Project Highlight: salem.org History Timeline

We’ve completed our client project with Destination Salem and are delighted to share the results of this history timeline project with you!

Destination Salem relaunched their website a couple of years ago and included a historical timeline of the city of Salem. Recongnizing that the project was missing some key points and did not offer enough details, the organization hired MuseumTastic to audit, research, and craft a more robust timeline.

This project was a public history challenge! salem.org is often a first stop for people who plan to visit Salem and for people who might have searched about historical information about Salem. The team recognized that a quality, diverse, historical experience was a must-have. David Moffat spent a few months mining Salem’s history for a combination of points that hightlighted some of Salem’s infamous moments such as the Salem Witch Trials and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birth, but also added information from many other points in Salem’s story.

The timeline points that Moffat gathered exceeded the plans for website real estate on salem.org and might have overwhelmed a first-time visitor or someone just looking to get acquainted with Salem’s history. salem.org needed to strike a balance but the team didn’t want that work to not be showcased. Destination Salem connected us with the Salem 400 group and they’ll be sharing a more robust timeline on their website - a perfect place for the Salem enthusiast to take a deeper dive. salem.org will feature 10-15 points from each century with some expanded information about key moments.

It was a pleasure to work with the amazing team at Destination Salem and Sperling Interactive to get this launched. We couldn't have done the hard work without the talented research from David Moffat and the inquisitive historical knowledge of Salem offered by Jen Ratliff!