USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume I > Part 25
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1
BIRTHPLACE OF GEN. ISRAEL PUTNAM, DANVERS
REBECCA NURSE HOUSE, DANVERS
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
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TOWN OF DANVERS
The river makes up from the ocean to Danversport, where it divides there much as one's three fingers might illustrate. These streams are known as Water's, Crane's and Porter's. The Orchard farm comprised the peninsula between Water's and Crane; that between Crane and Por- ter's, where now stands the village of Danversport, was granted at the same time with the Orchard farm to the Rev. Samuel Skelton, a min- ister of Salem.
On the old estate of Captain William Hathorne, soldier, lawyer, judge and legislator, stands the Danvers Lunatic Hospital-a dozen great buildings in one, and whose roofs and pinnacles with central tower can be seen for miles around, and served many a year as a landmark for the tempest-tossed fishing fleets far out from the harbor.
The three illustrious families of Putnams were of the pioneer band of what is now Danvers. John, the American ancestor, came from Eng- land when well along in years. He had three sons-Thomas, near Ha- thorne's Hill; Nathaniel, near the mill-pond; John, at Oak Knoll.
No history of Danvers will be complete without a full account of the part which it took in the settlement of the Northwest Territory. The earliest wagon train, under command of Captain Haffield White, a Danvers man, started on its long journey from here. General Rufus Putnam, Washington's friend, a famous engineer of the Revolution, pre- sided in the convention at Boston, March 1, 1786, at which the Ohio Com- pany was formed, and April 7, 1788, he laid out at Marietta the first per- manent settlement in Ohio. Major Ezra Putnam, his cousin, also a grandson of Deacon Edward, was another of the Ohio pioneers. Nearer home, another descendant of Deacon Edward, Oliver Putnam, honored the family name by establishing at Newburyport the Putnam Free School.
Danvers became a separate municipality January 25, 1752. For a number of years the people of this section had desired to become in- dependent of Salem, both as the Village and the Middle Parish. The full text of the Incorporation Act is as follows:
Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi &c, Vicessimo Quinto.
An act for erecting the village parish and middle Parish so called, in the town of Salem, into a distinct and separate district by the name of Danvers.
Whereas, the town of Salem is very large and the inhabitants of the village and middle parishes so called within ye same (many of them at least) live att a great Distance from that part of Salem where the Public affairs of the Town are tran- sacted and also from the Grammar Schools which is kept in ye sd first parish.
And whereas, most of the inhabitants of the first sd Parish are either merchants, traders or mechanicks and those of ye sd village and middle parishes are chiefly husbandmen, by means whereof many disputes & difficulties have Arrissen and May hereafter arise in the management of their public Affairs Together & Especially touching ye Apportioning, the Publick Taxes For preventing of which Inconveni- ences for the future.
Be it Enacted by the Lieutenant Governor Council and House of Representatives, That that part of ye sd town of Salem which now constitutes the village and Middle
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parishes in sd Town according to their boundaries and the inhabitants therein be Erected into a separate and distinct District by the name of Danvers, and that said inhabitants shall do the duties that are Required and Enjoyned on other towns, and Enjoy all the powers, privileges and Immunities that Towns, in this province by Law enjoy, except that of chuesing and sending one or more Representatives to Represent them att ye Genll Assembly etc.
Jany 25, 1752.
A "District" then was really the same as a "Town," except that its citizens had no Representatives in the Legislature.
The name Danvers is still a disputed question. It may have been so called for D'Anvers, an English family, of French origin, however. There is only one other town of this name in America-that in McLean county, Illinois, which was named for the Massachusetts town.
After two years from organization, the boundary lines between this and adjoining towns were surveyed. This with other things made the citizens of the proposed town more anxious than ever before to become a real town, so February 3, 1775, they passed a vote "that in the minds of the inhabitants that the said District be erected into a separate Town Ship, & that said Daniel Epes, Junr., Esq., be and is hereby desired and impowered to prefer a petition to the Great and General Court and to use his Endeavours to get the same affected." However, the matter was deferred by the parent town of Salem until June 9, 1757. The population was then about 2,000 souls. In 1776 it had 2,284; in 1820 it was 3,646; in 1840 it was 5,030; in 1880 it was 6,600; while it now has 11,108.
In 1794 maps and corrected surveys were ordered made by the selectmen of the town, but nothing materialized along this line until the next year, when the work was so poorly done that sixteen years later three lawyers-Northend, Abbott and Proctor-were directed to make a complete survey for the correction of former plats.
Commencing in 1816 and continuing a half century, it was the cus- tom in Danvers for her people to be reminded of the dinner hour and of bedtime by the ringing of the church bells. This cost the taxpayers $25 per year for each church in the town of Danvers. In 1784 there were only twenty-three persons able to own or "ride in chaises" in the town of Danvers.
In 1815 the following resolutions were passed at the town meeting relative to vaccination for small-pox, etc .:
Resolved, That this town entertains a high opinion of Vaccination and considers it (when skilfully conducted) a sure and certain substitute for Small Pox.
Resolved, That this Meeting deems it the indispensable duty of a community to make use of the means that Divine Providence has given us to guard against every impending evil to which we are exposed, especially those which involve the health or the Lives of the Inhabitants. [This was very soon after the discovery had been made by Jenner, of the effectiveness of vaccination].
There were a few slaves owned in Danvers before slavery was abol- ished in Massachusetts. At the time Danvers was separated from Sa-
THE NEW YCH PUBLIC LIBR
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AUTOR, LENO KULDEN FOUND
JOHN G. WHITTIER
"OAK KNOLL," DANVERS, LAST HOME OF THE QUAKER POET
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TOWN OF DANVERS
lem, there were twenty-five such chattels, sixteen of whom were women. Among interesting documents along this subject, still carefully pre- served, is the following:
Danvers, April 19, 1766.
Rec'd of Mr. Jeremiah Page Fifty-eight pounds thirteen shillings and four pence lawful money and a Negro woman called Dinah which is in full for a Negro girl called Combo and a Negro girl called Cate and a Negro child called Deliverance or Dill, which I now sell and Deliver to ye said Jeremiah Page.
JOHN TAPLEY.
Witnesses: Jona Bancroft, Ezek Marsh.
The great anti-slavery advocate, William Lloyd Garrison, a native of Essex county, Massachusetts, had many followers in and near Dan- vers. With the birth of the Republican party in 1856, Danvers voters promptly wheeled into line. Out of a total vote of 1,382 cast in 1856, 1076 were cast for the Republican candidates. In 1860, John G. Whit- tier (poet) received 564 votes to 125 for S. Endicott Peabody, of Salem, for presidential elector. Later votes were as follows: 1868-U. S. Grant, Republican, 720; Horatio Seymour, Dem., 204. 1872-U. S. Grant, Republican, 545; Horace Greeley, Dem., 195. 1876-R. B. Hayes, Republican, 701; S. J. Tilden, Dem., 335. 1880-Gen. James A. Garfield, Republican, 637; W. S. Hancock, Dem., 295. 1884-James G. Blaine, Republican, 565; Grover Cleveland, Dem., 276.
June 16, 1852, Danvers being one hundred years old, celebrated the event with much interest. A procession wended its way for a mile and a half. The town raised nearly a thousand dollars to entertain visiting guests. The greatest entertainment was showing off the fire-engines "Ocean" and "Eagle." Speeches and toasts were a part of the long pro- gramme, and the two hundred page booklet now filed in many homes in Danvers, gives an account of the "Centennial."
The town records show that there were two old offices that are not now known to the taxpayers of these later generations. Under the Act of February 13, 1789, any town might "give liberty for swine to go at large during the whole or a part of the year," provided they were yoked throughout the spring and summer, and "constantly ringed in the nose," the legal yoke to be "the full depth of the swines neck, above the neck, and half as much below the neck, and the soal, or bottom of the yoke full three times as long as the breadth or thickness of the swines." To see that this law was properly enforced, officers known as "hogreeves" were regularly elected until 1827.
In 1752, Daniel Rea was commissioned "to take care of ye laws Relating to ye Preservation of Deer be observed." "Deer reeves" were chosen from 1765 to 1797. The last to hold such position were Eleazer Putnam and Timothy Fuller.
The town officers of Danvers in 1920-21 were as follows: Moderator, A. Preston Chase; Town Clerk, Julius Peale; Collector, A. Preston
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Chase; Town Treasurer, A. Preston Chase; Selectmen: W. Arthur Webb, David S. Brown, and J. Ellis Nightingale; Assessors: John T. Carroll, Henry G. Hathorne, Benj. S. Newhall; Town Counsel, Harry E. Jackson; Auditor, Frank L. Winslow; Overseers of the Poor: James O. Perry, E. Beecher Williams, J. Fred Hussey; Superintendent of Streets, Josiah B. Brown; Pound-keeper, Michael H. Burns; Superintendent of Schools, Harrie J. Phipps; Chief of Police, Timothy J. Connors; Inspector of Animals, Charles S. Moore, D.V.S .; Tree Warden, Thomas E. Tinsley ; Forest Fire Warden, Michael H. Barry; Burial Agent, Isaac E. Frye; and numerous appointive officers and committees.
In 1900 the population of Danvers was 8,542; in 1910 it was 9,407 and the last Federal census gives it as 11,108. The present lodges in- cluded these-Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Knights of Co- lumbus, Ancient Order of United Workmen. The present churches, which are treated in a general chapter for the county of Essex, include these: Maple Street Congregational Church, Roman Catholic church, Methodist Episcopal church, Baptist church and the Episcopal.
The present industries are confined to the Marsh Consolidated Elec- tric Lamp Factory and the following shoe factory plants: Clapp & Tapley, Ideal Baby Shoe Company, Marston & Tapley (incorporated), Herbert A. Miller and John P. Nangle. There are two other manufac- turing plants, the Massachusetts Iron & Steel Company's plant and the Standard Crayon Company's.
At a very early day in the history of Danvers, there were several large brick-making plants, with plenty of good clay at hand to supply the people with brick, but for some reason few took advantage of this nature's best building material, and constructed most of their houses from lumber. The same is true today-nearly all the houses are frame.
The water-works at Danvers were installed in 1876, and have been enlarged and extended in keeping with the growth of the town.
The Danvers Board of Trade was organized in 1916, and has been doing much for the business interests of the place ever since.
The Danvers Historical Society was organized July 29, 1889, and meets monthly in its home headquarters in the old Page residence. Its officers in 1921 were as follows: President, Charles H. Preston; Vice- Presidents: George B. Sears, Lester H. Couch; Secretary, Harriet S. Tapley; Assistant Secretary, Alice F. Hammond; Treasurer, Annie G. Perley; Collector, Mrs. H. Freeman Kimball; Curator, Captain Henry N. Comey; Assistant Curator, Mrs. George W. Towne; Librarian, Lawrence W. Jenkins; Historian, Andrew Nichols; Executive Commit- tee: Walter A. Tapley, George W. Emerson, Loring B. Goodale, Olive F. Flint, Annie W. Hammond; Publication Committee: Andrew Nichols, Harriet S. Tapley, Charles H. Preston. The membership of this society is upwards of five hundred, and the annual dues are one dollar. The Page residence, in which the headquarters of the society are kept, is
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEM FOUNDATIONS
PEABODY INSTITUTE, DANVERS
ST. JOHN'S SCHOOL, ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, DANVERS
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TOWN OF DANVERS
among the very first good frame buildings erected in Danvers, and was constructed back in the eighteenth century. It has been occupied all these years by members of the Page family, and the custodian of the premises is a granddaughter of the original owner and builder. Herein are collected many ancient relics, papers, furniture, etc.
The Danvers Home for The Aged was established here in June, 1903. Peabody Institute was founded by that great philanthropist; George Peabody, and was incorporated by the Massachusetts Legisla- ture in March, 1882. A public library connected with this institution was founded as early as 1866, and has many rare and valuable volumes.
From a very early date Danvers has been known throughout the Union by its prolific growth of "Danvers Early Red" onions, making it as wide- ly known among gardeners as the Wethersfield section of Connecticut is by its wonderful growth of onions. The soil seems peculiarly adapted for the growth of excellent vegetables, including the onion.
The famous Endicott pear tree at Danvers, which was set out by Governor John Endicott in 1631, is still bearing its annual crop of pears, although it is now two hundred and ninety years old. It was planted by Governor Endicott in a sheltered spot near the Danvers river. Once it was surrounded by other pear trees, but all have long since decayed. An Endicott, seventy-five years ago, sending fruit from this pioneer tree, said to a friend that this tree had outlived ten English monarchs. Since the statement was written, two more British Sovereigns-Queen Vic- toria and King Edward VII-have reigned and died, and the old tree at Danvers continues to bear fruit. It receives loving care and is account- ed priceless by the Endicott family as well as by all who see it. In its vicinity camped General Gage's British army, and General Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Daniel Webster are among the giants of Ameri- can history who have visited it and eaten of its fruit. A substantial fence now protects it, save from the touch of the severe elements. This pear tree is now in possession of the ninth generation in ancestral line from Governor Endicott.
Church History-The following is by the Rev. A. V. House:
Since the comprehensive history of Essex County was issued in 1888, events in connection with the churches of Danvers have been largely of a routine nature. The former history, from the hand of Judge Alden Perley White, gave a full account of the different ecclesiastical organizations down to about the time when the work appeared, relating the story with fine appreciation and insight. Anyone interested in the early church history of Danvers is referred to that source of information.
It would be a labor of love to enter into those chapters of earlier history for the setting of the picture of these later times. To two of the churches, the First and the Baptist, and, in lesser degree, the Uni- versalist, there have been granted length of days and long life. Their history is replete with the interest and significance attaching to the be- ginning and gradual moulding of community life. But all this we must turn aside from, however reluctantly, and give ourselves in the main to
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a review of the brief period since the former publication. If it must be said that this later span has been characterized by few features of dram- atic interest or of unusual departure from the steady progress of institu- tional life, perhaps that fact of itself reveals a condition honorable and praiseworthy. The churches of Danvers are a well-established element in the life of the town. They are thriving and successful, and their very steadiness of effort and progress is an indication of normality and health.
Approximately the territory now embraced within the limits of Dan- vers was originally known as Salem Village, being included within the confines of Salem, the mother town. What was in effect a church was instituted in 1672 in the section of Salem Village which later under the town organization came to be designated as Danvers Centre, (now Danvers Highlands). The people of Salem Village had their own meet- ing house and resident minister, though, owing to the disinclination of the mother church in Salem to part with so large a portion of her num- bers, the separate church organization was not formed till 1689. Church life in Danvers, however, properly dates from 1672, when the congre- gation was gathered and preaching begun. The church later organized is now incorporated as The First Church of Danvers.
The First Church of Danvers-At the time of the former writing, the pastor of the First Church was Rev. Charles Baker Rice, D.D. Dr. Rice was settled as pastor September 2, 1863. During his administra- tion the church observed the two-hundredth anniversary of the begin- ning of preaching in Salem Village. At the time of that notable cele- bration, October, 1872, the church was worshiping in a beautiful meet- ing house of colonial type erected in 1839. This house, shortly after having been remodelled at considerable expense, was totally destroyed by fire, January 28, 1890. Steps were immediately taken to rebuild. While plans were in progress, after worshiping for a time in the Methodist Episcopal Church in Tapleyville Sunday afternoons, the use of that house having been graciously offered by the sister organization, a tem- porary building was erected on Hobart street, just east of the parsonage. This was called the Tabernacle, and was the scene of hearty and hope- ful church activity until the completion of the new permanent building. This building, the present meeting-house, was dedicated September 2, 1891; the cost for building and furnishing was about $25,000. The house is finely appointed and affords excellent facilities for worship, Sun- day school and social work.
Dr. Rice resigned in 1894 to become secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Pastoral Supply. His pastorate closed September 2 of that year, exactly thirty-one years from the date of his installation. His was the last of the old-time long pastorates, those preceding being the pastorates of Joseph Green, Peter Clark, Benjamin Wadsworth and Mil- ton Parker Braman. The average term of these five, consecutive from 1698 to 1894, was thirty-seven and two-fifth years. The ministry of Dr. Rice was on the same high level as those of his distinguished pre- decessors, and his memory is cherished in the parish and throughout the town.
The pastors since Dr. Rice have been: Curtis M. Geer, Jan. 31, 1895 -April 8, 1897; Harry C. Adams, Sept. 22, 1897-Oct. 3, 1909; Charles S. Bodwell, March 10, 1910-Sept. 28, 1913. Albert V. House, the pres- ent pastor, began work October 1, 1914, and was formally installed De- cember 10, of the same year.
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TOWN OF DANVERS
The membership reported January 1, 1921, was as follows: Church, 195; Sunday school, 181; Young Peoples' Society of Christian Endeavor, 35; Ladies' Benevolent Society, 80; Men's Club, 65.
The Men's Club is a social organization among the men of the com- munity and is not organically connected with the church. It was pro- jected, however, as an outcome of the interest of the church in the social life of the neighborhood, and conducts its work in sympathy with the parent institution.
The Sunday School of the First Church was one of the first to be organized in this country. It observed its centennial on Sunday, No- vember 17, 1918. At the morning service of the church an historical address was given by Deacon George William French, and on the follow- ing Tuesday evening the event was further commemorated with ad- dresses by both present and old-time members, and the reading of let- ters from absent ones.
Of recent years, the old double organization of church and society or parish has been abolished. The institution is now incorporated as the First Church of Danvers, Congregational.
The field of the church, territorially speaking, has inevitably nar- rowed as time has gone by. At the beginning she had all of Salem Vil- lage to draw upon. Worshipers came from as far as Will's Hill, now Middleton Square, and Phelp's Mill in West Peabody. In a day when churchgoing was well-night universal, the house was filled from Sabbath to Sabbath. For over one hundred years the church stood alone in this wide region. With the institution of Baptist and Universalist work and the founding of the Middleton church, she began to suffer loss, though the plentitude of her strength was such as to make that loss almost negligible. Far down into the nineteenth century her life was maintained in its original dignity and impressiveness. As late as the day of Dr. Braman, who closed his pastorate in 1861, the meeting-house at "the Centre" was on each recurring Sunday the mecca for thronging hundreds.
But since then, the organization of other churches, needed where they are placed, has materially reduced the territory she serves. Mod- ern methods of transportation have also turned to other churches many who in former days were of her constituency. But, in spite of all this, she feels that her future is ahead of her. Her people of today cherish the memory of the great personages, ministers and laymen, who have adorned her history and dwell lovingly upon her sacred traditions. Yet their look is a forward look. They steadfastly hope that "the best is yet to be." In the old days a citadel of Puritan thought and later, having a name as conservative, the church today, as always, "loves the light," and is endeavoring to adjust herself to the demands of the new times.
Recognizing the requirements for a broader outlook and effort than in the past, yet not abating her emphasis upon the things of the spirit, she is striving to maintain and perpetuate her old prestige and influ- ence. Her formal confession of faith, the so-called "Kansas City Plat- form" set forth by the Congregational National Council in 1913, is de- signed to afford standing ground for any true Christian, and the church has coupled with this confession the following minute, composed and suggested by the pastor, Rev. A. V. House: "While we adopt as our own this statement as comprehending the essentials of our faith, we do not regard it as a finality in revelation or impose a creedal test for
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membership in the church. We welcome to our fellowship all who, as disciples of Jesus, strive to know and do the will of God."
The two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of "the beginning of preaching in Salem Village" will occur in 1922. Committees have al- ready been appointed to plan for its proper observance.
The Baptist Church-Second only in point of age to the First Church and boasting more than a century and a quarter of organized life, is the Baptist Church at Danversport. As in the case of the First Church, a congregation was gathered and stated preaching enjoyed some years previous to the formal organization of the church. As far back as No- vember 12, 1781, a society was formed for the prosecution of Baptist work. The movement which led to this consummation was largely the result of labor by Rev. Benjamin Foster. Mr. Foster, a brother of Gen- eral Gideon Foster, was born in Danvers in 1750. While a student in Yale he espoused Baptist views, and after graduation was ordained as a Baptist minister. While engaged in pastoral service elsewhere, he preached as occasion permitted in his home town. Gradually a com- pany devoted to Baptist principles was formed. When in course of time a measure of strength had been attained such as to warrant regularly organized work, a society was constituted, as before mentioned. The people felt the need of a settled minister and naturally turned to Ben- jamin Foster, and he became their acting pastor in 1782. The first meeting house was occupied the year following. Mr. Foster continued his relation to the little company in Danvers until his call in 1788 to the pastorate of the First Baptist Church of New York. For a time after his departure there was no resident minister. Rev. Thomas Green, who was the next to settle in that capacity, took up the work in April, 1793, and on Tuesday, July 16 of that year, the formal organization of the church was effected, Mr. Green being chosen the first pastor. The ter- ritory covered by the church included Salem, Beverly, Wenham and Middleton, the churches of the first three named having since been set off from its membership.
Mention should be made, even at the risk of delving too deeply in old-time matters, of Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin. He came to the pastorate a youth of twenty-six, in May, 1802, and prolonged his stay sixteen years. He was a man of great ability and scholarship, and distinguished his pastorate by establishing a school for the training of young men looking to the ministry, said to have been the first Baptist school of its kind in America. After the manner of the olden times, the parson was the whole faculty of instruction. Dr. Chaplin had at one time as many as fourteen students pursuing their work under him, a responsibility which he cheerfully carried in addition to the burden of his pastoral duties. He relinquished his office in 1818 to accept the presidency of Waterville College, Maine, later known as Colby University.
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