“He who commands the sea has command of everything.”
– Themistocles
The Custom House is…
The CHMM is a dynamic maritime history museum; education and cultural center; emerging research facility; and a meeting place for people seeking a unique venue for professional or social gatherings. We connect our vibrant past to our living present through our relationships with local educational, artistic, business, and environmental organizations.
Housed in this historic structure, the CHMM’s unique collection of maritime objects, art, models, and historical documents reflect the rich history of the region from the seventeenth to the twentieth century.
Performers from History Alive Salem, Inc.
In July of 1789…
The U.S. Congress passed three acts that provided for administering custom tariffs and collecting duties on imported “goods and merchandises.” These acts established ports of entry, and nine customs collection districts in the eleven states that had ratified the new Constitution. Administration of customs laws was placed under the Secretary of the Treasury later that year.
To Newburyport were annexed Amesbury, Salisbury, and Haverhill as ports of delivery only, and a Collector, Naval Officer, and Surveyor were then appointed to reside at Newburyport. The Customs Service was originally responsible not only for the collection of duties on imported goods, but also the registering and licensing of American vessels, the enforcement of all maritime and navigation laws, and the management of regulations governing the entry and clearance of seamen and passengers.
In July of 1789…
The U.S. Congress passed three acts that provided for administering custom tariffs and collecting duties on imported “goods and merchandises.” These acts established ports of entry, and nine customs collection districts in the eleven states that had ratified the new Constitution. Administration of customs laws was placed under the Secretary of the Treasury later that year.
To Newburyport were annexed Amesbury, Salisbury, and Haverhill as ports of delivery only, and a Collector, Naval Officer, and Surveyor were then appointed to reside at Newburyport. The Customs Service was originally responsible not only for the collection of duties on imported goods, but also the registering and licensing of American vessels, the enforcement of all maritime and navigation laws, and the management of regulations governing the entry and clearance of seamen and passengers.
The Museum Today…
Over time Newburyport declined as a commercial seaport, and the Custom House closed in 1911. After, it took on a number of new roles, from a manufacturing site for heels of women’s shoes, to a metal scrap yard during which salvaged submarine parts left significant cracks in our marble floor!
The building in which the museum resides was built in 1835 to facilitate growing overseas trade and tax collection of imported goods on the waterfront. Newburyport’s previous customhouse on State Street had burned in the Great Fire of 1811. This Greek revival structure was designed by architect Robert Mills, who also designed the U.S. Treasury building and the Washington Monument. The granite used to build the customhouse was quarried in Cape Ann and brought by barge to Newburyport where local masons shaped the rock, and assembled the building according to Mills’ plans. The vaulted ceilings, and cantilevered staircases in the building are hallmarks of Mills’ work.
Rob Napier working to restore the Dreadnaught model