heritage Area, is the only one located entirely within the Commonwealth. The enviable Essex National Heritage Area was established in 1996 for all of Essex County, Massachusetts, its 34 cities and towns, nearly 10,000 historic places on the national historic register, 26 national historic landmarks and 2 National Park headquarters (Salem and Saugus Iron Works). Trails and Sails is just one of Essex National Heritage’s memorable rallying efforts. Make sure to participate! Another initiative is the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway which calls attention to our county via its lovely, historic roads. You may have noticed the brown byway signs which were installed in 2012 after years of establishing the best routes to re-connect and highlight Essex County. This is one of the signs installed in Gloucester, MA. David Rhinelander helped with the Gloucester and Cape Ann part.
2017 Essex National Heritage Presenters
The Essex National Heritage Commission (Essex Heritage) held its Annual Fall Meeting on Thursday, October 4 at the Flint Public Library in Middleton. Business and community leaders throughout the county were in attendance. John Farmer, Essex National Heritage President, mentioned that he joined Bass Rocks Golf Club and that he enjoyed visiting the Gloucester HarborWalk for this year’s Trails & Sails in his opening report. Farmer is the Senior Vice President & Senior Credit Officer, of Eastern Bank, Lynn, one of the major Lightkeeper Sponsors* for Essex National Heritage.
Can you guess how many guests the busy Salem vistitor center welcomed since 2013? Paul DePrey, the National Park Service Superintendent for the Salem Martime & Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites, shared this update…
Salem Maritime NHS aka the Salem Visitor Center
Stage Fort Park visitor center is one of Essex National Heritage satellite sites.
7 from Cape Ann were Recognized
Essex National Heritage recognized 7 people from Cape Ann: NEW TRUSTEE Peter Webber, Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce; NEW COMMISSIONER, Kim Smith; me (!); and the “Woman Owned Businesses along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway” (4 of the 9 businesses are on Cape Ann). Fun fact: The certificates are signed by Essex National Heritage and the National Park Service.
2017 PIONEER IN PARTNERSHIP AWARDS recipients- John Andrews (Owner and Founder of Creative Salem); Germaine Koomen, Hill View Montessori School; Catherine Ryan art adviser & writer; Woman Owned Businesses along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway; and Ghlee Woodworth, author & historian
It was so nice to be recognized and I felt very lucky. The biggest audience clap that day went to the industrious and clever Woman Owned Businesses along the Essex County Scenic Byway! The cheer continued outside.
and #2 Susan Lufkin, Essex Bird Shop & Pet Supply, Essex. Missing from photo: #7 Lorin Hesse, Be Modern, Ipsiwch and #9 Cathy Reardon, Serendipity at Todd’s Farm, Rowley
The venue: Flint Library, Middleton, MA
The Essex National Heritage 2017 annual meeting was held at Essex County’s beautiful historic Flint Library in Middleton. Perhaps your organization or place of business would be a great venue one year? I was thrilled that Cape Ann Reads was mentioned (twice!) at the 2017 Essex National Heritage annual meeting hosted by…a library!
*Essex National Heritage Sponsors
I brought one of my vintage t-shirts that I picked up 45+ years ago. Rockport National Bank is now “Institution for Savings”. I was happy to see it listed as an Essex National Heritage sponsor. I thought the t-shirt was a good reminder that celebrating business, culture, art, and place are a winning and longstanding tradition. Does anyone know who designed the shirt?
2017 ESSEX NATIONAL HERITAGE SPONSORS
Lightkeepers: Eastern Bank; Institution for Savings; Salem Five Charitable Foundation
Sustainer Circle: Beverly Bank; Green Meadows Farm; J Barrett Real Estate; English Commons; Haverhill Bank; Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank; First Ipswich Bank; North Shore Bank; Georgetown Bank; Hawthorne Hotel; and Pentucket Bank
Benefactor Circle: East Boston Savings Bank; Geller Micro Analytical Lab; North Shore Music Theater; Peabody Essex Museum; Pentucket Bank; People’s United Bank; Shetland Properties of Salem; St. John’s Prep; Willowdale Estate
Supporter Circle: Asbury Grove Historical Society; Butcher Boy Market; Camp; Cummings Properties; Deiulis Brothers Construction; Endicott College; Essex Agricultural Society; Everett Mills Real Estate; Finz; The House of Seven Gables; John J Walsh Insturance Agency; Northern Essex Community College; Peirce Farm at Witch Hill; Salem Witch Museum; Serafini, Darling & Correnti; SPS New England; Tannery Marketplace; Union Oyster House; YMCA of the North Shore
Good Morning Gloucester 
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