Pamela Stevens

Salisbury Beach (Ma) (Images of America) Pamela Stevens

Salisbury Beach, surrounded by marshes and folklore of buried treasure, has long been a mecca for summer vacationers. In the "good ole summertime" of the 1890s, Salisbury Beach became the favorite resort of residents of the Merrimack Valley. Was it the magnetic force of the tide that beckoned people to the seaside, or was it the carefree carnival attitude that followed the Victorian era? Passengers arrived by horse, boat, train, electric trolley, and

then by automobile to picnic on the beach and partake of the healthy sea air. By the light of the moon and the roar of the surf, couples danced the sultry summer nights away in the Ocean Echo and later at the Frolics. With the recent demolition of the Frolics, those evenings of dancing cheek to cheek to the music of Lionel Hampton and Frank Sinatra reside now only in memories. But for a brief

moment in time, the gleaming white roller coaster towered like a giant skeleton over the amusement park while music piped out of the turret of the Ocean Echo Hotel, adding to the festive mood of the crowd.