After a 5-year-long hiatus from blogging about Pioneer Village, I felt compelled to make one last, follow-up entry. I recently made a trip to the village, to see how it was doing. After Gordon College gave up managing the village, management fell back to the city of Salem. They appointed Elizabeth Peterson, manager of the Jonathan Corwin House (Witch House) to oversee it's continuing operation and maintenance. She did a pretty good job of it considering the city gave her very little money to work with, and the place was in dire need of some very expensive capital repairs. They did some events there, such as the Salem Spice Festival which were moderately successful, and it continued to be a venue for film companies and other activities. But, lacking any major funding, the property itself continued to languish, which brings me to the latest.A city engineering project that is supposed to resolve major flooding issues plaguing Canal Street is doing so by redirecting the water through the area of Forest River Park, and specifically, right through Pioneer Village.
These images were taken on February 23rd of this year. As you can see, the fence which surrounded the Village has been taken down. There is some kind of dam-like structure where the entry path used to be. The main structures are visibly run-down and need of repair. the back field (which held the dugouts), appears to have been completely dug up and the structures removed or destroyed. Frankly it all looks a bit sad.
It is not clear when this construction will be completed, or what the village will look like when it is.
With the threat of rising sea levels and recent storm surges, I have to wonder if the Village will ever re-open. There has been some rumors of relocating the Village somewhere else in Salem, but this has so far been talk-only.
The Village has always had the potential to be a major tourist attraction, showcasing early Puritan colonial history, but it has been plagued by neglect, lack of promotion, uneven management, and poor-to-nonexistent funding. Salem seems to have a love-hate relationship with the village; they seem to like having it, but don't want to pay for it, or know what to do with it.
Unless the City of Salem gets serious about saving Pioneer Village, and most importantly, commits to securing funds to support it's restoration and ongoing maintenance, this could be the end. It would be a shame if this is the end of Pioneer Village after 88 years as a Salem attraction.
