Boy Scouts Help Restore Local Landmark

SALEM, MA - Just before joining the recent Wreaths Across America ceremony at Green Lawn Cemetery, Scouts from Boy Scouts of America Troop 24 scrambled up the scaffolding one more time to hang a holiday wreath from the Salem Common Arch.

This year marks the third holiday season Troop 24 has worked to support restoration of the local landmark.

In 2013, the Scouts joined Salem Common Neighborhood Association’s efforts to restore the arch, committing a portion of proceeds from their annual holiday fundraiser to the restoration fund. Scout’s and adult leaders have continued with support and hands-on help with the restoration.

The restoration project is currently underway, the first phase is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Richard Laperchia of Alpine Woodworks, known to the boys as Scoutmaster Rich, has nearly completed new scrolls that will flank the arch columns. The original scrolls were lost in the mid-1980s when the arch was relocated from a spot adjacent to the Hawthorne Hotel to its current Winter Street location.