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Historical Background

A brief history of the origin of the structures at Camp Naumkeag and Pioneer Village

Circa 1916 Circa 1916

Circa 1920Circa 1920

The Camp Naumkeag site was first built upon in 1910 as a tent village for the treatment of tuberculosis patients at a time when exposure to fresh outdoor air was considered critical to the care of patients with this disease.  The original tents were replaced by seasonal wooden structures around 1919:  an original open shelter from 1910 was destroyed in a windstorm in 1929.

The Pioneer Village was constructed in 1930 in what was then the open landscape of Forest River Park.  The structures were designed by antiquarian Georges Francis Dow as a stage set for a play which celebrated the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of Salem.  After the tercentennial celebration ended, the structures were embraced by residents of Salem and they were opened to the public as part of an interpretive museum, one of the first of its kind in the United States.

Circa 1930 Circa 1930

Circa 1930  Circa 1930

Pioneer Village Pioneer Village

Area Form for Pioneer Village, updated September 2021

Area Form for Camp Naumkeag, updated September 2021