Salem Willows Park Opens for Business

Salem Willows Park Opens for Business. . Salem Willows Park is truly one of the city’s treasures. The 35-acre waterfront site, located at the tip of the Salem peninsula, is named for the European white willow trees that were planted in 1801 for the benefit of patients at the nearby contagious disease hospital. This “pest house” was destroyed by fire in 1848, and the area was subsequently designated a city park. , In the summer of 1877, the Naumkeag Street Railway Company began offering horse-drawn trolley service between the Willows and downtown Salem. The company also began building an amusement park on an adjacent strip of land. , The new, improved Willows Park opened for business on June 10, 1880. Its shaded walkways, picnic pagodas, and varied amusements were an immediate hit with the public. , Area residents flocked to the Willows to enjoy a shore dinner, test their marksmanship skills at the shooting gallery, or roller skate at the Willows Pavilion. Many came by streetcar, others by bicycle or on foot. Some visitors stayed overnight at one of the new hotels that dotted the nearby Juniper Point neighborhood. , Added to the park’s popularity were the special events organized that summer by the Willows Park management. Fireworks displays, music and theater programs, high wire acts, and balloon ascensions drew huge crowds. The Salem Evening News, which tracked happenings at the park in a regular column, reported the Willows attracted 5,000 visitors in a single day. , A ban on the sale of alcohol at the Willows also contributed to the park’s early success. One local paper noted that the ban kept out the “rough element” that created problems at other seaside resorts.