Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the beaches of Gloucester, Ipswich and Revere. Originally known as Salem Village, the village was most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials. It was also the site of Danvers State Hospital, one of the state's 19th-century psychiatric hospitals. Danvers is a local center of commerce, hosting many car dealerships and the Liberty Tree Mall. As of the 2020 United States Census, the town's population was 28,087.
History Pre-Columbian era The area was long settled by indigenous cultures of Native Americans. In the historic period, the Massachusett, a tribe of the Algonquian language family, dominated the area.
The land that is now Danvers was once owned by the Naumkeag branch of the Massachusett tribe.
17th century, Salem Village Around 1630, English colonists improved an existing Naumkeag trail as the Old Spanish Road, creating a connection to the main cities of Salem and Boston.Hanson, J. W. (John Wesley). History of the Town of Danvers: From its Early Settlement to the Year 1848. 1848. Salem, Mass.: Higginson Book, 1987. Danvers was permanently settled in 1636 as Salem Village. The historical event for which Danvers is best-known is the Salem witch trials of 1692, which began in the home of Rev. Samuel Parris, and spread throughout the region. Resident Rebecca Nurse was convicted in a trial for witchcraft and executed, along with 19 other innocent victims. The Rebecca Nurse Homestead is still standing in Danvers, and can be visited as a historical landmark.
18th century, Danvers The residents of Salem Village petitioned the Massachusetts General Court several times over the following decades to become a town separate from Salem beginning as early as 1733. In 1752, the General Court finally separated Danvers from Salem, but established Danvers as an independent self-governing "district" instead of incorporating it as a town, because of a royal prohibition against creating new towns in Massachusetts. A district had all the rights and powers of a town except the ability to send representatives to the legislature. Following the refusal to admit Danvers to township, 5 out of the 18 Essex County, Massachusetts towns didn't send any representatives and some larger towns like Wenham and Middleton sent only 1 out of their 2 representatives during the 1751-52 meetings of Massachusetts General Court. Danvers was likely named for Danvers Osborn, and 1752 is the date locally commemorated on major anniversaries as the creation of Danvers, despite it not being incorporated yet at that time, because that is when it received its name.
On June 9, 1757, Massachusetts incorporated Danvers as a town regardless of the royal prohibition and, according to legend, King George II later vetoed this act of incorporation and returned it with the message "The King Unwilling". Massachusetts simply ignored this royal veto, which was later included on the town's seal.
Danvers was a heavy supporter of the revolution after the refusal by King George II to grant them township. Danvers has been thought to be the home of the first shot of the revolution in recent times, contrary to the typical retelling of the shot heard round the world. On June 2, 1774, after the events of the Boston Tea Party, Governor General Thomas Gage marched to Danvers in an 87-day occupation of the Northeast of Massachusetts. General Gage officially moved the capital of Massachusetts to Salem for the short occupation. The occupation spanned from June 2, 1774, to August 27, 1774. General Gage left Danvers in August as General Benedict Arnold marched a force of 1,100 continental troops from Cambridge to Quebec City into the northeast on the path to his later invasion of Quebec, where the groups then exchanged gunfire.
From the Battle of Lexington even back to the King Phillips War and onward, Danvers residents have participated in the armed forces. Noteworthy Revolutionary figures who stayed in Danvers include Royal Governor General Thomas Gage and Benedict Arnold. Arnold Plaque is found at 1 Conant Street.
In 1776, the Danvers town meeting voted to support the continental congress in the American Revolution, formally expressing their support.
19th century In 1845, a fire dubbed "The Great Danvers Fire" swept through Danvers square, destroying 18 buildings. That same year James Fossa then purchased Fossa Block, which would later become a part of the new Danvers square downtown area. The block was officially built in 1915, and many business began to operate in and around the arena throughout the following years.
In 1847, the railroad came to Danvers. A street railway was installed in 1884, originally consisting of 69 horse-drawn trolleys. This system was later converted to electricity.
The Town Hall was built in 1855. It has been modified and renovated and is still in use. Also in 1855, the southern portion of Danvers broke away to become the town of South Danvers, later renamed Peabody.
In 1878, the Danvers State Hospital opened its doors. This was an institution to provide asylum and treatment for the mentally ill.
Originally an agricultural town, Danvers farmers developed two breeds of vegetables: the Danvers Onion (origin of the "Oniontown" nickname) and the Danvers Half-Long Carrot."Historical Sites of Danvers" Etext.virginia.edu, Retrieved on November 16, 2009 This carrot was introduced by "market gardeners"Carrots History Carrotmuseum.co.uk, Retrieved on February 26, 2009 in 1871.
In 1889, The Danvers Historical Society was founded by Reverend Alfred Porter Putnam D.D. Danvers Electric was founded that same year and became the first publicly owned Municipal Light Plant in Massachusetts.
Shoe manufacturing was a prominent industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Successful manufacturing companies included Ideal Baby Shoe. Local shoe companies were undercut in price by factories in other areas, and shoe manufacturing moved out.
In 1935, the Danvers branch of the U.S. post office was opened. In 1958, a Nike missile site was built on the Danvers-Topsfield line to protect Boston from Soviet bombers it was later decommissioned in 1974.
The towns first shopping mall the Liberty Tree Mall was opened in 1972. Around this time many car dealerships began to open in Danvers such as GMC, Ira, Kia and Honda.
The Danvers state Hospital official closed in 1992, and was later turned into an apartment complex in 2008.
In 2007, a CoCo Key Water Resort opened in Danvers, in 2008, it was ordered to close by the state of Massachusetts after families reported chemical burns on their children due to high chloramine levels; fifteen times the allowed limit. In 2012, the CoCo Key had a $10,000,000 renovation and a hotel rebrand to the DoubleTree by Hilton–Northshore after a franchise agreement. The water park was kept.
During the 2020s Danvers has begun to make multiple developments to their downtown properties.
Chemical plant explosion
On November 22, 2006, around 2:46 a.m., a major chemical explosion occurred at a facility housing Arnel Company (a manufacturer of industrial-use paint products) and CAI Inc. (a manufacturer of solvents and inks). The blast shook several North Shore towns, knocking homes off foundations and damaging buildings up to half a mile away. Glass windows shattered at least away, in neighboring Peabody and even in downtown Salem. The explosion was heard and felt up to away; the concussion was intense.
No one was killed, and none of the injuries were life-threatening, according to Fire Chief Jim Tutko. Approximately 90 homes were damaged. Residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the blast were taken to Danvers High School, where the Red Cross established a relief shelter. The blast occurred next to a marina, a bakery/pizza shop, and a gas station, and across the street from Eastern Propane Gas.
A May 13, 2008, report from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board attributed the explosion to unintentional overnight heating of an ink-mixing tank containing flammable solvents.
Films Movies filmed in Danvers, Massachusetts include:
Hubie Halloween (2019) Ted 2 (2015) Crooked Arrows (2012) Session 9 (2001) Home Before Dark (1958)
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, Danvers has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.75%, is water. The tidal Danvers River begins near the southeast corner of town, and is formed by the confluence of the Porter River, Crane River and Waters River. These rivers, in turn, are fed by several brooks. The Ipswich River also flows along the town's western border. The Putnamville Reservoir lies in the north end of the town, which supplies drinking water to the towns of Salem and Beverly.
Though being at sea level in the Danversport area, the town has numerous hills reaching around 130 to 180 feet in elevation, including Dales Hill (located at St. John's Preparatory School), Ferncroft Hill, Folly Hill, Hathorne Hill, Lindall Hill, Nichols Hill, Putnam Hill, Rocky Hill and Whipple Hill (part of Endicott Park).
Danvers has numerous villages dating back to the late 1800s, when the town had a bustling railroad. These include Burley's Corner, Danvers Center, Danversport, Downtown, Ferncroft, Hathorne (which still has its own post office and ZIP code of 01937), Putnamville and Tapleyville.
Transportation Danvers is located approximately north of Downtown Boston,"Massachusetts student, 14, charged with murder of high school teacher". Associated Press. Wednesday, October 23, 2013. Retrieved on October 23, 2013. nearly halfway between Boston and the New Hampshire state border. It is bordered by Topsfield to the north, Wenham to the northeast, Beverly to the east, a small portion of Salem to the southeast, Peabody to the south and southwest, and Middleton to the northwest. The town center lies north of Salem, west of Gloucester, northeast of Boston, and southeast of Salem, New Hampshire. Interstate 95 and Massachusetts Route 128 both pass through the town, just east of their junction in Peabody. U.S. Route 1 also passes through town, with a large junction with Interstate 95 in the northwestern end of town. The main highways are also crossed by Route 35, Route 62 and Route 114, with Routes 35 and 62 intersecting just north of the town center. The northern terminus of Route 35 is just over the Topsfield town line, where it meets Route 97.
Several MBTA bus routes pass through the town, between Peabody and Beverly. There is no commuter rail service within town; the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail passes through neighboring Salem and Beverly. Two lines of the Springfield Terminal railroad, running through Springfield, Massachusetts, also cross through town, merging near the town center to head north.
Two runways of the Beverly Municipal Airport cross through the town. In the early 1950s, Earle F. Robbins constructed Robbins Airport, a private airfield, on his property on Collins Street extending to Prince Street. The airport closed in the 1980s and was demolished in the 1990s. The nearest regularly scheduled commercial flights are located at Boston's Logan International Airport. In August 2024, the Danvers Logan Express bus service began operating at the Liberty Tree Mall, it had previously operated out of the Northshore Mall in Peabody.
Demographics