Salem’s Public Store decorated as it might have been in the 1800s

Before the United States’ federal income tax was established in 1913, taxes on imported goods made up 97 percent of federal revenue. Whenever a merchant ship returned from a foreign country, customs workers would set up scales at the wharf and weigh the cargo as it was unloaded. Taxes were determined by the weight or volume of various products, and these taxes were paid inside the Custom House. Even back in the late 1700s and early 1800s, a tax of $50,000 on a ship’s cargo was not uncommon, and it wasn’t unheard of for $100,000 to be collected. If taxes were not paid, the cargo was stored in warehouses known as Public Stores (aka bonded warehouses) until either somebody came up with the money or the cargo was transferred onto a ship destined for another U. S. port (import taxes were paid at the final destination).

The existing Public Store is located on the backside of the Custom House and is actually attached to the building, though there are no doorways connecting the two. To access the warehouse, Customs officials had to exit the Custom House and walk around to the back of the building. There were other smaller warehouse buildings in the yard, but none exist today. The U. S. Customs Service used the Public Store from when it was built in 1819 all the way up until 1935 when both it and the Custom House were transferred to the National Park Service for inclusion in the new Salem Maritime National Historic Site.

Entrance to the Public Store on the backside of the Custom House

The Public Store is open whenever the Custom House is open. It is decorated with goods just as it might have been back in the 1800s. There is also a short audio presentation that is started with the push of a button.

Inside the Public Stores

Back to the Top