From City Hall to Sacred Ground: Honoring Salem's First Mayor Leverett Saltonstall and Those Who Followed
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m. (doors open at 10:30 a.m.)
Location: Harmony Grove Cemetery, 30 Grove Street, Salem, MA
Admission: Free; Salem 400+ event.
Harmony Grove Cemetery will host a lecture by historian Peter Drummey, honoring Salem’s first mayor, Leverett Saltonstall. The lecture will be followed by complimentary refreshments and an optional self-guided walking tour at 1 p.m., with maps and interpretive stops featuring the 20 other mayors interred at the cemetery.
In addition, both the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery and the Friends of the Broad St Cemetery will offer maps for self-guided tours and information about the Salem mayors buried in those cemeteries.
Event Schedule:
10:30 AM – Doors open with musical guests Jen and Bob Strom
11:00 AM – Lecture by Peter Drummey at Blake Memorial Chapel
12:15 PM (approx.) – Social gathering with complimentary refreshments
1:00–3:00 PM – Self-guided walking tour.
Maps and interpretive materials will be provided, with special guest hosts stationed at select gravesites. The walking tour is open to all visitors, including those who do not attend the lecture.
RSVP required for lecture: www.harmonygrovesalem.org/visit/events
Walking tour open to all; no RSVP required.