A foggy morning here in Salem, and it makes me wonder what Nathaniel Hawthorne would have seen when looking out his windows at the Customs House, behind me, across Derby Road.

Of course, in his day, he might have seen a brig or barque arriving at one of the many wharves along Salem’s waterfront in front of the Customs House. During the post-Revolutionary era, this waterfront was the heartbeat of American commerce. The air would have been thick not just with fog, but with the scent of exotic spices, teas, and silks arriving from faraway ports in Sumatra, China, and India.

The wharf itself carries the name of the Derby family, most notably Elias Hasket Derby, who was one of America’s first millionaires. Built in the mid-1700s and expanded over decades, Derby Wharf served as the base of operations for the Derby fleet. At its peak, it stretched nearly half a mile into the harbor, a massive finger of stone and timber designed to accommodate the deep-draft vessels that built Salem’s immense wealth.

If you walk the full length of the pier today, you’ll find the Derby Wharf Light standing watch at the very end. This modest, square white tower was built in 1871 to guide ships safely through the harbor’s tricky waters. Though it stands only about 20 feet tall, its presence is a steadying constant against the horizon. In the fog, it feels like a silent sentinel, a last remaining link to the days when Salem was one of the most influential ports in the world.

Jeff “Foliage” Folger  

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