America's First National Historic Site: Salem Maritime National Historic Site - Salem, MA - (Est. 1938)

Not to be confused with a monument, a landmark are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture.

The Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem, Massachusetts was designated as the first National Historic Site in America on March 17, 1938. While not the oldest historic site, it is the first to be designated as a National Historic Site. 

The U.S. National Park Service defines Salem Maritime National Historic Site as America's first National Historic Site. The National Maritime Historical Society recognizes it as the first National Historic Site in the United States. 

Salem Maritime was established to preserve and interpret the maritime history of New England and the United States. The park documents the development of the Atlantic triangular trade during the colonial period, the role of privateering during the Revolutionary War, and the international maritime trade, especially with the Far East, which established American economic independence after the Revolution. 

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The site consists of nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the Salem waterfront, as well as a downtown visitor center. The site has the following structures Derby House (1762), Derby Wharf (1762, extended 1806), Friendship of Salem – a replica of a 1797 East Indiaman, Hawkes House (1780, 1800), Narbonne House (1675), Pedrick Store House, a three-story building, constructed around 1770, Salem Custom House (1819), St. Joseph Hall (1909)  and the West India Goods Store (1804). 

Located in the urban setting of Salem, the park preserves and interprets over 600 years of New England's maritime history and global connections. It interprets the Triangle Trade during the colonial period, in cotton, rum, sugar and slaves; the actions of privateers during the American Revolution; and global maritime trade with the Far East, after independence. 

The National Park Service manages both the  Salem Maritime National Historic Site and a Regional Visitor Center in downtown Salem. The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior. In 2014, the National Park Service, which runs the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, released figures and statistics for 2012: there were 756,038 visitors to Salem who spent an estimated $40,000,000. The National Park Service celebrated Salem Maritime National Historic Site's 100th anniversary in 2016.

There are no fees to visit the grounds of Salem Maritime National Historic Site or to tour the historical buildings. The only fee associated with a visit is for watching the film Salem Witch Hunt, which is shown multiple times each day at the Salem Armory Visitor Center.