Charlotte Forten Park

Charlotte Forten Park is a waterfront green space in Salem honoring Charlotte Forten, the abolitionist, educator, poet and women’s rights activist who was Salem State University’s first African American graduate. The roughly 25,000-square-foot park includes a plaza for programs and performances, a harborwalk along the South River, swing seats facing the water, built-in percussion features and green space. It can connect downtown Salem with the Point neighborhood and the historic waterfront.

Forten grew up in a prominent abolitionist family in Philadelphia and came to Salem seeking an equal education, graduating from the Salem Normal School, now Salem State, with the class of 1856. She faced inequality because of her race and gender and used her writing to voice her frustrations and advocate for solutions. Her work as a poet and translator made her a leading voice for equality, education for all and the end of slavery.

What to Know

• Forten was the first Northern African American teacher to go south to teach formerly enslaved people.
• The park is Salem’s newest green space.
• It is listed by Destination Salem among the city’s outdoor attractions.