Get to the Point: Neighborhood Narratives

In 2013, during the months of May and June, Salem Public Space Project collected stories from Point residents and people who have spent some time in the neighborhood. The good memories shared in the stories encourage people to go to the neighborhood – so close to Downtown Salem, yet perceived as such a distant destination.

During the Salem Arts Festival, Salem Public Space Project shared these experiences through an installation that feature postcards to take and share in turn. On Saturday, June 8th, Salem State University students launched the installation through a dramatic performance of storytelling and map drawing of the little known Salem neighborhood.

In September, during the city’s Heritage Days, we set up a storytelling space on the pedestrian mall, Essex Street. We told stories, invited visitors to sit and write, but mostly we all stood and talked about Salem’s most misunderstood neighborhood. Point residents found their home on the large aerial, some shared new stories from the community, and Salem tourists took postcards to mail off a different view of witch city.

The stories happened in parks, on stoops, down streets, and through open windows. SPSP snapped shots of eleven of the most compelling stories and locations. Explore them all through the growing interactive map.