SALEM’S 400+ TO INCLUDE HISTORIC FORT PRESERVATION (SPRING 2026)

 


The City of Salem announced several new preservation planning projects last year as it prepared for its 400th anniversary in 2026. 

 Fort Lee, located at a high point next to Fort Avenue on Salem Neck, sits mostly hidden from view within the treeline above Salem Willows. There is some documentary evidence that the Neck was fortified as early as the 17th century. 

 However the fort itself dates to the Revolutionary War and is one of the only 18th century earthwork forts remaining in near original condition in Massachusetts. At that time it is thought to have had a garrison of three officers and 100 artillerymen with 16 guns. 

 The four-pointed fort was constructed in 1776 with renovations undertaken during the American Civil War. In 1927, the 2.3 acre site was deeded to the City of Salem for use as a public park. 

 Today, the fort is suffering from erosion, vegetation overgrowth, inappropriate use and a lack of public awareness that is threatening the future of the site. With support from a Massachusetts Historical Commission grant and Community Preservation Act (CPA), the City is documenting and assessing current conditions at the fort in order to develop a plan to preserve the historic site, and improve its public accessibility and environmental sustainability. 

 A consultant team led by Kyle Zick Landscape Architects together with an archaeologist, site surveyor and arborist will use state of the art technology to document the fort through 3D modeling, aerial photographs and illustrated renderings. 

 Over the winter and spring of 2026, the City will engage with the public, including Friends of Fort Lee, park users, neighbors, City boards and preservation partners to identify prioritized preservation strategies including necessary improvements to stabilize and preserve the earthwork fort, con serve and rehabilitate the park’s landscape, improve pedestrian circulation and develop public interpretation at the site. The image of Fort Lee is taken from The Pictorial Field-book of the War of 1812 (1868) by Benjamin Lossing.

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