The Charter Street Cemetery is Salem's oldest known place of interment and the resting place of several prominent early settlers. Each year, thousands of visitors walk among the hundreds of intricately carved slate tablet markers, making the one-acre burying ground one of Salem's most popular tourist attractions. This heavy foot traffic has resulted in soil compaction, tree damage, and degradation of gravestones, making the landscape appear tired and worn.

To address the cemetery's condition, the City of Salem hired Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture, LLC to prepare a plan to restore the entire cemetery landscape. Included in the plan are tree removals and replacement with new tree species; fence restoration and replacement; upgrades to the two cemetery entrances; and construction of a looping walkway leading to all corners of the cemetery. Subtle in-ground lighting, placed along the north and south edges, will provide ambient illumination and, at the same time, upgrade visibility within the cemetery.