Editing Salem, New Hampshire (section)

== History ==
[[Image:The Square, Salem Depot, NH.jpg|thumb|left|The Square, now known as Salem Depot, in 1908]]

The area was first settled in 1652. As early as 1736, Salem was the "North Parish" of [[Methuen, Massachusetts]], or "Methuen District". In 1741, when the boundary line between [[Massachusetts]] and New Hampshire was [[Northern boundary of Massachusetts|fixed]], the "North Parish" became part of New Hampshire, and was given the name "Salem", taken from nearby [[Salem, Massachusetts]]. The town was incorporated in 1750 by [[Thirteen Colonies|colonial]] governor [[Benning Wentworth]].<ref>Edgar Gilbert's ''History of Salem, N.H.'' (1907)</ref> The meetinghouse of the old north parish, erected in 1738, still stands, eventually becoming the town hall of Salem before it was turned into the Salem Historical Society museum.<ref>Gilbert</ref>

In 1902, [[Canobie Lake Park]] was established in Salem by the Massachusetts Northeast Street Railway Company to encourage leisure excursions on its [[tram|trolley]]s. The plan was successful, and the enterprise quickly became one of the leading resorts of its type in [[New England]]. Crowds arrived from all over, including the nearby [[mill town]]s of [[Haverhill, Massachusetts|Haverhill]], [[Lawrence, Massachusetts|Lawrence]], [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] and [[Methuen, Massachusetts|Methuen]] in Massachusetts, and [[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] and [[Nashua, New Hampshire|Nashua]] in New Hampshire. Factory workers and others found respite strolling along tree-lined promenades, between flower beds or beside the lake. Rides, [[Penny arcade (venue)|arcades]], and a [[dance hall]] provided lively entertainments. The rise of the [[automobile]], however, brought the decline of the trolley. But Canobie Lake Park, one of the few former [[street railway]] amusement resorts still in existence, continues to be popular.<ref name="arcadia">Seed, Douglas, & Khalife, Katherine (1996). ''Salem, NH. Volume II - Trolleys, Canobie Lake, and Rockingham Park'', Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-0438-5}}.</ref>

Other features of Salem's [[tourism]] history include [[America's Stonehenge]], a curiosity (formerly "Mystery Hill"). Other attractions include the Icenter, a skating arena, as well as Field of Dreams and Hedgehog Pond Park.

Starting in the 1950s, Salem developed rapidly as part of [[Greater Boston]], with suburban-style residential neighborhoods and a long strip of commercial development along [[New Hampshire Route 28|NH Route 28]]. Commercial construction has continued to focus on Route 28, as well as on the commercial zone off Exit 2 on [[Interstate 93]]. Starting in 2017, the Tuscan Village complex has been under construction, a multi-million dollar mixed-use commercial property that includes retail, medical offices, condos, and apartments. The complex is being built on the site of the former Rockingham Park race track.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.eagletribune.com/news/large-companies-eye-space-in-salems-tuscan-village/article_5efa5a1d-a367-5381-b861-0d3a624a88b3.html| title=Large companies eye space in Salem's Tuscan Village| last=DeAngelis| first=Allison| newspaper=The Eagle-Tribune| date=April 11, 2018| access-date=August 27, 2020}}</ref>

The [[Manchester and Lawrence Railroad|Manchester and Lawrence branch]] of the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] ran through Salem until 2001. In 2009, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation commissioned a study exploring the reactivation of the branch and instituting [[commuter rail]] service connecting to the [[Haverhill Line|MBTA Haverhill Line]] and onward to Boston. The study's cost/benefit analysis recommended taking no action to reactivate beyond preserving the option for consideration at a future time.<ref name="i93study">[[HNTB|HNTB Corporation]] (2009). "I-93 Corridor Multi-Modal Transit Investment Study".  http://www.rebuildingi93.com/content/taskForce/I-93%20Transit%20Study.pdf</ref>