Historic sites in Salem forced to closed amid government shutdown during city’s busiest season

The city of Salem welcomes more than one million tourists each year but this autumn people visiting the city for its annual Haunted Happenings will not have access to certain historical sites amid the ongoing ruling body shutdown The Salem Maritime National Historic Site run by the National Park Facility NPS is closed until the executive reopens The site includes several historic buildings on the city s waterfront that would normally be bustling with visitors The National Park Function s Salem Armory Visitor Center was also forced to close but reopened on October The center provides information on sites throughout Salem and the Essex National Heritage Area and shows two daily films Essex Heritage a non-profit that partners with the NPS credited the collaborative effort of several local groups and donations from local businesses for keeping their visitor center open at least for now In a declaration Annie Harris CEO of Essex Heritage mentioned it is very crucial to recognize that this is only a temporary stop-gap measure The Visitor Center will close again on November unless the federal ruling body reopens Harris also cautioned that if the shutdown continues for a long time or if there are key staff reductions the impact will be felt throughout the Greater Salem region In a announcement Essex Heritage wrote NPS staff are steeped in Salem s history and provide excellent visitor services to the more than million tourists who come to Salem each year A great number of NPS staff also live in the city and volunteer with our neighborhood and civic organizations If park staff are let go during the new round of RIFs this loss will be felt not only in the park but across the neighborhood Essex Heritage stated the National Park Utility in Salem employs full-time staff temporary full-time positions and approximately seasonal employees and interns NPS staff provide guided tours maintain the historic properties and care for iconic structures such as the Derby House and the Custom House where Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked Park Rangers were still seen in Salem Saturday since they are considered essential personnel but are working despite not being paid