Essex Heritage's Annual Fall Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 5th, from 8am - 10am, at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester.

We invite you to participate in this free, valuable morning of networking and regional engagement! The agenda will include updates on Essex Heritage initiatives, introduction of new Commissioners and the presentation of Essex Heritage's Pioneers in Partnership Awards. Learn more and download a PIP Award Nomination Form.

We are pleased to announce that REI has stepped up, once again, to sponsor a Trails & Sails participant challenge! Our Trails & Sails Challenge to YOU: Explore more! Visit as many unique events as possible over the two Trails & Sails weekends in order to be entered to win an REI In-Camp 4 person tent. Ready to accept? Learn more and sign in.

After September 2, there are three ways to get your hands on a printed guide: 

• If you are an Essex Heritage member your printed guide will be mailed to you. Become a member!
• A limited number of printed guides will be available for FREE at Essex National Heritage Area Regional Visitor Centers, TD Bank and Eastern Bank locations in Essex County, MA. We recommend that you call ahead to check hours and to confirm that guides are still available before you go to pick one up.
• Purchase a guide online and it will be mailed directly to you. (Fee covers printing and postage). 

Welcome Salisbury!

Salisbury recently became the 14th coastal community to host the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. Essex Heritage and byway consultants Brown Walker Planners, Inc. worked with a local advisory group to create an addendum to the 2011 corridor management plan which will help guide Salisbury's participation in the coastal byway's ongoing development.

Tour d'Elegance a Success

On Saturday, July 27 over 75 classic cars participated in an inaugural tour of the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway from the Newburyport waterfront to Endicott College in Beverly as part of the 4th Annual Misselwood Concours d'Elegance. See Photos.

Pioneer Village to Stay Open

The City of Salem recently assumed responsibility for operating Salem Pioneer Village, a 5-acre living history site built in 1930 to interpret Salem during the period of its early settlement in the 1630s. Read More.

As an extension of the "Making the Caribbean Connection" program tying youth to local heritage, middle school-aged children in Salem served as crew aboard the Schooner Fame during a week-long summer camp.  This experience, made possible with National Park Foundation funding secured by Salem Maritime National Historic Site, allowed English Language Learners to explore basic seamanship and navigation with Fame Captain Mike Rutstein and two youth leaders. 

Read on...

Teachers Experience Place Based Learning at Professional Development Workshop

For the second year in a row, Essex Heritage collaborated with Salem Maritime National Historic Site to plan and facilitate a very successful teacher professional development four-day workshop that introduced Essex County educators to a Place-Based, Service-Learning (PBSL) pedagogy.  Teacher participants ranged from pre-school to high school levels and came from eight different local districts.  Evaluations completed by teacher participants showed overwhelmingly positive ratings, and all teachers plan to implement projects using local resources with their students based on their experiences at the workshop. Read on...

A public hearing to gather input on ways to strengthen the arts, culture, and tourism in Massachusetts will take place on Monday, September 9 at 11:00am at Winnekenni Castle in Haverhill. Hosted by State Senator Kathleen O'Connor Ives and State Representative Cory Atkins, co-chairs of the state legislature's Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development, the hearing is one of several being held across the Commonwealth. For more information contact Maria Syrniotis of Senator O'Connor Ives' office.

The 2013 Massachusetts Historic Preservation Conference is scheduled for Friday, October 18th in Lexington. Sessions, roundtables and case studies will focus on current issues, best practices, preservation fundamentals and advanced topics. Visit the resource room and network with fellow preservationists and professionals throughout the day. To learn more, go to www.mapreservationconference.org