Jerome M. Curley

Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, as part of the City’s once large French Canadian community, Nelson attended Salem High School and North Shore Community College where he studied Fire Science. He began to collect material about the Great Salem Fire of 1914 while in high school, and started his career in emergency service as a volunteer for the Salem Red Cross Chapter. Nelson also joined a local emergency group. As an active member of this group, he attended several courses at the Massachusetts Civil Defense Academy in Topsfield, Massachusetts. Nelson served with the Army Intelligence Corps from 1965 to 1969.

In 1978 Nelson was appointed to the Salem Police Department, which put him in a position to gather current information about Salem. At the time, Salem was in the midst of a massive urban renewal project, and Nelson knew his collection would document buildings and streetscapes that were being demolished. In 1992, an injury Nelson suffered while on duty as a police officer led to his disability retirement in 1995 and to a series of illnesses that have given him the opportunity to read and expand his collection. In recent years, he has been “surfing the internet” for more Salem material.

Over the years, Nelson has provided many authors with photographs and printed materials, and in 2011 he joined with Jerome Curley to publish his first book, "Salem, Then & Now," for Arcadia Publishing. Unlike most collectors of Salem history, Nelson specializes in Salem’s “Industrial Century,” post-Civil War up to the present day. He has no intention of retiring!

Eventually, after over fifty years of collecting, Nelson turned over his archive to Salem State University's Archives and Special Collections in 2013. The Nelson Dionne Salem History Collection is now preserved and accessible to all. And The Nelson Dionne Salem History Fund wants your support! (Contact Salem State Archives.)

That same year, 2013, Nelson was awarded the coveted Prize for Collecting Works on Paper by Historic New England, one of the nation’s oldest historic preservation organizations. He donated his collection of items suitable for display to the Salem Museum at Old Town Hall.

Nelson then launched the book series "Salem's Forgotten Stories" to share information and images from his collection by theme, or by "story." The first book, "Coast Guard Air Station Salem, 1935-1970," written by Bonnie Hurd Smith and designed by Hardy House, is being published via Amazon's Create Space.

His next book, also written by Bonnie Hurd Smith, is "Salem Serves" -- a look at four centuries of military history sites in Salem.

Bonnie's publishing company, Hurd Smith Communications, is the publisher of "Salem's Forgotten Stories." You can find out much more about the series at our website and FB page.

Nelson Dionne resides on the North Shore, and he is available for talks and book signings.