Derby Wharf is a historic wharf located at Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts.
The wharf is 2,046 feet long and is built on large, load-bearing granite block bulkheads and mounded earth fill. The wharf currently features wood boat docks half-way down E side and a gravel/stonedust path with steel edging down the center of the wharf and a granite ramp.
Built in 1762, the wharf was constructed by Captain Richard Derby and was used by both him and his son Elias Hasket Derby for fitting out privateers during the Revolutionary War.
Built on a mud flat on the north shore of Salem Harbor, the wharf was originally 750 feet long. It was constructed by enclosing the outline of the wharf with stone filled timber cribs and then filling the enclosure with earth and mud.
After Richard Derby Sr. died in 1783, ownership of the wharf and its two warehouses passed to his sons Elias and John and the seven children of his deceased son, Richard Jr.
In 1785, Elias Hasket Derby acquired John and Richard’s portion of the estate. In 1794, Elias built two additional warehouses on the wharf, bringing the total number of buildings on the wharf to four.
After Elias Hasket Derby died on September 8, 1799, ownership of the wharf passed to his seven children. The wharf, at the time, measured 750 feet long by 52 feet wide, had four buildings on it, and was valued at $13,000.
In 1800, the western side of the wharf was repaired and faced with stone. From 1806 to 1809, Derby Wharf was extended to its current length of 2,046 feet at a cost of $45,000.
During the 18th and 19th centuries the wharf had around 20 structures on it, including 14 warehouses and Elias Hasket Derby’s counting house.
On March 1, 1810, the Derby family established Derby Wharf Incorporated in order to formalize their business dealings and deeded their rights, title, and interests to the corporation for 12 shares each.
During the 19th century, the wharf frequently became a target of vandalism and arson. In 1863, the wharfinger, L.B. Hatch, offered a $10 reward to anyone who could provide information on the person suspected of repeatedly breaking windows and vandalizing the buildings on the wharf. In 1865, a storehouse on the wharf was burned in what was believed to be an arson attack.
By the end of 1870, the Derby Wharf Corporation started to struggle financially due to a decline in fishing and shipping as railroads became more prominent.
On February 3, 1871, the corporation mortgaged the wharf to the Salem Five Cents Bank, but the corporation continued to struggle.
In 1871, the Derby Wharf Lighthouse was built at the end of Derby Wharf for $3,000, and C.C. Pettingell was appointed keeper of the light. The lighthouse is a 12-foot-tall square white brick tower.
On March 28, 1881, the bank foreclosed on Derby Wharf, and it was sold to a man named A. Fritz two days later for $3,000.
Ownership of the wharf later passed to Charles H. Price, then to the Boston Northern Street Railway Company, and then to the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company.
The new owners neglected the wharf, and it became home to several shops, stores, fish-drying racks, piles of coal, and an art studio for local artist Philip Little. The only improvement the owners made was the construction of a wooden pile platform on the western side of the wharf in 1906.
By 1925, the wharf had fallen into disrepair, prompting the Boston Herald to declare “Old Derby Wharf Going to Decay.” The article stated that the wharf’s foundation was broken and crumbling and that its walkway was dangerous and hard to walk on.
In 1928, a six-year-old boy, Stanley Tarnoski, was walking alone on top of a brick wall on the Derby Wharf when he slipped, fell into the water, and drowned.
In 1937, the United States government purchased Derby Wharf and made it a part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site in 1938. The site also includes the Custom House, the Derby House, the Hawkes House, and several others.
Parts of Derby Wharf were partially rebuilt from 1937 to 1940. During construction on the national historic site in 1937, a worker found an English guinea dated 1776 buried in the ground on the east side of the wharf.
In the winter of 2018, a severe winter storm caused significant erosion at the wharf, and the National Park Service temporarily closed it. The wharf reopened in April of 2018 after it was repaired.
In 2019, a “King Tide” completely flooded Derby Wharf. In 2024, Derby Wharf was temporarily closed again for a stabilization and repair project to protect the wharf from erosion.
Derby Wharf is located next to Central Wharf, which was built in 1791, and Hatch’s Wharf, which is a small, stubb pier built in 1819 in between Derby and Central Wharf. These three wharves are all that remain of the 50 wharves that once existed at Salem Harbor.
Sources:
Historic Structure Report Derby Wharf, Part I. National Park Service, 1973.
“‘King tide’ floods Derby Wharf.” Wicked Local, 30 Oct. 2019, wickedlocal.com/story/salem-gazette/2019/10/30/x2018-king-tide-x2019/64623445007/
Luca, Dustin. “Park Service shuts down Derby Wharf.” Salem News, 5 Mar. 2018, salemnews.com/news/local_news/park-service-shuts-down-derby-wharf/article_c90112de-3941-5c1e-9249-ef029def2e3e.html
“Wharf Stabilization and Repair Project.” NPS.gov, nps.gov/sama/learn/management/wharf-stabilization-and-repair-project.htm
“Historic Lighthouse Detail: SAL.904 Derby Wharf Lighthouse.” MACRIS, mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=SAL.904
“Old Derby Wharf Going to Decay.” The Boston Herald, 26 Jul. 1925, p. 44.
“Complete Sale of Derby Wharf.” The Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 1937, p.24.
“Choice Bits of News.” Westfield Valley Herald, 30 Jun. 1938, p. 2.
“Boy Drowned.” The Boston American, 8 Jun. 1928, p. 5.
“News Notes About Salem.” Salem Gazette, 30 Oct. 1907, p. 1.
“Damaged the Lighthouse.” The Taunton Evening News, 5 Dec. 1898, p. 6.
“Local Items.” Salem Register, 20 Apr. 1885, p.2.
“Repairs of Derby Wharf.” Salem Gazette, 18 Mar. 1825. p. 3.
“Wharf for Sale.” Gloucester Telegraph, 16 Mar. 1867, p. 3.
“Sale of Derby Wharf.” Salem Register, 25 Mar. 1867, p. 2.
“Notice.” Salem Gazette, 3 July. 1835, p. 4.
“Ship Friendship at Auction.” Salem Gazette, 24 Nov. 1818, p. 3.
“Derby Wharf.” Historic Salem INC, historicsalem.org/derby-wharf.html
“Derby Wharf.” NPS, nps.gov/places/derby-wharf.htm
“Historic Wharf Detail: SAL.932 Derby Wharf – Central Wharf.” MACRIS, mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=SAL.932
“Derby Wharf.” The Historical Marker Database, hmdb.org/m.asp?m=86545