UMASS/AMHERST 3]iEDbtDllfl6Dbb3 CHRONICLES OF DANVCRS OLD SALEM VILLAGE Harriet Silvester Tapley i863' DATE DUE UNIV. OF MASSACHUSETTS/AMHERST LIBRARY F 74 02 T17 CARD ^^ K^c AC^Jit^ P'y^'-ty:^ /i l/U^^/-^/-i^ A^ /f2-~?. J I Chronicles of Danvers I (OLD SALEM VILLAGE) MASSACHUSETTS 1632 - 1923 By Harriet Silvester Tapley With Numerous Illustrations The Danvers Historical Society Danvers, Massachusetts 1923 Printed by NEWCOMB & GAUSS SALEM, MASS. 1923 Copyright 1923 HARRIET SILVESTER TAPLEY To THE Memory of REV. ALFRED PORTER PUTNAM, D. D., 1827-1906 A Loyal Son of Danvers Whose love for the Town of his birth, through a long Life of Distinguished Service in great centers of activity, was unabated, and whose devoted labor in the field of local history produced a rich harvest, invaluable to future generations. FOREWORD. The following pages were written in 1898, with the intention of bringing out a book for the use of the public schools in the study of local history. Circumstances prevented its publication at the time, and it is now offered, with much additional matter, as a chronological record of the principal events in the nearly three hun- dred years of community life in this important section of old Essex County. Cordial thanks are due to all who have assisted in the work, and especially to the Essex Institute, Peabody Historical Society, Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, Peabody Institute Library, Dan- vers, and the Danvers Mirror Press, for courtesy in loaning cuts. The author is also greatly indebted for valuable information to previous historians of Danvers, including Rev. Charles W. Upham, Judge Alden Perley White, Samuel P. Fowler, Rev. J. W. Hanson, Sidney Perley, Esq., Andrew Nichols, Rev. Alfred P. Putnam, D. D., Ezra D. Hines, Rev. Charles B. Rice, D. D., Dudley A. Massey, Frank Cousins, and others. H. S. T. April, 1923. CONTENTS. PAGES I. When We Belonged to Salem 1-41 II. The Old Town of Danvers 42-175 III. Danvers Since the Division 176-212 IV. Old and Historic Estates 213-248 V. Civil History 249-262 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Annunciation Church, .... facing -page 179 Baptist Church, 90 "Battle of Bunker Hill," Trumbull's Painting of, . . 64 "Battle of Stillwater," Broadside, 92 Bell Tavern and Lexington Monument, .... 68 Berry Tavern, 54, 55 Bishop, Bridget, Warrant Eeturn, ..... 24 Black, Major Moses, House of, 90,115 "Brooksby," Residence of Mrs. William Austin Smith, . 144 Browne, Mary Burnet, ....... 36 Browne, Hon. William, ....... 86 Browne, Hon. William, House of, 37 "Burley Farm," Residence of George Augustus Peabody, 240, 241 Calvary Church, 178 Collins House, 104 Crane River, ......... 21 Crane River and Water Street, 90 Danvers Centennial Celebration, ..... 161 Danvers Historical Society House, ..... 199 Danvers Home for the Aged^ ...... 206 Danvers Square in 1836, ....... 125 Danvers State Hospital, . . . . .193 Driver House, ......... 225 Eastern Railroad, First Timetable of, . . • . 155 Endecott, Governor John, ....... 5 Endecott House, 9 Endecott Pear Tree, 4 Endecott-Piemont-Leech Tavern, ..... 55 First Church, 1701-1786, 40 First Church of 1891, 201 Folly Hill, 39 Fowler, Samuel, House of, 118-120 (ix) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Essex Gardner, Lt. George, House of, General Court Act of 1676, "Glide," Ship, . Goodale, Isaac, House of, . Haines, Thomas, House of. Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Poem by, Holten, Judge Samuel, Holten, Judge Samuel, Residence of, Holten, Samuel, Newspaper Clipping Referring to his idency of Congress, Hooper, Hon. Robert, Houlton-Dempsey House, Houlton-Wilkins House, Howe Residence, Hutchinson, Col. Israel, Birthplace of, Hutchinson, Col. Israel, Home of, . . . Hutchinson-Kimball House, .... Independent Agricultural School of the County of Ipswich Road, . Jacobs, George, House of, .... Jacobs, George, Trial of, .... . Jordan Lodge, A. F. & A. M,, Signatures of Members "Leslie's Retreat at North Bridge," "The Lindens," "Locust Lawn," ....... Log Cabin in Harrison Campaign, Maple Street Church, "Maplebank," "Maplewood," Newhall-Massey House, "Margaret," Ship, Methodist Episcopal Church, Naumkeag House, ...... Needham, Anthony, House of, . Newburyport and Dan vers and Georgetown Railroads, table of ....... . Nichols, John, House of, .... . Nurse, Rebecca, House of, .... Pres- 129 20 121 43 33 169 58 59 58 64 33 224 65 75 17 193 8 28 29 of, 105, 110 69 233-235 215, 224 137 179 225 214 121 136 55 128 Time- 154 16 29 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XI ^'Oak Knoll," Omnibus on Salem and Danvers Koute, Osborn, Sir Danvers, and Birthplace of, Page, Col. Jeremiah, Kesidence of, Page, Capt. Samuel, Masonic Punch Bowl of, Page, Capt. Samuel, Residence of. Page, Capt. Samuel, Ship Lantern of, Peabody, George, ..... Peabody, George,British War Vessels Conveying Peabody, George, Inscription on Envelope sent by, Peabody, George, Timetable Issued for Funeral of, Peabody Farm Entrance, and Summer House, Peabody Institute, ..... Peabody Institute Library, Delivery Room, Peabody Medal, ...... Peabody Reception Arch at Danversport, Peabody Reception Arch on High Street, Peabody Reception, Arch on Maple Street, Petition for Separation from Salem, Phillips-Lawrence- Sanders House, Plan of a part of Danvers Highlands, 1730, Pope, Amos, Almanac of, Pope, Amos, Birthplace of. Porter, Gen. Moses, Porter, Gen. Moses, Birthplace of. Porter, John, House of, Porter, Zerubbabel, Shoe Factory of, Porter-Bradstreet House, Porter's River, .... Prince, Dr. Jonathan, House of, Prince-Osborne House, Putnam, Rev. Dr. Alfred Porter, Putnam, Dr. Amos, Putnam, Hon. Elias, House of, . Putnam, Gen. Israel, . Putnam, Gen. Israel, Birthplace of, Putnam, Col. Jesse, House of. Remains of 229 184 42 68 111 114 114 165 172 161 174 240, 242, 243 168, 169 173 172 160 160 164 41 225 49 100 101 74 101 12 101 16 12 65 25 198 43 206 64, 74 75, 214 206 Xll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Putnam, Judge Samuel, Putnam, Judge Samuel, Residence of, Putnam, Thomas, House of, Putnam Home, . Putnam-Clark House, Putnam-Crawford House, Putnam -Perry House, Putnam-Preston Peabody House, Putnam-Sears House, Putnam's Pond and Mill, Rea-Dodge House, Rea-Putnam- Fowler House, Read, Hon. Nathan, . Read-Crowninshield-Porter House, "Riverbank," Residence of John Frederick St. John's Preparatory School, . Silvester, Joshua, Residence of, Skelton's Neck Division, Starting for the Ohio, Summer House on the Peabody Farm, Town Hall and High School, Training Field and Upton Tavern, Unitarian Church, Universalist Church, . Upton Tavern, Peabody, Wadsworth, Rev. Benjamin, House of. Waters River and Beverly Shore, Waters River and Endecott Grant, Whittier, John Greenleaf, . Hussey, 66 67 115 207 13 25 104 48 185 67 184 48 97 96, 97 232 200 175 32 93 240 192 frontispiece 178 124 145 91 38 9 228 "Danvers may well be proud of her history. She is one of a group of towns which has done as much for the liberties of the nation and the world as any other equal population on the continent." — Hon. Robert Bantoul, Jr., 1852. I. WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM. 1632-1752. THE EARLY SETTLERS AND WHAT THEY FOUND HERE. Boundaries. — The Town of Danvers is, approxi- mately, five miles from east to west and four from north to south. It is bounded on the north by Wenham and Topsfield, east by Wenham, Beverly and Salem, south by Peabody, west by Topsfield and Middleton. Early Settlement and Name. — Reports had reached England, through men engaged in the fishing industrj^ that there was an excellent opportunity in the region of Cape Ann for fishing and farming. The re- ports were so encouraging that in 1628, John Endecott, with a company called the "Dorchester Company," set sail from Dorchester, England, and in the autumn of that year landed at Naumkeag, or Salem, as the white settlers soon named it. Endecott was a man of daunt- less courage; benevolent, though austere; firm in his convictions and of a rugged nature. Craving religious toleration in the land of his birth, he oftentimes forgot to exercise that spirit toward his associates of the new world. In this new country the Dorchester Company not onl}^ expected to profit in a commercial way, but to be able to enjoy that religious freedom which they had longed for in their native land. Territory Comprising Salem. — Endecott and his company found nine houses and about one hundred (1) 2 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS people in the territory called Salem, which then com- prised besides the present city of that name, Beverly, Manchester, Wenham, Marblehead, Danvers, Peabody, Middleton and a part of Topsfield. The people they found already there were called "Planters." They had recently come from the vicinity of Gloucester, where the fishing business had not reached their expectations, and were about to try their fortunes in and around Naumkeag. Among them Roger Conant was the most prominent. He was a fisherman, and built the first house in Salem. He was born in Budleigh, England, in 1591, and died in Salem, 19 Nov., 1679. Cotton Mather spoke of him as "a most religious, prudent and worthy gentleman." First Grant. — John Endecott, who had been elected Governor of the new colony before they embarked from England, brought with him legal papers which con- veyed to six of the men of his party all the land included in the present Essex County, and portions of Norfolk, Suffolk and Middlesex counties. This was called a grant, and was obtained in England from the "Council for New England," which had charge of all the settle- ments in this part of the country. Government. — The colony now had a Governor, but as yet no method had been suggested whereby the colo- nists could have a voice in conducting the affairs of the plantation. Thus early did thej^ declare themselves in favor of a government by the people. The year follow- ing the settlement, a corporation was formed under Charter^ from Charles I of England, called "The Gov- ernor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England," which continued for fifty-five years. It gave power to the freemen of the Company to elect each year a governor, deputj^ and eighteen assistants, who made J A duplicate is in the Salem Athenaeum. & WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 8 the laws and settled all questions of dispute. These men constituted the Great and General Court. To be- come a freeman, each person was required to be a respectable member of the church and take oath before the Great and General Court that he would uphold the government. jNIatthew Craddock was the first home governor elected. He was a prosperous merchant of London, who aided the colonists, in large measure, with monc}^ and influence. Salem's history as a town dates from about the year 1G33. Condition of the Country and of the Early Settlers. — The colonists became fishermen of neces- sity.^ To the disappointment of manj^ the soil near the coast was found to be unsuited to prosperous farming, but the sea was swarming with fish of all kinds. The Indians of this region had lived upon fish for genera- tions, were occupied in this pursuit more generally than in hunting, and the white settlers also soon found in this business a lucrative emplo5^ment. Their fishing boats were called shalloi^s, which were large boats with a deck, something like a ship's long-boat. The Indian tribes around Salem had been depleted by sickness to a great extent during the few years pre- vious to Endecott's arrival, and consequently did not give the colonists the trouble that was experienced in other sections of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, yet there was always constant fear of attack. Added to this, sickness without medical aid, scarcity of food and shelter, and a climate to the severity of which they were unaccustomed, the early company suffered untold mis- ery during the first winter. The Naumkeag Tribe. — The Naumkeags, who oc- cupied the land in this region, were, in the years of their 1 See Gilbert L. Streeter's "Storj' of Winter Island and Salem Neck," in Essex Institute Hist. Coll., Vol. xxxiii. 4 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS strength, a prosperous, numerous and powerful tribe. Nanepashemet.^ was the chief of this tribe. He was killed in 1619. When the settlers arrived from England, the chief's wife or squaw was living in Salem with her three sons. She afterwards became the squaw of an Indian priest, and left the settlement. Her son George succeeded to all the country of the tribe, which extended from the Naumkeag to the Mystic river, thereby rising to the dignity of old Nanepashemet, as far as amount of territory was concerned. His Indian name was Win- napurkitt, but he was often called George Rumney Marsh" or No Nose. He died in 1684, transferring his extensive claims to a relative, who attempted to hold them against the settlers. But it was of no avail, and in 1686, for the sum of 40 pounds, Salem bought all the Indian title^ to her territorj'-, as did other towns round about. Thus effectually did the early settlers, here as in other parts of the country, crowd out the original owners of the territory. George left descendants, but they were simply wanderers in the land which their fathers had trod in majestj^ GRANTS TO SALEM FARMERS. First Settlers in Danvers. — As the settlers could find no suitable land for cultivation near the sea, quite naturally those who wished to engage in farming gradu- ally pushed back into the country, away from the coast. For this reason that part of old Salem known as Brooksby, now Peabody,^ was settled by men from the Company who were granted tracts of land for farms as early as 1635. About the same time land was taken 1 Indian name of Marblehead. 2 Eunmey Marsh was the name given to the present Chelsea. 3 The deed by which Salem came into possession of the territory now hangs in City Hall. 4 Danvers and Peabodj^ were one town until 1855. s « VL. — < 3 ti- t*H Q c PS < X J5 u ^ Pi ■JJ o •a •• s z o ^ o H "■ W ^ OS o H p:: ,• < W Cli T3 H O (; C u Q > ;« O a K V H a GOVERNOR JOHN ENDECOTT WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 5 up in what is now Danvers by Richard Weston at Danvers Highlands, and Richard Waterman near by, probably at Beaver Brook. They soon removed to Providence, R. I., where they were reckoned among the leading citizens, being prominently identified with the founding of the first Baptist Church in America, at that place. Weston sold his estate to Richard Ingersoli and William Haynes, and Waterman's was incorpo- rated in that of John Putnam. Endecott Grant. — Governor Endecott received the first Colonial gi-ant made by the Great and General Court at its session on July 3, 1632, on account of the great service he had rendered the colony. It consisted of 300 acres of land in the present Danversport, and was bounded on the east by Danvers river, then called Wooleston, known to the Indians as Orkhussunt; on the north by Crane, then called Duck river, known to the Indians as Conamabsquenooncant ; and on the south by Waters, then Cowhouse river, known to the Indians as Soewamapenessett. This neck of land, as it was termed, had an Indian name, Wahquainesehcok, which, in English, means "Birchwood." The year following, the Governor set about clearing the farm, built a house, cultivated the land, and named his new estate "Orchard Farm."^ Rich in natural beauty, the farm developed under the personal care of its owner into the most at- tractive estate of the colony. The house was situated on a knoll overlooking the beautiful streams of water, across the street from the house now standing on the estate. As there were no roads through the woods, or bridges in this part of Salem, at this time, the Governor was obliged to make the trip between his home and Salem town by water, and many a day did he embark in his shallop, near the present iron works, for the scene of 1 Now the farm of Williami C. Endicott, Esq., on Endicott street. 6 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS his Colonial duties. The Governor's old spring of water is yet to be seen in a cove of Waters river. "Shaded spring whereof he drank, On the pleasant willow-bank." In the Endecott burying ground at "The Pines," so- called, lie the remains of several generations of Ende- cotts. This property is still owned by a descendant of the Governor. Governor Endecott was buried in King's Chapel burying ground, Boston. Endecott Pear Tree. — The Governor was a lover of trees of every description, and in the early days of his settlement at "Orchard Farm," he gave much atten- tion to the native fruits of the countrj^ His orchard of pear trees, supposed to have been sent from England previous to 1640, were the first cultivated fruit-bearing trees in New England, the planting of which was an event of great interest. The last representative of the orchard is still in existence, near the site of the Gover- nor's house. It is said that this tree was planted by the Governor's own hands. It is known throughout the country as "The Endecott Pear Tree," and as it stands in the pasture, solitary and alone, its marvellous age written in its decaying branches, it recalls to mind a nation's history. Governor Endecott little thought "That when centuries had passed. Bloom and fruitage still would last, Still a growing, breathing thing, Autumn, with the heart of spring." The Governor was also said to be the first to plant the "white weed," which has proved such an annoyance to farmers. It was cultivated for its beauty and for me- dicinal purposes.^ 1 See Charles M. Endicott's "Biography of the Governor." WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 7 Early Dwelling Houses. — The houses of the early settlers were very similar to one another in construction, differing only in size and appointments, according to the wealth of their occupants. Each man was without a doubt the architect of his own habitation, and often- times he was the carpenter as well. The better class of houses^ were two stories high, the upper story jutting out a foot or two beyond the lower; some of these had peaks on each side of the roof, forming small chambers. The timbers were very large, hewn by hand, and no attempt was made to encase any of the beams in the rooms. Such houses had small windows, with diamond- shaped panes, and the walls were "daubed" with clay and sometimes whitewashed. One large chimney served for the large kitchen fireplace. Houses of the farmers were for the most part plainly built, often with a long sloping roof at the back called a "leanto." Means of Travel and Communication. — On ac- count of the nature of the country, covered as it was with forests and rocks, the early settlers used the rivers almost exclusively for means of communication. It was easy and convenient, and they had little time to spend in laying out roads in this wilderness. Canoes made of the trunks of pine trees hollowed out had been in use by the Indians, but the colonists needed some- thing more substantial, and the flat-bottom boat of the dory style was invented. After a while, paths from one farm to another were made by constant passing, and later when horses began to be used the path became a "bridle road" that led from village to village, over which the heavy two-wheeled ox-carts travelled. Every one could ride a horse. The Yankee boy, "riding horse to plough," learned full familiarity with equestrian atti- tudes and became a fearless horseman, and the Yankee 1 See Pickering house, Salem. 8 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS girl acquired the spirit of freedom and contempt of danger. Before long, the sound of wheels began to be heard. The richer among the colonists remembered that the man of wealth at home in England always kept his car- riage. They would do the same. And with the intro- duction of wheeled vehicles, better roads became a neces- sity. But now the streams, which had formerly aided in communication, became the worst of obstacles, so that ''ferries" were established where the water was too deep to be forded. As yet the colonists were not suffic- iently endowed with this world's goods to construct bridges. First Road in Danvers. — The road known as "The Old Ipswich Road," was the first highway in use in the town. It commences at Conant street, where Danvers joins North Beverly and runs over Conant, Elm, Ash and Sylvan streets, and on through Peabody. This road was originally an old Indian trail, and was in use by the white settlers as early as 1630. In the British Museum, London, is an old map of this vicinity, which shows this ancient way as having been laid out previous to 1634. The General Court appropriated money for its improve- ment in 1643. Many distinguished people have passed over it, as it was for years the only direct route from Ipswich and surrounding towns to Boston. In 1634, Governor John Winthrop rode from Boston on a visit to his son, John Winthrop, Jr., in Ipswich ; the Mathers, Justices Hawthorne and Curwen, of witchcraft days, and Rebecca Nurse on her way to Salem jail; the Eng- lish Governor, General Thomas Gage and his English troops ; Capt. Henry Dearborn, afterward Secretary of War under Jefferson; John Adams, Josiah Quincy, and John Quincy Adams often used this old road. Benedict Arnold and his troops, with the celebrated Capt. Daniel ASH STREET A portion of the Old Ipswich road, laid out as a highway from Boston to Ipswich before 1634 ^f^ HOULTON-liEMl'SKY HOUSE, CEN TRI', STKEET Built by Joseph Houlton probably soon after 1670 WATERS RIVER AND ENDECOTT GRANT THE ENDECOTT HOUSE ON "ORCHARD FARM " Built in the early part of the i8th century. Now owned by William Crowninshield Endicott WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 9 Morgan, took this road on their memorable march from Cambridge to Quebec in 1775; and it was along this road that the bodies of the Danvers men slain in the Battle of Lexington were brought to their homes, made desolate by that first engagement in 1775. Skelton's Grant. — Rev. Samuel Skelton, the first minister of the new colony, who arrived in Salem in 1629, was granted by the Colonial government five years later, the other neck of land at Danversport, com- prising 200 acres. It was bounded on the east by Por- ter's river, on the south by Porter's and Crane river, and on the west by Crane river. This portion of the town received the name of "Skelton's Neck." The Indian name was Wahquack, and it was afterwards called "New Mills." Skelton was a Puritan of the strongest type, rugged, enduring, and possessed of a brilliant mind. He was educated at Clare Hall, Cam- bridge, England, and died in Salem. His election to the office of minister was by ballot, the first instance of this method of choice in the new world. Humphrey's Grant. — These two grants, Endecott's and Skelton's, gave the Governor and minister a pre- sumptive title to all the town north of Waters river. The remaining grantee, created by the Colonial gov- ernment, was John Humphrey, who in 1635 received a gift of a large number of acres in that part of the town now Peabody, near the Lynnfield line, together with a pond and island. This pond is known as Humphrey's pond, and upon the island in its midst the first settlers erected a fortification, as a retreat from the Indians. Other Early Settlers. — Subsequent landowners by grant or purchase were : Thomas Read, where now is "Oak Hill," Peabody; Townsend Bishop, at the iSTurse farm; William Alford at Cherry Hill; Richard Inger- soll, east side of Porter's river; Hugh Peters, east of 10 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Frostfish brook; Elias Stileman, north of Bishop; Thomas Gardner in West Peabody ; Daniel Rea in Put- namville; Richard Hutcliinson at Whipple's hill; Major William Hathorne at Hathorne Hill; Capt. Richard Davenport in Putnamville ; Job Swinerton near Bishop ; Robert Goodell, near Swinerton; Jacob Barney, Law- rence, John and Richard Leach in East Danvers; Charles Gott, at the "Burley Farm"; Allen Kenniston, Thomas Smith, near the Topsfield line; William Nich- ols, the present Ferncroft district; Joseph Houlton, near the First Church; Thomas Preston, between Ende- cott and Bishop; Joseph Pope, south of the Danvers and Peabody line. The Militia; Cutting Out the Red Cross. — As soon as the colonists arrived, military companies were organized for protection from the Indians, and the men of this district were not slow in joining. In 1631, the General Court ordered that each Captain should drill or "train" his men, as it was called, every Saturday. This rule was somewhat modified in the years which followed. It was during one of these trainings in 1634 that Governor Endecott cut the red cross from the flag. The colors then consisted of a green field with a white union, having upon it the red cross of England. At that period a strong opposition was felt against every symbol of Popery, and the bold act of Endecott was secretly approved by the principal men of the colony. This act was construed in England as one of rebellion, and for the sake of pacifying the people in the mother country, the General Court summoned Endecott to appear before that body. His punishment was the loss of his election as assistant. "The discipline of the Colonial soldier was severe at this time, for we read that it was enacted that 'any dis- obeying his officer should be set in the stocks or be WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 11 whipped.' Military officers also directed the arms that men should carry in going from home, and particularly when attending church. The sight of a stalwart citizen of Danvers today, heavily armed and marching up and down the sidewalk in front of a church door, narrowly watching every approach, while Sunday morning ser- vice was in progress, and the subsequent exit of the congregation, each man with a heavy matchlock carry- ing a bullet of fifteen to the pound, on his shoulder, would strike us as rather odd. But it was quite the cor- rect thing in the sixteen-forties." Pequot War. — New settlers began to take up their abode in the large tract of land afterward named Dan- vers. The houses were scattered, but the settlement sustained a healthy growth. In 1636, the Pequot War broke out, and on August 25 of that year, ninety men, among whom were doubtless a few from Danvers, under command of Endecott, volunteered their services. The results of this expedition were the destruction of much corn and other property of the Indians. Two soldiers were killed. The trip consumed three weeks. The fol- lowing year another company from Salem joined the jNIassachusetts force under Stoughton for the purpose of again attacking the Pequots. In this engagement none were lost. SETTLEMENT AND LIFE AT SALEM VILLAGE. Founding of Salem Village. — The first real set- tlement of any proportions in the territory now covered by Danvers and Peabody was the locality called Salem "Village" or "Farms," comprising all of the present Danvers Highlands. In 1638, the "seven men" or selectmen of Salem granted to Rev. John Phillips the 12 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS right to establish a village there, on the condition that lie would settle and build up the place. This he agreed to do, but he did not fulfill his promise and returned to England. With him, however, it is supposed that such men as Hutchinson, Goodale, Flint, Needham, Buxton, Swinerton, Andrews, Fuller, Walcott, Pope, Rea, Fel- ton, Osborn, and others came to the new village and remained. These families may be regarded as among the founders of Salem Village. The Village included all the land, not then occupied, between Waters river and the Ipswich river. The people were engaged in farming, from which they derived the name of "The Farmers," to distinguish them from the people of Salem town. Active, industrious, frugal and intelligent, they were well fitted to make fertile and profitable farms out of what was then but a rough wilderness. A vast amount of patient labor must have been required to first break the soil and make the rough places smooth. John Putnam's Grant. — It is to be remembered that all grants before mentioned were made by the Gen- eral Court. The selectmen of Salem, as a town govern- ment began to assume shape, also granted land to indi- viduals. Among the early grants was that of John Putnam, about 1640. Putnam had come from Buck- inghamshire, England, with his wife and three sons, and as a family thej^ were thrifty and sturdy and embodied all the characteristics of the early settlers of the better class. His farm included the land along Whipple's brook, from Putnam's mill on Sylvan street to the house in which Gen. Israel Putnam was born, corner New- bury and Maple streets in Danvers. The house in which he lived was situated by the side of the old well, which may still be seen near "Oak Knoll," on Summer street. He was born at Aston Abbots, England, about 1580; died in Salem Village, now Danvers, December 30, PORTER'S RIVER, LOOKING FROM ELLIOTT STREET AT FROSTFISH BROOK TOWARD DANVERSPORT JOHN PORTER HOUSE Built about 1647. Destroyed by fire, September, 1865. Copied from a memory sketch made by Mrs. Mary Weston Dodge O o WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 13 1662. From him are descended all of the name of Put- nam in this country. Downing and Cole Grants. — Other large grants made about this time (1635-38) were to Emanuel Downing/ comprising 500 acres in the vicinity of Mount Pleasant, Peabody, and also the land in the eastern part of the present Danvers, between Beaver Brook and Conant street; and to Robert Cole, 300 acres in the vicinity of the Rogers farm, "Oak Hill," Peabody. Downing was a lawyer of the Inner Temple. His sec- ond wife was Lucy Winthrop, sister of the Governor. He was father of Sir George Downing, a member of the first class graduated from Harvard, and for whom Downing street in London, the residence of the Prime Minister of England, was named. John Porter Estate. — In 1644, John Porter came from Hingham, where he had lived a short time, and according to tradition sailed up Porter's river, then called "Frost Fish river," and settled on its banks at a point rear of the present Unity Chapel. He had bought from Samuel Sharp the entire territory now known as Danvers Plains, 300 acres, for the meager sum of one hundred and ten pounds of English money. A few years later he purchased the Downing grant just men- tioned and other estates, becoming the landowner of the time. What is known today as "The Plains," was called "Porter's Plain" for years, in honor of John Porter. This pioneer built his house on a pleasant knoll just up from the river bank, the location of which can still be traced. He was a man of Puritan integrity and an intimate friend of Governor Endecott throughout the latter's life. Porter was a tanner by occupation, and is said to have estabhshed the first tannery in New Eng- 1 See "No. 10 Downing Street," by Ezra D. Hines, in Danvers His- torical Collections, Vol. 9. 14 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS land. He shipped at least two consignments of leather to the Barbadoes. In civil life he had the highest posi- tions within the gift of his townsmen; in time of peril he gave his services loyally to his country ; in the church he was willing to bear a full share of responsibility. From John Porter are descended all the Danvers Porters and many of that name throughout the country. Dissatisfaction at Salem Village. — During the next twenty years, as the population of the Village in- creased, from time to time dissatisfaction began to show itself among the people. The "Farmers" were obliged to ride or walk to Salem town for the transaction of all business, both public and private, and for public wor- ship. Some wished to be set off from Salem as a sepa- rate town, while others expressed themselves as content if liberty should be granted them to establish a separate parish, still retaining their connection with the town of Salem. They were then paying for the support of the minister at Salem town, as well as their proportion of the town rate, and they rebelled against maintaining a church whose services, on account of the distance, they could seldom enjoy. In 1667, the farmers petitioned the General Court for relief from serving on the military watch in Salem town, as they claimed that it left their families at home improtected. They had appealed to the county court without effect, and the town continuing to warn them "in his Majesty's name and per order of the Militia," they obeyed rather, as they said, to avoid trouble than because they thought it was their duty. Major Denni- son, the commander of their regiment, being predis- posed in their favor. Some of them lived ten miles from Salem town, and the nearest were five miles, which, including travel to the sentry place, totaled about eleven miles that many had to march with arms and ammuni- WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 15 tion. This was, in their estimation, more than a sol- dier's march who was under pay. Further, "the distance of our houses one from another, some a mile, some fur- ther, it beinf;' difficult to send one neighbor to another on dark nights in a wilderness so little cleared and ways so impassible. When one man is taken away from many of our families, of the rest, some are young, some sickly and weak not able to help themselves, much less to make any resistance if violence be offered. The news that we are to watch, strikes like darts to the Hearts of some of our wives that are weak. The advantage that Indi- ans have by knowledge that such and such families are left destitute of help for two or three miles about, for example there were 19 warned for one night and had they all gone it would have cleared the strength of two or three miles. Salem, a populous town of near 300 able persons, with a fort, pleads that these are danger- ous times and they are not able to keep a watch without us. These times are not as dangerous to Salem town as to our selves, for we know of no obligation upon the enemy first to assault Salem Towne when they may come to shore at divers other places and come upon us by land and meet neither with fort nor 400 men under the warning of an alarm. Hath Salem town not more cause to send help to us than we to go to them. We have not 50 persons for watch, they a compact town, we so scattered that 6 or 8 watches will not secure us and so far from the town that Cambridge Village or INIilton may as easy go to Boston to watch as we to Salem, and leave their families in a great deal more safety because they have towns near to help them." This petition was signed by Job Swinerton, Sr., Robert Goodell, Philip Knight, Jonathan Knight, Isaac Goodell, Zachery Goodell, Robert Prince, Joseph Houlton, Jonathan Walcott, Xathaniel Ingerson, Rob- ert Moulton, John Smith, Nathaniel Carrill, Job Swin- 16 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS erton, Jr., Thomas Flint, Giles Cory, Thomas Small, Benjamin Woodrow, John Leach, Joshua Rea, James Hadlock, John Porter, Richard Hutchinson, Jacob Barney, Jr., Jacob Barney, Sr., Richard Leach, Na- thaniel Putnam, Joseph Hutchinson, Henry Kenny, Joseph Porter, John Putnam. As a result, the colony decreed that all "Farmers' who lived four miles from the Salem meeting house should be exempt.^ Petition for the New Parish and Boundaries. — At length, in 1670, a formal petition- was presented to the town of Salem, asking for a separate parochial organization. The petitioners were Thomas Small, Lott Kellum, John Smith, John Buxton, John Wilkins, Jonathan Knight, Philip Knight, Thomas Flint, John Hutchinson, Richard Hutchinson, Job Swinerton, Rob- ert Goodale, Nathaniel Putnam, Thomas Fuller, John Putnam, Bray Wilkins, John Gingill, Nathaniel Inger- soU, Thomas Putnam. To this the Villagers received a sort of half-hearted assent. Another petition presented to the General Court in 1672 gave them the authority to organize a parish, hire a minister, and erect a meeting house, the inhabitants of the Village to be taxed for the support of the same. Thus they were released from longer paying taxes to Salem town for the support of preaching. The new parish, called "Salem Village Parish," included all the families living in the territory now covered by Danvers (except Danversport), about half of Peabody and a portion of Beverly. Explanation of "The Parish." — This territory was set off for parish purposes only. A parish in those days did not signify what it does today. It was distinct 1 Mass. Archives, Vol. 112, leaf 175, 2 The orig-inal is to be seen at the First Church parsonage. A copy is at Town Hall. JOHN NICHOLS HOUSE Built about 1679. Opened as " Ferncroft Inn " in 1S92 Destroyed by fire May 11, 1906 .OK.LK-IKADSTREET HOUSE, LOCUST STRKET Built about ,665. on land originally granted to Emanuel Downing, by Joseph Porter, who received the land as his portion upon marriage with Anna, daughter of Major William Hathorne. Came into possession of Captain Dudley Bradstreet about 1810 WHEN TTE BELONGED TO SALEM 17 from the church organization. The parish was, in reahty, the town, and in the parish meeting all matters relating to the schools, roads, raising of men and money in time of war, as well as the support of preaching, were discussed and acted upon, as in the town meetings of the present day. So that these old parish records are substantially the records of town business up to the time the Town of Danvers was set off from Salem (1752). It was understood that no church organization was to be formed at first in the new district. The Salem church was unwilling to part at once with such a large number of its members. Consequently, during the first few years of the existence of the parish, the people still retained their membership in the old church at Salem. First Meeting; First Meeting House. — The "Farmers" held their first meeting on November 11, 1672, levied their taxes and engaged Mr. Bayley, a young man of twenty-two, a graduate of Harvard, as their first minister at the small salary of forty pounds a year. Mr. Bajdey was a well-meaning man, but he was inexperienced, and disagreements between him and tile people characterized his pastorate. The following year (1673) the first meeting house was erected. It was a small, rude wooden structure, 34 feet long and 28 feet wide. In addition to money paid by the people to build the house, butter and wheat were accepted, which being choice articles in those days could be readilj^ exchanged for nails and glass. The windows of glass were made to swing outward in opening, and in general appearance it was similar to other houses of that period. It was situated on land given by Joseph Hutchinson, in the field now corner of Hobart and Forest streets. 18 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS Mr. Bayley afterwards became a physician, removing t«) Roxbury. He died in 1707. Subsequent ministers have been: George Burroughs, 1680-83; Deodat Law- son, 1684-88; Samuel Parris, 1688-96; Rev, Joseph Green, 1698-1715; Rev. Peter Clark, 1717-68; Rev. Benj. Wadsworth, 1772-1826; Rev. M. P. Braman, 1826-61; Rev. C. B. Rice, 1863-94; Rev. C. M. Geer, 1894-97; Rev. H. C. Adams, 1897-1910; Rev. C. S. Bodwell, 1910-14; Rev. A. V. House, 1914. Salem Village Militia and Training Place. — A marked feature of the men of Salem Village was their military spirit. In 1671 a military company was formed. Adults of every description joined it, includ- ing men much beyond middle life. Titles of rank once obtained in the militia were never forsaken by the "Farmers." Their training place from the earliest times was the "Common" at Danvers Highlands, which was given by Deacon Nathaniel Ingersoll in his will of 1709, to the inhabitants of Salem Village for a training place forever. Here the sturdy yeoman learned the manual of arms; here the minute-men rallied for the march to Lexington ; and in all the wars of this country this spot has been the scene of numberless drills. The boulder which marks the field, bears the following inscription : Deacon Nathaniel Ingersoll 1634-1719 GAVE THIS LAND TO THE INHABITANTS OF Salem Village as A Training Place Forever. to the memory of him, and of the brave men who have gone hence to protect their homes and to serve their country, this stone is erected by the Town, 1894. when we belonged to salem 19 Salem Village in King Philip's War;^ The Narragansett Fight. — The Village was largely repre- sented in all the engagements of the terrible war known as "King Phihp's War" (1675-76) . Philip was an able and great Indian leader. From the moment the wliite man landed, he saw the doom of the Indian sealed. He had exchanged the rude bow and arrow for the English musket, and flattered himself that he would be the more prepared to meet the redman's foe. For many years he remained friendly to the settlers, but his nature revolted at the growing encroachments of the English, and in 1675 he struck the fearful blows that sent consternation throughout the Colony. He fought bravely for two years, his warriors surprising, attacking and burning towns all over the colony, but at last he was surrounded by a force of English soldiers, and shot as mercilessly as he had dealt with the colonists. At the storming of Narragansett Fort, December 19, 1675, were five men^ from Salem Village, who served in Capt. Prentice's troop of horse,^ and seven^ in the command of Major Samuel Appleton. Capt. Joseph Gardner, who was a man of much importance in Salem, commanded a com- pany, nine^ of whom were from the Village. Captain Davenport, another native of Salem Village, had com- mand of a force and fell in the fight. When killed, he was dressed in a buff suit. These men in the heart of the winter penetrated the fastnesses of the Indians and 1 See "Soldiers in King- Philip's War," by Rev. G. M. Bodge. 2 They were Thomas Putnam, Jr., Thomas Flint, Sr., Joseph Hutch- inson, Henry Kenney and Thomas Howard. 3 Horse companies were composed of fifty men, with a captain, lieu- tenant, trumpeter, quartermaster, sergeants, clerk, corporals and cor- net, the latter in place of the drummer of the foot companies, 4 They were Israel Herrick, Thomas Abbey, John Raymond, Robert Leach, Samuel Hebbert, Stephen Butler, Samuel Verry. 5 They were Joseph Houlton, Jr., Tliomas Flint, Thomas Kenney, John Stacey, Eleazer Lyndsey, Thomas Bell, Charles Knight, Isaac Reed, William Hathorne. 20 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS in the face of a fearful fire attacked the forts of the enemy. There were nine^ others from the Village in the Narragansett fight, making a total of thirty-eight in that expedition alone. Eight more" were in Capt. Nicholas Page's company of troopers in the expedition against Mount Hope, the home of Phihp, the same year. Villagers Killed at Bloody Brook. — By far the most terrible engagement of the war was the famous conflict at Bloody Brook, in Deerfield, on Sept. 18, 1675, when Capt. Thomas Lothrop and seventy- one of his men, almost entirely from Essex county, were slain by the Indians. Capt. Lothrop was one of the tax payers of Salem Village, although his home was in the present Beverly. He married Bethia Rea, who lived at the Rea-Putnam-Eowler house, off Locust street, Put- namville. She was the daughter of Daniel Rea, who was granted land in that locality in 1632, and who prob- ably built the house now standing, owned by the Fowler estate. His undaunted courage had won for him much fame in the earlier Indian wars, and many young men from the best families in the colony eagerly joined his company. For this reason, the companj?^ was known as "The Flower of Essex." They were surprised when off their guard by a band of Indians, and a wholesale slaughter ensued. Indeed, the brook near by was said to have been dyed red with the blood of the soldiers, from which fact it has always been known as "Bloody 1 They were Joseph Proctor, Nathaniel Ingersoll, Wm. Osborn, Jo- seph Needham, Francis Coard, Benj. Wilkins, John Whipple, Daniel Wilkins. 2 They were! John Dodge, Win. Dodge, Joseph Herrick, Thomas Abbey, Wm. Kaymond, Thomas Raymond, Thomas Putnam, Jr., Eobert Leach, Peter Pi-escott. — Massachusetts Archives. GENERAL COURT HeU at Bofton the i^- of May 16-16 For defraying the Charges already expended upon the VVarre, and other Charges arifing in the further profecution thereof, It is Ordered by thisCourt and the Authority thereof, that there Hiall be ten fingle Countrcy Rates forthwith alTcfTcd, and collcdcd according to Lsw, to be paid in fpecie as formerly*, and to abate one quar- ter part to any that fha'I pay money. Alfo that the Seled Men be allowed ,and impowf red to rate luch by Will and Doom as are known to be men of ability, whole eQatcs in a great meafurelye out of the reach of the Law being undifcovcredjWithout abatement on accoifnt of any mans pay- ing for importation of Goods, and in cafeof aggrievanceby ovcr-valua- tio.i, relict be to given to fuch in fuch a way as the Liw provides: Provided, that (uch frontier Towns as are confiderably weaknedin mens Perfons orEftarcs by the Enemy, be allowed ameer abatement of their propor- tions in the Rates, their Conditon being by their Dcputycsorothcrs ap-" pointed, reprefcnted to this Court at their next SelTions :• And where any jPerfons in any of ihe Towns have disburfcd for the publick relating to the Wjrr, they (liall be allowed and paid the fame out of the Rates of fuch Towns where they dwells and that this fliallbe in the toom of all bills for aiTcfling of Rates paffed this SelTions of Court. By the COURT Edward ^an>fon Sccr. ACT OF THE GENERAL COURT IN 1676, FOR THE RAISING OF MONEY TO DEFRAY EXPENSES OF THE INDIAN WAR From a broadside in tlie Essex County Quarterly Court Files WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 21 Brook." The brave captain and ten young men from the Village were among the massacred/ "But beating hearts, far, far away. Broke at the story's fearful truth, And maidens sweet, for many a day Wept o'er the vanished dreams of youth ; By the blue distant ocean-tide Wept 3^ears, lono- years, to hear them tell How bv the wild wood's lonelv side The 'Flower of Essex' fell." ' Erection of Watch House. — According to the custom of the early settlers, a watch house was erected in 1676 on the rise which is now the parsonage pasture at Danvers Highlands. Formerly there was a consider- able elevation at this point, being a favorable place for a watch house, which was designed for observation and defence against the Indians. It was probably a strong building of logs. This elevation was called "Watch House Hill" for many years. Killed by the Indians. — When the settlers of Sa- lem landed, the Indians had vacated their former haunts, and thus history has no tales of mJdnight massacre and sudden ambuscade in this immediate locality. However, when men wandered into the outskirts of the town through what was then a wilderness they took their lives in their hands. In 1689, John Bishop and Nicholas Reed, and the following year, Godfrey Sheldon, all young men, were killed by the Indians in the woods. Chukch Organized. — It was not for seventeen years (1689) after the Salem Village Parish was set 1 Killed from the Villao-e weTe : Thomas Dayley, Edward Trask, Josiah Dodpre, Peter Woodbury. Joseph Raich, Thomas Buckley, .Joseph Kincr. Piobert Wilson, James Tufts, Thomas Smith, the latter a native of Ne'\vburv, but then a resident of the Villa^'e. 22 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS off from Salem, that the church itself was organized. A covenant or agreement was drawn up, to which the people assented in order to become members, in much the same manner as at present. The new organization was called "The Church of Christ at Salem Village," and was the beginning of the First Church, Danvers Highlands, of today.^ THE PROVINCE CHARTER; THE WITCH- CRAFT DELUSION. The New Charter. — After the surrender of the Colonial Charter (1684) until 1692, the government was in the hands of a president and council for a time. Then Sir Edmund Andros took the reins of govern- ment, but he levied taxes in such an abhorrent fashion and behaved in general in such an obnoxious manner, that when William and Mary came to the throne in England, he was recalled. King William was determined to form a new govern- ment in Massachusetts. It was to be known as the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and included the Ply- mouth Colony and the Province of Maine, in addition to the Massachusetts colony. The Charter was received in 1692, and in the spring of that year Sir William Phips, the new Governor, arrived in Boston. How THE New Charter Differed from the Old. — The new Charter provided that the officers of the new Province should consist of a Governor, Deputy-Gover- nor and Secretary, to be appointed by the King, instead of the people. This restricted the liberty of the people, and may be regarded as the source of all future troubles with the mother country. The Charter provided that 1 The records of the Church have been restored, and are deposited in the First Church parsonage at Danvers Centre. WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 23 the twenty-eight councillors should be chosen by the people, and gave each town the authority to send two deputies to the General Court. But for all this seeming freedom, the power was in the hands of the King, and the colonies became henceforth dependencies of the Crown. The Witchcraft Delusion; First Symptoms. — The covenant to which the people subscribed in the new church at Salem Village certainly promised better things than what followed in the terrible tragedy known as the witchcraft delusion, which broke out in 1692. The delusion originated in the family of Rev. Samuel Par- ris,^ the pastor of the church, who, instead of prevent- ing the spread of the trouble as he might easily have done in the beginning, rather urged on the accusations and persecutions. Parris had been a merchant in the West Indies before entering the ministry, and the study of the gospel seemed not to modulate his naturally grasping nature. He brought with him an Indian woman named Tituba, as a servant, who, like others of Iier race, was full of strange weird tales, which she re- lated to the amusement of the children of the neighbor- hood. This was an age of superstition, and the stories had a bad effect upon the easily excited natures of the people. Children of varying ages were accustomed to meet eveninfr's at INIr. Parris's house for the practice of palmistry and other magic arts, in which Tituba and her stories figured prominently. Soon the young girls" began to practice the little tricks they had learned, and 1 Parris was in trouble with his parishioners continually, and at the close of the witchcraft delusion he became even more unpopular. At last, after many disp^ites, he resigned in 1696. 2 They were Elizabeth Parris, aged 9, daughter of the minister, Abigail Williams, aged 11. Ann Putnam, aged 12, daughter of Thomas Putnam, the parish clerk, iViary Walcott, Mercy Le^\'^s and Elizabeth Hubbard, aged 17, Elizabeth Booth, Susannah Sheldon, ISfary Warren and Sarah Churchill, adults. 24 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS excited by the sport and the impression they made on their parents and friends, they foohshly continued their antics until they were in reaHty wrought up to a point of frenzy. To say that their parents and friends were shocked at their actions does not half express it. They knew not whether to scold or to pity, and with their natural tendency to attribute everything they could not under- stand to the supernatural, they thought the evil spirit had taken possession of them. Then they held prayer meetings for the benefit of the afflicted ones. At last Dr. Griggs^ was called, and he calmly and without hesi- tation pronounced it witchcraft." Thus did ignorance place the seal of doom upon the Village. More Strange Actions; The First Accused. — The condition of affairs as soon as it became known that there were witches in the Village is not difficult to imagine. The people at once gave way to superstitious fears, and such a commotion was never seen before, and has not been seen since in the new world. If these chil- dren had become witches, surely someone must have bewitched them, the people reasoned, and the thing to do was to find the guilty ones. Accordingly, the ques- tion was put to the "afflicted children," as they were called, "Who has bewitched you? Give us the names!" By this time the children had become so frightened at the great excitement which had grown out of their first harmless tricks, that they seemed almost about to con- fess that it was their own willful desire for a sensation that had started the whole trouble. But the fear of the older people was contagious, and stimulated by the urgent supplications of their parents and friends to tell iThe first physician at Salem Village. He lived near Folly Hill, then known as Leach's Hill. See Danvers Historical Collections,*Vol. 6. 2 See Oliver Wendell Holmes' "The Broomstick Train." ^ ^ «i "^ ,X'K? I N^r^ 1^^ &•■ --7' -- - r "1 r ^hm mm. '^.^3z^ L • PUTNAM-CRAW FOR D HOUSE Built in i6q7, by Sergt. Thomas Putnam, whose daughter, Ann Putnam, was one of the " afflicted children '' of i6g2 PRINCE-OSBORNE HOUSE Built about 1660, by Robert Prince, whose widow Sarah (Prince) Osborne was accused of witchcraft. The house was removed in 1916 from Spring Street to Maple Street, and remodelled into a modern dwelling. WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 25 who had cast such a spell upon them, they began to cry out against the old Indian woman, Tituba, and other poor, half-crazy women of the neighborhood. Still they were not satisfied, and these young "play actors" added to their accomplishments by interrupting the minister in the midst of his discourse with crazy speeches, by having fits and fainting spells, and by accusing persons of their acquaintance of pinching them and sticking pins^ into them. At first onlj^ feeble-minded outcasts were accused, but before the delusion ended some of the most prominent and saintly people of the neighborhood became victims. It is also significant that many of the victims had been previously mixed up in the petty quarrels of the neighborhood, and it ap- peared to be a good chance to pay off old grudges. Examinations of Accused. — The first of the ac- cused were examined in the meeting house before a large concourse of people by the magistrates, Jonathan Cor- win^ and John Hathorne.^ They were the Indian wo- man, Sarah Good, a poor beggar,and Sarah Osborn,^ whose mind was imbalanced. Sarah Good testified that Sarah O shorn had bewitched her, and the latter was taken to Boston jail where she soon died. Tituba, the cause of the awful delusion, was allowed her freedom, 1 Somef of these pins used in the prosecutions are now to be seen in tlie oflRee of the Clerk of the Courts, Salem. 2 His house is now known as the "Old Witch House." corner North and Essex streets, Salem, where it is supposed some of the examina- tions took place. 3 Son of Major Wm. Hathorne, and was born in Salem, August 4, 1641. He served on the bench of the Superior Court until his resig- nation in 1712. He died in Salem, May 10, 1717. 4 Wife of Robert Prince, who built, in 1660, the house formerly on Spring street, moved in 1916 to IMaple street. After his death she married Alexander Osborn, who had comei here from Ireland, a redemp- tioner. It is said that Sarah Prince bought out his time of the man he was serving, hired him to work on her farm, and afterward married him. 26 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS her foolish prattle seeming to convince the officials that she was a victim of others' sorcery. Action Taken by Ministers and Magistrates; Cotton Mather. — Soon the contagion spread, and no one in the neighborhood was safe from accusation. The slightest movement from the ordinary course was suffi- cient to cause arrest and perhaps imprisonment and death. Even the ministers, particularly Rev. Nicholas Noyes^ of the Salem church, were drawn into the pop- ular delusion, and instead of attempting to suppress it, they considered it their duty to aid the persecutions and in that way to fight the Evil One. The magistrates, also, whose superior knowledge ought to have given them more common sense, did all in their power to sen- tence the accused. TsTo wonder is it that the common people believed in witchcraft, when such leaders as these gave it their sanction and support. Cotton Mather was one of the most cruel and bitter adversaries. He was the most learned person in the country, which makes his behavior in this crisis seem almost unaccountable. He attempted to incite a similar movement in Boston, but failed, and then he redoubled his energy in the Salem affair. He was extremely well satisfied with his own ability in everj^ direction,^ and believed he was doing God's work when he obtained the sentence of death upon his helpless victims. Giles and Martha Corey. — Giles Corey, one of the most unpopular men in the Village, over eighty years of age, was a constant attendant at the examinations in the meeting house. He became infatuated with the 1 Graduate of Harvard in 1667. Ordained pastor of Salem church, 1683. 2 "He was ambitious, and would he leadino-, sword in hand, to annihilate someone or something. In the name of God he would conquer, and make Cotton Mather famous. Most men hoped to become ang-els, but nothincr. if we may .iudg-e from his own ^vords. w^ould have contented him but to be an archangel." — Upham's Outlines. WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 27 proceedings, much to the discomfort of his wife Martha, who was a good Christian woman. She stands out as one of the few who did not beheve in witchcraft. For her persistency in declaring against the popular belief, she was arrested, and was among the first executed, September 22, 1692, on Gallows Hill. She protested her innocency to the last. Giles, filled with retribution at his wife's imprisonment, came to his senses, but it was too late. He, too, was arrested on April 19, 1692, and excommunicated from the church. By this time he had full}'- awakened to the monstrosity of the prevailing delusion. Brought to trial, he refused to speak a word either in refutation or acknowledgment of the charges against him. This was a penal oflFence according to an old English law, the punishment consisting of laying the prisoner nearly naked on the bare floor of a prison cell and placing a heavy iron weight upon his chest until he should make reply. This was Giles Corey's expia- tion. The old man never spoke. He died three days before his wife was executed, a martyr to ignorance and superstition. Rebecca Xurse. — Among the people of Salem Vil- lage there were none more respected than Francis Nurse and his wife Rebecca. They lived comfortably on the Townsend-Bishop farm,^ and withheld themselves from the prevalent superstition. Rebecca Nurse was seventy years of age, a pious Christian woman, the mother of a large family, and at this time in feeble health. This saintly woman was meted out as a victim of the insane delusion, and when two of her friends called to tell her 1 Townsend Bishop erected this house in 1636, on a grant of land which was made to him by tlie town of Salem in that year. It adjoined the! Governor Endecott g'rant. It was afterwards bong-ht by tlie Governor, and later passed into the hands of Nurse. It is now the property of the Rebecca Nurse Association, which purchased the estate in 1907. 28 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS of the dreadful calamity about to befall her, she received the news with calm resignation as she did later the ex- aminations to which she was subjected. A paper sii^ned by thirty-nine of her friends^ of the highest respectability in the Village, attesting her blameless character, was offered at her trial. This together with her firmness in answering to the charges against her, induced the jury to bring in a verdict of "Not Guilty." This infuriated the mob. The magistrates were frightened, ordered the verdict withdrawn, and sentenced the poor woman to death. She was executed, and her body thrown with others into holes among the rocks of Gallows Hill, witches not being allowed Christian burial. As she ascended the scaffold she said, "I am innocent, and God will clear my innocency." Family tradition says that her husband and sons recovered her body and buried it under the pines near her old home, where a monument was erected to her memory in 1 885 by the Nurse Asso- ciation. The following inscription is engraved thereon: "Oh, Christian Martyr! who for truth could die, When all about thee owned the hideous lie, The world redeemed by Superstition's sway Is breathing freer for thy sake today." — Whitiier. Joseph Putnam's Protestations. — One of the brightest spots, if there were any such in those trying times, was the conduct of Joseph Putnam. He was a young man of only twenty-two, yet he dared to declare himself unequivocally against the whole witchcraft pro- ceedings from the beginning. Such a course required a courage of which the people of today can have little con- ception. He fearlessly absented himself from meeting, 1 a stone to the memory of these loving friends has been erected in the Nurse burying ground. tn O 3 O O o ^ o S E c en 05 x> c; E n U < o *— I ■o en tti O o rn m X k ■"> o « n ^ c •o u u -o E c f-i .y X ^ X J^^iJ^W^"^ REBECCA NURSE HOUSE Built abiLit 1636, by Townsend Bishop. Purchased by Governor Endecott, in 1648. Later in possession of the Rev. John Allen, of Boston, who sold to Francis Nurse, in 1678. House open to visitors upon payment of a small admission fee THE TRIAL OF GEORGE JACOBS From a painting by Matteson, in possession of the Essex Institute, Salem WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 29 which meant much in those days when everybody at- tended service, and even went so far as to take his infant child to Salem to be baptized. He pronounced the whole thing a delusion and a fraud, notwithstanding his brothers were very active in the accusations. Strangely enough, too, while others who had uttered only the faintest protestations against the proceedings were executed, Joseph Putnam was left severely alone. Probably they thought that it would be easier to con- vict feeble old women than a man in the vigor of youth. For six months he kept one of his horses under saddle night and day, ready to ride out of the country should he be accused. He and his family were constantly armed, and he gave fair warning that if anybody attempted to arrest him, it would be at the peril of life. Had there been more Joseph Putnams, there would have been no witchcraft delusion. He was the father of Gen. Israel Putnam. His brother, Thomas Putnam, was the father of Ann Putnam, before mentioned. George Jacobs. — Another of the victims of the mania was George Jacobs, an old man, of unusual height and with long white locks. He lived with his son and family in the house still standing at the Jacobs farm off Waters street, Danversport. The whole family, except the small children, were accused, but the grandfather was the only one executed, on August 19, 1692, the son flee- ing for his life. When on trial he said: "Well, burn me or hang me, I will stand in the truth of Christ." The bod}^ of George Jacobs was found by the grandson of the aged man after the execution, and strapping it on the back of a horse, he brought it to the farm and buried it. The Rich Accused; The Last Days. — It seemed at last as if the only way to prevent accusation was to become an accuser, and a perfect panic ensued. Not 30 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS only were the poor attacked, but those of the highest standing in the community became victims, and even the ministers came in for a share of the pubhc dis- approval. Rev. Mr. Burroughs, a former minister at Salem Village being among those who lost their lives. But the last days were at hand, and the death blow was given the panic when the wife of Rev. John Hale, of the Beverly church, was accused. She was a noble woman, and so unjust seemed such a charge that the people suddenly awoke to a realization of the awfulness of the situation. From that time the storm ceased, and the most outrageous tragedy ever enacted in the moral world was over. Governor Phips ordered that no more cases of witchcraft be tried. The prisons were full of suspected witches. The doors were now opened and the occupants once more stepped out into God's free air. Twenty had sacrificed their lives during the delu- sion. They were: Bridget Bishop, Sarah Good, Sarah Wildes, Elizabeth How, Rebecca Nurse, Susanna Mar- tin, George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacobs, John Willard, Martha Carrier, Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Margaret Scott, Wilmot Reed, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Giles Corey, Sarah Osborn. SCHOOL ESTABLISHED; DEMANDS FOR A TOWN. The New Meeting House. — It was now nearly thirty years since the first meeting house was built. It was considerably out of repair, was becoming too small for the increasing population, and as the scene of so many examinations during the witchcraft daj^s the asso- ciations were decidedly unpleasant. In 1700 the parish voted to erect a meeting house on Watch House Hill, WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 31 the land being given by Deacon Nathaniel Ingersoll. The dimensions of the new building were 48 by 42 feet. It had a sort of tower and a hip roof, and there were galleries within. The cost was three hundred and thirty pounds, old tenor, which sum was raised partially by subscription. It was over a year in process of construc- tion, and is supposed to have been built by Capt. Thomas Flint. The "Farmers" showed natural shrewdness in one instance, at least, which is worthy of mention. They voted that all who had their way to the meeting house shortened b}^ the change of location should do the work of levelling the new ground, and they clinched it by further declaring that the building should not "be raised" until levelling had been completed. It was in this building that all the town affairs were conducted up to 1752. Seating of the Meeting House. — It was the old custom to appoint a committee to "seat the meeting house," that is, to assign the seats to the various persons in the parish. They were seated first according to age, then office, and last, taxes. Families were separated, the men on one side, the women on the other, rough benches serving as seats in the body of the house. This custom prevailed for many years. Early French Wars. — Salem Village was repre- sented in all the early French and Indian wars. During Queen Anne's war (1702-13) eight men from the Vil- lage were impressed into service to help man the "Fly- ing Horse" of Salem (1703).^ This was an armed cruiser which was fitted out in Salem for protection from the maraudings of Spanish pirates along the coast. On July 3, 1706, a garrison was stormed at Dunstable, and Holyoke, son of Edward Putnam of Salem Village, 1 See Hanson's "History of Danvers," page 39. 32 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS and three other soldiers were killed. August 28, 1708, upon alarm that the French and Indians were attacking Haverhill, a company of foot and troop of horse from the Village hastened to the rescue of the inhabitants, and pursued the flying Indians for some distance. Rev. Joseph Green, the worthy pastor of the church, seized his gun and joined with his parishioners in the pursuit. Middle Precinct Set Off. — Like the people of the Village, those residing in the section now Peabody, de- sired to set up a parish of their own. Some had been connected with the Village parish, but the majority were members of the church in Salem. They, too, found the distance to Salem too great, and in answer to a petition presented at the town meeting in Salem in 1710, a lot of land was granted,^ and the Middle Precinct was established. A meeting house 51 by 38 feet was com- pleted the following year. The first pastor was Rev. Benjamin Prescott. At the request of Bray Wilkins, that part of the present town of Middleton known in early days as "Bellingham's Grant," was also included in the Middle Precinct. Judge Timothy Lindall. — Early in the 18th cen- tury, people of Salem began to look to Danvers, still called Salem Village, as a place for permanent resi- dence. Thus it happened that in 1715 Judge Timothy Lindall purchased at "Porter's Plain," so-called, a large tract of land and a house which had been built by Israel Porter in the latter part of the 17th century. Here he lived until his death in 1760, cultivating his farm and entering into the religious and civil life of the com- munity. The memory of Judge Lindall is still pre- served by "Lindall Hill," which was a part of his farm, 1 The site of the South Church, Peabody Square. X. s o o HOULTON-WILKINS HOUSE, CENTRE STREET Built by John Houlton, before 1692 THOMAS HAINES HOUSE, CENTRE STREET Built probably soon after 16S1 WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 33 the house in which he lived, of the 17th century lean-to type, situated at the corner of Locust and Poplar streets, having been demolished when the George W. Fiske house was erected in 1882. Judge Lindall came from one of the most distin- guished families in Massachusetts, his father, Timothy Lindall, being a prominent merchant and owner of ves- sels in Salem, and his mother belonging to the Verens, that well-known family which figured as court officials for years. Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth, President of Harvard College, was his cousin, whose nephew later, curiously enough, came to Danvers as pastor of the First Church, the church which Judge Lindall attended and to which he presented a silver communion cup. He graduated from Harvard in 1695, at the age of eighteen, and for twenty years thereafter was a successful mer- chant in Boston and Salem. By his first wife, Jane Pool, he had five children, and by his second wife, Bethiah Kitchen, daughter of the Salem merchant Rob- ert Kitchin, he had two. Of all this family but one survived, Jane, who married Francis Borland of Boston and by intermarriages of later generations with the Winthrops, was the ancestor of Hon. Robert C. Win- throp. Thomas Lindall Winthrop, a great-grandson of Judge Lindall, owned "Lindall Hill" from 1760- 1795, when he sold to William Burley, who owned "Bur- ley Farm." Judge Lindall acquired an ample fortune and was able to follow his natural inclinations, which seem to have led him to politics. He served as Repre- sentative, Speaker of the House, Member of the Coun- cil, and was appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1729. He was buried in the Charter Street Cemetery, Salem. The First School; How Established. — It speaks well for the early settlers that they made provision for 34 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS the education of their children. There had been schools in Salem town for many years, and it had been neces- sary for the Village children to attend school there. A school is said to have been held near Dr. Griggs' at Folly Hill, about 1692, but that is outside the present limits of Danvers. The parish was growing rapidly now, and in 1708 the minister, Rev. Joseph Green,^ determined to have a "good schoolmaster to teach their children to read and write and cypher and everything that is good." He made known his desires to the people, who, in general, approved of his plan, and he then set about building a schoolhouse. Deacon Ingersoll, always liberal and public spirited, gave the land at the upper end of the training field for the purpose, and the min- ister paid for the building out of his own salary, assisted by a few whom he had succeeded in interesting. This was the first schoolhouse erected in the present town of Danvers. First Teacher. — The building once started, the min- ister was not willing to wait for its completion. He hired a room in a house near by, and engaged Mrs. Katherine Deland to teach, bearing all the expenses himself. This school continued to be supported for several years at private expense in the new schoolhouse. Since 1701, the Villagers had been endeavoring to induce the town of Salem to establish a school in their midst, but it was not till 1712 that the request was granted. Mrs. Deland was the recipient of five pounds a year for two years, the money being furnished by Salem; at the expiration of this time she was succeeded by Samuel Andrew. He received seven pounds, forty shillings per year. Later the custom of holding school sessions at houses in different parts of the Village was inaugurated, and the schoolhouse was deserted. From 1 See his diai'y, Essex Institute Collections. WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 85 this time to the incorporation of the district of Danvers (1752) the parish conducted all matters relating to the schools. Wills Hill Set Off. — Parish affairs seem to have run along smoothly during the next fourteen years, and the people were happy and united, but the residents at Wills Hill, now Middleton,^ began to clamor for a separation on the ground of distance from the meeting house at the Village, just as a half century before the Villagers had asked to be released from the mother church at Salem. The petition was renewed several years, and finally in 1728 twenty-four from the Village parish received letters of dismissal to the new church at Middleton. Pioneers from Danvers. — Among pioneer commu- nities settled by people from this immediate locality was that of New Salem in the western part of Massachu- setts. As early as 1729 Joseph Andrews and others petitioned the General Court for a grant of land there, but it was not until 1734 that Salem men with their families migrated to that then far wilderness. The reason given in the petition for removing from Salem was that it was "the most ancient town in the Province and they were very much straightened in lands whereon to settle themselves and their children." In addition to the fact that there was a scarcity of unappropriated land in Salem, the allurement of pioneering was also an important factor, an instinct which so strongly char- acterized our New England forbears. Among those from Salem Village who settled in New Salem were John Buxton, John Preston, Jonathan Darling, Israel Andrew, Samuel Foster, Benjamin Holten, Amos Put- nam, James Clough, and many from Peabody and Salem town. Later, in 1797, two of these pioneer fom- 3 Middleton was ineorpoi-ated in June, 1728. 36 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS ilies, the Houltons and Putnams, again felt the call, and leaving New Salem journeyed to the uninhabited re- gions of Maine and founded Houlton. As did their fathers, they opened the wilderness and established homes on the rugged and inhospitable frontier.^ Steps Toward a Town. — The project which for sixt}^ years had agitated the people of the Village and Middle Precincts was not abandoned. The desire for a complete separation from Salem could not be over- come. The demand for a division was constantly re- newed, until in 1733 a formal petition- was sent to the town of Salem. It stated as the principal reason, that a great number of the Villagers lived five or six miles from the town house and some even more than that, and it was extremely difficult for them to attend the town meetings. The petition was set aside. Seven years later (1740) the inhabitants of the Middle Precinct appointed a committee to confer with the "Farmers" at the Vil- lage in regard to joining forces in an attempt to be set ofi' as a distinct township. But Salem was determined to hold all her villages intact, and defeated this project by promising to maintain two schools in the Village territory and one at the Middle Precinct. But still the farmers were not pacified. The people of the two pre- cincts desired to manage their own affairs, and time only multiplied their reasons and desires for a separation. Browne's Folly. — About 1740, William Browne, a wealthy merchant of Salem, erected an elegant mansion for a country home on the summit of Folly Hill. The building consisted of two wings two stories high, con- nected by a spacious hall, much in the shape of the letter H. He named the place "Browne's Hall." The 1 See "Salem and New Salem," by Rev. A. V. House, in Danvers Hist. Coll., Vol. 5, p. 90, 2 See Hanson's "History of Danver.s," page 44. Maui!ai.itJ r: > isi^-^ r ^ = § J s 5 J ^ 03 i ^ ^ " ^ 2; • c :=) O "S ^ WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 37 floor of the hall was painted in imitation of mosaic, and the finish of the house was most costly throughout, cor- responding to the wealth of its owner. At the foot of the hill stood the farmhouse connected with the place, while on the hill was a building adjacent for the domes- tics, all of whom were negroes. Here the wealthy mer- chant hospitably entertained many distinguished guests. William Browne was born in Salem, May 7, 1709, and graduated at Harvard in 1727, in the class with Thomas Hutchinson and Jonathan Trumbull. In 1737 he married INIary Burnet, granddaughter of the cele- brated Bishop of Salisbury, who was not then 15 years of age. He married, second, Mary, daughter of Philip French, Esq., of Brunswick, N. J. He was a repre- sentative to the General Court and a member of the executive council. He died April 27, 1763, and was buried in Charter Street burying ground, Salem. This hilP and the lane along its base was one of the favorite haunts of Nathaniel Hawthorne. In 1755 a tremendous earthquake occurred in this vicinity. Glass was broken, chimneys destroyed, and great consternation created. It has been stated that Browne's Hall was so shaken "that the owner dared no longer reside in it, and practically acknowledging that its ambitious site rendered it indeed a folly, he pro- ceeded to locate it on humbler ground." It was moved to the corner of Liberty and Conant streets, where it remained with all its furniture until after the Revolution. Its owner had died and the prop- erty passed into the hands of Richard Derby of Salem. Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of the neglected house being the scene of schoolboy maraudings, and of 1 In 1848 it was made a coast survey station. It is 207 feet above half-tide level of the ocean. From the! top can be seen Mt. Monadnock, hills in Chelmsford, and the Blue Hills of Milton. See "Browne Hill in History," by Ezra D. Hines ; also Holmes' "The Broomstick Train." 38 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS one of the closets in the house which no one dared enter. It was supposed that an evil spirit was confined therein. He writes: "One day some schoolboys happened to be playing in the deserted chambers, and took it into their heads to develop the secrets of this mysterious closet. With great difficulty and tremor they succeeded in forcing the door. As it flew open, there was a vision of people in garments of antique magnificence, gentle- men in curled wigs and tarnished gold lace, and ladies in brocade and quaint headdresses, rushing tumultu- ously forth and tumbling upon the floor. The urchins took to their heels in huge dismay, but crept back after a while, and discovered that the apparition was com- posed of a mighty pile of family portraits." Hawthorne further writes, concerning the house and hill: "This eminence is a long ridge, rising out of the level countr}^ around like a whale's back out of a calm sea, with the head and tail beneath the surface. Along the base ran a green and seldom trodden lane, with which I was very familiar in my boyhood; and there was a little brook, which I remember to have dammed up till its overflow made a mimic ocean. When I last looked for this tiny streamlet, which was still rippling freshly through my memory, I found it strangely shrunken; a mere ditch indeed, and almost a dry one. But the green lane was still there, precisely as I remembered it ; two wheel tracks, and the beaten paths of the horses' feet, and grassy strips between ; the whole overshadowed b}' tall locust trees and the prevalent barberry bushes, which are rooted so fondly into the recollections of every Essex man. "From this lane there is a steep ascent up the side of the hill, the ridge of which affords two views of very wide extent and variety. On one side is the ocean, and WHEN WE BELONGED TO SALEM 39 Salem and Beverly on its shores; on the other, a rural scene, almost perfectly level, so that each man's metes and bounds can be traced out as on a map. The be- holder takes in at a glance the estates on which different families have long been situated, and the houses where they have dwelt and cherished their various interests, intermarrying, agreeing together, or quarreling, going to live, annexing little bits of real estate, acting out their petty parts in life, and sleeping quietly under the sod at last. A man's individual affairs look not so ver}'' important when we can climb high enough to get the idea of a complicated neighborhood. But what made the hill particularly interesting to me, were the traces of an old and long vanished edifice, midway on the curving ridge and at its highest point. A pre-revolu- tionary magnate, the representative of a famous Salem family, had here built himself a pleasure house, on a scale of magnificence which, combined with its airy site and difficult approach, obtained for it and for the entire hill on which it stood, the traditionary title of 'Browne's Folly.' Whether a folly or no, the house was certainly an unfortunate one. "The proprietor^ had adhered to the Royalist side, and fled to England during the Revolution. The man- sion was left under the care of Richard Derby ( an ances- tor of the present Derby family), who had a claim to the Browne property through his wife, but seems to have held the premises precisely as the refugee left them, for a long term of years, in the expectation of his eventual return. The house remained with all its furniture in its spacious rooms and chambers, ready for the exile's occupancy, as soon as he should reappear. As time went on, however, it began to be neglected, and was accessible to whatever vagrant, or idle schoolboy, or berrying party might choose to enter through its ill-secured windows. 1 William Browne bequeathed this property to his sou, William Burnet Browne. 40 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS "The ancient site of this proud mansion may still be traced (or could have been ten years ago) upon the summit of the hill. It consisted of two spacious wings, connected by an intermediate hall of entrance, which fronted lengthwise upon the ridge. Two shallow and grass-grown cavities remain of what were once the deep and richly-stored cellars under the two wings; and be- tween them is the outline of the connecting hall, about as deep as a plough furrow, and somewhat greener than the surrounding soil. The two cellars are still deep enough to shelter a visitor from the fresh breezes that haunt the summit of the hill; and barberry bushes clus- tering within them offer the harsh acidity of their fruits, instead of the rich wines which the colonial magnate was wont to store for his guests. "There I have sometimes sat and tried to rebuild in mjT^ imagination, the stately house, or to fancy what a splendid show it must have made even so far off as in the streets of Salem, when the old proprietor illuminated his many windows to celebrate the King's birthday. "I have quite forgotten what story I purposed writing about 'Browne's Folly,' and I freely offer the theme and site to any of my young townsmen who may be afflicted with the same tendency towards fanciful narratives which haunted me in my youth and long afterwards." The house was afterwards sold in three parts. The middle or hall section became a sort of annex to the old hotel which occupied the site of the present Berry Tav- ern. This hall was subsequently the scene of many in- teresting occasions. It was used for headquarters of the officers of the militia on state occasions; the selectmen of the town met here; lectures and dances were given; and it was the meeting place of the Jordan Lodge of Masons. It was last moved to a point further up Maple street, where it was destroyed in the fire of 1845. It FIRST CHURCH Where the first Dan vers Town Meetings were held. Second meeting house of the organization. Built in 1701, demolished in 1786. ■V 1 . ^ -^y^nrrri, . l~^^AU ^ ^jCX^.^.: CHICKSANDS PRIORY, COUNTY OK BEDFORD, ENGLAND Birthplace of Sir Danvers Osborn as it appeared in 1730. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 43 received its name. There was an English family by the name of Danvers, which came originally from D'Anvers (Antwerp), Belgium. In the latter part of the 17th century, Sir Peter Osborne — a name common to old Danvers — married Eleanor Danvers, their grandson. Sir Danvers Osborne, being Governor of New York in 1753. He was born in 1715, and married Lady Mary Montague, daughter of the Earl of Halifax. When the District of Danvers was incorporated, Lieut. Governor Phips was in office, and it is probable that he suggested the name through gratitude to his patron,^ Danvers Osborne. It has been stated that this portion of Salem was called Danvers as early as 1745.- FiRST Town or District Meeting; District Limits. — The meetings of the inhabitants of the new District were to be held at the Village and Middle Par- ishes alternately, and officers chosen first from one and then the other. The first call or warrant for a town meeting was addressed to Daniel Eppes, and was signed by fifteen citizens of the two parishes. On the fourth of the following March the first annual meeting was held and officers elected as follows: Daniel Eppes, Esq., mod- erator; Daniel Eppes, Jr., clerk; James Prince, treas- urer; Daniel Eppes, Jr., Capt. Samuel Flint, Deacon Cornelius Tarbell, Stephen Putnam, Samuel King, Daniel Gardner and Joseph Putnam, selectmen. The new district included the territory occupied by the present towns of Danvers and Peabod5\ The citi- zens were allowed to pay their highway taxes by work- ing on the roads, a custom which existed for many years. "New Mills" or Danversport Settled. — In the year 1754, if one could have made a path through the woods to the banks of Crane river, near Danversport, 1 See Hanson's History, p. 57. 2 See Felt's Annals of Salem. 44 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS a small house might have been seen floating on a raft down the river. The man who was propelling it was Archelaiis Putnam. He had been on a prospecting tour through the woods, and finding excellent opportunities for conducting grist mills at "Skelton's Neck," decided to move down his cooper's shop. He lived in the house on his father's farm, known later as the Judge Putnam place, and it was easy to move the building down the old country road to the banks of Crane river, from which point the way was of necessity by water, as there was no road to that part of the town. From the raft it was landed on the site, next the Danversport station, of the old Bates morocco factory, which was demolished in 1920 by the Creese & Cook Co., and later moved across the street. Here he and his family lived in the first house erected at Danversport. His daughter, Sarah (Putnam) Fowler, was the first white child born at Danversport, in 1754. She died Nov. 19, 1847, aged 93 years. The next year his brother John moved down, and together they built a grist mill, which marked the beginning of that business at Danversport, where is now^ the George H. Parker Grain Company. The name of the locality subsequently became changed from "Skel- ton's Neck" to "New Mills," by which it was known for about a hundred years. The whole of that region was then covered with a heavy growth of trees, and so dense was the foliage that Putnam's wife once became lost in going from the house to the mill, and was only able to find her way by follow- ing the sound of her husband's voice. Foxes were plenty in the woods, from which fact Fox hill received its name. As soon as the mill was established a private way was laid out from the Plains to enable the people to carry their corn to the grist. THE OLD TOAVN OF DANVERS 45 HIGHWAY CONTROVERSY AT THE NECK. Road from Plains to Neck Laid Out; Beginning OF Trouble. — The people in the northern part of the town, as well as those residing in the towns of Wenham, Beverly, Topsfield, Middleton and Boxford, recognized at once the advantage of this new way to the Neck. Two good mills had been erected where there was a great head of water, more than sufficient to run these mills in the driest seasons. Heretofore the people of Danvers had been obliged to travel some distance, espe- cially in dry times, to get their corn ground. Accord- ingly in 1755 a petition was presented to the Court of Sessions of the County of Essex, for a highway to be laid out from John Porter's tavern (the present Berry Tavern) to Putnam's mills, where Parker's mill now stands. The petition was granted, and the owners of the land between these two points were given liberty to cut and carry away the wood along the line of the pro- posed highwa5\ They were John Porter, Benjamin Porter, Joseph Putnam, Ginger Andrew, John An- drew, Wm. Browne, Esq., and Rev. Peter Clark. This act was the beginning of a controversy in which petty animosities and sectional jealousies bore no small part in the proceedings of town, county and province for seventeen years. The Opposition Party. — No sooner had these en- terprising farmers obtained the new road, than the people who lived in the present Highlands and Tapley- ville districts, mindful of their own interests, and not willing to see the travel turned in another direction, petitioned the following year (1756) that the new road just laid out be discontinued, and that another road from their section of the town be made to the mills for their accommodation. They took the ground that the 46 CHRONICLES OF DANVEES greater part of the population of Danvers was confined to their section, and that for this reason a larger num- ber of inhabitants would be benefited. This was no doubt true, as the settlement at this time was to a large extent in the northern part of the town. The Court did not see fit to grant their petition, and more clouds gathered. Road to Salem; Why Opened. — The inhabitants of the Neck, always aHve to their own interests in a commercial way, soon began to consider a continuance of the road from Crane River bridge at the grist mill to the North bridge, Salem. They saw it would be the means of bringing travel from the northern towns, which formerly went by the way of Beverly and the ferry^ to Salem, through Danvers. The people of the towns above Danvers were greatly pleased at the prospect of a road through to Salem, because the distance to Salem and Marblehead, where they disposed of their produce, would be much shortened for them. Everybody rejoiced over the prospect of the new road, except the residents of the western part of the town, whose pangs of jealousy were intensified as they saw new avenues of trade opened up. The Neck people were well aware of this oppo- sition, and were satisfied to progress slowly in the ac- complishment of their plan. Their first move was to get the town to lay out a private way between Crane river bridge and Waters river. Several individuals owning land between these two points petitioned the selectmen in 1760 for such a way, which was duly granted, on the pretext that these gentlemen owned land on the Salem side of Waters river and were desir- ous of a road to reach it. Having accomplished so much, of course it became necessary to invent some means of getting across Waters river. They could not 1 For many years there was a ferry across the river where Essex (Beverly) Bridge now is. The bridge was built in 1789. THE OLD TOWN OF DAXVERS 47 ford the stream, and in order to reach their land on the opposite bank a bridge must be built. So a rude bridge was constructed, and the Neck people had the satisfac- tion of seeing so much of the way to Salem laid out. War Begun in Earnest. — This highway affair be- gan to assume gigantic proportions. When the fact of the building of the bridge came to the ears of the oppo- sition party, a terrific commotion was raised in town meeting, in September, 1760. It was voted to forbid the completion of the bridge and to make complaint to the General Court. This was an open declaration of war. The Neck people resolved to continue their sinu- ous methods no longer, but to fight it out in a hand-to- hand conflict. They boldly petitioned the Court of General Sessions to lay out the whole way from the Porter Tavern to the North Bridge, Salem, as a county highway. With this petition came also other petitions of a like nature from the neighboring towns, until the Court's conmiittee was nearly buried in the avalanche This act bade defiance to the opposition. The war had begun in earnest. Grounds for Opposition; The Road Laid Out. — Then came the Town of Danvers before the Court of Sessions with a memorial, opposing in most vigorous language this new way. It claimed that the town could not afford to maintain so much extra highway — as she was paying more for support of highways than any other town in the Province — especially for the benefit of out-of-town travel largely ; that the old road by Rob- ert Hooper, Esquire's country seat ("The Lindens") to the South Meeting house was of sufficient accommo- dation, without the expense of the new way, and while a mile of travel might be saved by the new road, one hundred families, shopkeepers and tradesmen on the old road would be the losers by the division of traffic; and 48 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS not least important of all, that the building of the bridge over Waters' river prevented the passage of vessels up the stream. Waters' river was then navigable for a mile above the bridge, and there were two landing places where the water was eight to ten feet deep at half tide. All these complaints were just, no doubt, but they proved of no avail in stemming the tide of enthusiasm for the new road. In May, 1761, it was laid out as a County highway, but hostilities were in no wise sus- pended. Highways a Burden to the Town; Incorpora- tion OF "Neck of Land." — The increased area of high- ways which the building of the road to Salem had thrown upon the town to support, was the occasion of fresh outbursts of alarm and disapproval from the voters from time to time. They attempted in every conceiv- able way to rid the town of the burden, and petition after petition was addressed to the County and the Province for relief. The maintenance of bridges was a heavy expense, entailing constant repairs. Recognizing the inestimable value of the road to Salem today, it is amusing to read in their petition that "the new way and bridge are a great hurt and damage to the town of Danvers," and that the voters bewail the fact that the town should "pay so much money for what is a great disadvantage to them." Unhappy divisions arose, and finally the courageous residents of the Neck took upon themselves that which the Province, the County and the Town, in turn, re- fused to do, namely, the support of the highway and bridges from the Porter Tavern to the North Bridge, Salem. "The Neck of Land" was duly incorporated as a separate district by act of the General Court in 1772. The residents were exempt from taxation for the support of other highways in Danvers, and the town THE PUTNAM-PRESTON-PEABODY HOUSE Built probably about 1682. Destroyed by fire, May 21, 1904. REA-PUTNAM-FOWLKR HOUSE, OFF LOCUST STREET The western end built by Daniel Rea. previous to 1636. The eastern end added by Deacon Edmund Putnam, about 1759. Owned by Hon. Elias Putnam in 1820. Came into possession of the Fowler family about 1850. 1^ ^^ '■'"■'^f^ ,,'^^" -'^,^. rt Vi- >■■ '** ^^^•■'•'^ ^ _:j PLAN OF A PART OF DANVERS HIGHLANDS Drawn in 1730 by Joseph Burnap, surveyor, for His Majesty's Superior Court at Ipswich in connection with the final settlement of the estate of Nathaniel Ingersoll From the original in the Suffolk County Court Files THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 49 was relieved of the new road, — a condition which con- tinued seventy j'^ears. The new district comprised about three hundred acres and included, besides the present Danversport, all the land between Elliott and High streets, Conant street being the northern boundary. Its inhabitants held meet- ings,^ elected officers, and conducted all business per- taining to roads, irrespective of the rest of the town. FRENCH WAR; SLAVES; THE OLD TAVERN. Danveks Men in the French and Indian War. — Danvers men were always ready to render assistance in time of war, and during the French and Indian troubles (1754-63) one hundred and thirty-nine served in the different engagements at Crown Point, Louisburg, Fort William Henry, Lake George and Ticonderoga, and at the Plains of Abraham. Danvers men were with Sir William Pepperrell, who was later acting Governor of Massachusetts, 1756-58, during the war known as King George's War (1744-48), when the English cap- tured the famous stronghold of Louisburg on Cape Breton Island, one of the most difficult feats of that period. Louisburg was known to be more strongly fortified than any other place in the whole country, and that these untrained New England farmers and fisher- men dared attempt to take it seemed the height of fool- ishness. For weeks they besieged the fortress, and their indomitable courage and persistency won them the vic- tory. The news that Louisburg had been taken was received by the world as a remarkable achievement, and in England the colonists were accorded unstinted praise for their brave work. And so when the summons came 1 The records of the "Neck" are at the Town Hall. 50 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS later to help drive the French completely from the country by the capture of Quebec, Danvers men rallied eagerly to the call. They were nearly all young men, averaging not more than twenty-one years, and they gained an experience that served them well at the break- ing out of the Revolution in 1775. French Neutrals; Their Exile from Acadia. — The year 1755 will ever be memorable for one of the most cruel and inhuman acts ever perpetrated by the English. After reducing the forts of the French at Nova Scotia, they proceeded to make prisoners of about one thousand of the inhabitants of the farming villages along the coast. These the English huddled into their ships, without regard to the union of families, and set sail for Massachusetts, stopping occasionally along the way to leave a few of the unfortunate exiles. In this wa}'' the simple and unsuspecting Acadians were scat- tered all through the Province, children were torn from their parents, and husbands and wives were separated from one another, never to meet again, as told by Long- fellow in "Evangeline." A few of these people, who were called French Neutrals, drifted to Danvers, as to other neighboring towns, and as they had no money they immediately became town charges. In 1759 Dan- vers paid twenty pounds for their support, and eight years later (1767) they were again beneficiaries of the town. They apparently left the town about that time. Slave-Holding in Danvers. — Slaves were never very numerous in Massachusetts. Danvers had its pro- portion of blacks, upon the whom the yoke of bondage rested but lightly, however. Nearly all families of prominence, including the ministers, kept their slaves, and they played an important part in business trans- actions. They were treated as servants, and often en- deared themselves to the families under whose care they THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 51 came. In the Wadsworth cemetery is a stone "In mem- ory of Phebe Lewis, who died Jan. 10, 1823, aged 49 years." She was a negro who had been brought up in the family of Dr. Wadsworth, the minister of the First church. For years she had been a member of the church, and in writing her epitaph the minister called her "an ornament to the Christian profession." A story is told of one slave. Cud jo by name, owned by a family in the northern part of the town as early as 1740. Cud jo resented something his mistress said and swore he would take her life. The family, aware of his ungovernable temper, was filled with consternation at his threat, and the master concocted a plan to dispose of him. Pretending to give him a holiday, he allowed Cud jo to take a load of potatoes to Salem to load on a vessel there. He took his fiddle with him, and the sailors, who had been let into the secret, induced him into the cabin, where he kept up a continual "fiddling," stopping occasionally to "rosin his bow," until the ves- sel was well under way. When he went on deck, he found himself bound for a southern clime, consigned to the same account as his potatoes. When the town was set off (1752) there were twenty- five slaves owned in Danvers, sixteen of whom were women. The following receipts show the method of disposing of negroes at this date : "Received of Mr. Ebenezer Jacobs of Danvers the sum of Fourty five Pounds six shillings and Eight pence Lawfull money, which is in full Satisfaction for a Negro Boy Named Primus Which I have this Day sold to the s'd Jacobs. "45. 6. 8d. Daniel Epes Jun. "Danvers Aprill ye 30th 1754." 52 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Primus Jacobs was a soldier in the Revolution. He served six 3^ears. The other receipt is as follows: "Danvers, Apr. 19, 1766. "Rec'd of Mr. Jeremiah Page Fiftj^ Eight pound thirteen shillings & four pence lawfull money and a Negro woman called Dinah, which is in full for a Negro woman called Combo, and a Negro girl called Gate, and a Negro child called Deliverance or Dill, which I now Sell and Deliver to ye said Jeremiah Page. "Witness Jona Bancroft Ezek Marsh John Tapley." Dill grew up in the family of Col. Jeremiah Page. It was she who figures in the story of the tea party on Ihe gambrel roof, told in verse by Lucy Larcom. The poem runs: "They followed her with puzzled air, But saw, upon the topmost stair. Out on the railed roof, dark-face Dill Guarding the supper board, as still As solid ebony." The negro woman Dinah seems not to have fared very well in the \^ears that followed. Her master, IMajor John Tapley, was killed in the French and Indian war, and a special town meeting was called in 1773 to see what disposition the town wished to make in regard to her. As a result, the selectmen were instructed to have her properly cared for, and she continued a town charge until her death. Milan Murphy was a veteran of the Revolution. He was called "Colonel" and was the victim of all sorts of pranks. He was a prominent figure at the 'Lection day festivities, when he marched wearing his old three-cor- THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 53 nered hat and a blue coat with brass buttons, all the while singinf? to the accompaniment of his old violin. A large clump of willows off Pine street, near Otis, which this negro set out, received the name of "Milan's Willows." In 1818 he was made a Revolutionary pen- sioner. The following story has been related concerning the slaves owned by Lt. Stephen Putnam, who lived where Judge Alden P. White's residence in Putnamville now stands : "Some time in the month of May, 1737, a small vessel might have been seen moving slowly down a river which empties into the Gulf of Guinea. The officers on board were cold and unfeeling, agreeing well with the in- human traffic in which they were employed. They pur- chased captured negroes at low rates and brought them to Xew England, where they were sold at prices which gave large gains to the traders. Among those who landed at Boston in that summer of 1737 were two dark curly-headed children, one a boy of four years, the other a girl of twenty months, whose bright, sparkling eyes gave promise of future activity of mind and body. The bo}'- was purchased by a man in Lynnfield, and the girl by Lt. Stephen Putnam, for the sum of £20, and her weight was twenty pounds, avoirdupois. She was taken into the family and brought up side by side with his children, ten in number, some of whom were older and some younger than Rose. As soon as old enough she was given the task of taking care of the children and assisting her mistress in the work of the family. I can- not say that she ever attended school, but she learned her letters, and was able to read a little in her Bible, and was constant in attendance at church, walking three miles. She could remember the minister's text, but per- haps she took as much pleasure in the social meeting of her friends during the intermission hours as in the ser- 54 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS men. She occupied a chair near the door, which gave her a good opportunity to see the people as they entered, and she noticed their attire and was observant of the changing fashions of those days. She was long remem- bered by the boys and girls of the parish for her gener- ous distribution of apples, pears and cucumbers in their season, with which her capacious pockets were well filled. After the death of her master she remained with her mistress, Miriam Putnam, who lived to the age of ninety-two. Then her time was divided among their three surviving sons, Phineas, Aaron and Stephen, where she was made welcome, though past labor. She died at the house of one of these friends and was buried in the little graveyard on the hill, now known as the Preston Street Cemetery. The children of her master cared kindly for her in her old age, and though no stone marks the grave of this warm-hearted slave, yet the place is known, and plants, the evergreen, box and daf- fodils, have been placed there to mark the spot." "Lt. David Putnam owned and lived in the house still standing on Maple street, near Newbury, known now as the birthplace of his brother, Major-General Israel. It was David who built the large front addition to the original house. His slave woman was called Kate, and in 1784 she set out three willow trees at the east side of the house and close by the running brook, the last of which had to be cut down recentty (1916) on account of decajang branches." Incorporation as a Town. — It was now five years since the town had been set off from Salem as a District. As the troubles with Great Britain increased, the town had a still stronger desire to be represented in the Gen- eral Court. Accordingly, a petition urging that the .. ^^ NAUMKEAG HOUSE, NORTH DANVERS. [■C. RERKY Built in 1838. From a lithograph made in 1852. [p k i- f, f f r f ^. 'i| THE ENDECOTT-PIEMONT-LEECH TAVERN On the old Ipswich Road (Sylvan Street) Used as a tavern from 1762-1806. Here John Adams and Josiah Quincy, Jr., frequently stopped on their way from Boston to Ipswich. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 55 District be incorporated as a town was presented to the General Court. The Royal Governor Hutchinson did all in his power to prevent such action, but his protests were in vain. On June 9, 1757, the petition was granted. The population of the town, including Peabody, was about 2,000 at this time. From this year dates Danvers' existence as a town. The Old Tavern. — Certainly as early as 1745, and no one knows how many years before, there was a tavern at the corner of High and Conant streets. At this time the house was kept by John Porter, who probably built it. It was a good location in the early days for a hostelry, on account of the large amount of travel over the old Ipswich road, providing entertainment for all who chanced to pass that way. And as the population in the vicinity increased, the tavern became the common resort of the villagers. Here all the questions of the times were discussed, the public affairs of the colonies in the "times that tried men's souls." This was also the place for the celebration of public events, where impor- tant meetings for the welfare of the town were held, and still later, where many and varied entertainments and dances contributed to the social life of the community. This old tavern site was sold by Col. Jethro and Timothy Putnam at the beginning of the 19th century (1804) to Ebenezer Berry, who came from Andover. It passed into the hands of his son, Eben G. Berry, who, in 1838, sold the old building and erected the pres- ent one, which was remodelled in 1898. It is now the property of Louis Brown. ^ 3 For the history of other old taverns of Danvers, see Danvers His- torical Collections, Vol. 8. 56 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS NEARING THE REVOLUTION; JUDGE HOLTEN; DANVERS OPPOSES THE STAMP ACT. MuTTERiNGs OF DISCONTENT. — The attitude of the King toward the Province was growing more pro- nounced with every year. Each new law was made with the evident intent to deprive the people of that liberty and power for which they longed. The people were fast becoming slaves. They recognized the fact, and mutterings of discontent began to be distinctly audible. In 1765 the Stamp Act was the beginning of hostilities. Kindred to the spirit of the times were the citizens of Danvers, and this same year — ten years be- fore the Battle of Lexington — they foresaw the inevit- able struggle. They instructed their representative in the General Court, Thomas Porter, to use all his influ- ence toward a repeal of the infamous Stamp Act, and against any internal taxes except those imposed by the General Court. They further declared that they were willing to be subject to the "Greatest and best of Kings," but they thought men of "envious and depraved minds" had advised him wrought and their grievance was such as "cannot but be resented by every True Englishman who has a Spark of Generous Fire Remaining in His Breast." Delegate to Faneuil Hall Convention. — On the twentieth of September, 1768, a meeting was held at the North meeting house, when Dr. Samuel Holten was chosen to represent the town at a convention of dele- gates from the different towns in the Province, to be held in Faneuil Hall, Boston, two days later. The convention continued several days, and the difficulties between the colonies and the mother country were fully discussed. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVEKS 57 Samuel Holten; His Early Life. — All things considered, Dr. Samuel Holten was probably the most remarkable man the town of Danvers has ever pro- duced. He was born, June 9, 1738, in a house not now standing, off Prince street. It was his parents' intention to send him to college, and to this end he spent four years at study in the family of the Rev. Peter Clark, pastor of the PMrst church. At the age of twelve, how- ever, his health failed and the plan was given up. After a time he recovered sufficiently to begin the study of medicine with Dr. Jonathan Prince,^ with whom he made rapid progress. At the age of eighteen, Dr. Prince advised him to begin practice on his own account, which he did, settling first in Gloucester, but later in his native town. His Public Service. — His first active part in public life, outside his own town, was in the Provincial conven- tion before mentioned, which was the first called without Royal authority. He sustained an active part in the deliberations and distinguished himself for that earnest- ness and strength which always characterized him. He was also in the Provincial (State) Congress of 1775, was an active member of the General Committee of Safety and a member of the Executive Council under the provisional government. With the beginning of the Revolution he gave up his practice and devoted him- self assiduously to his country. In 1776^ he was appointed one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Essex County, performing the duties of that office about thirty-two years, presiding 1 Dr. Prince had a large practice in this and neighboring' towns. He lived upon tlie southern slope of Hathorne hill, on Newbury street, opposite Ingersoll street, at a spot now marked by a cluster of pines. This house is now located corner Forest and Hobart streets, and is Known as the Hook house. He died in 1753. ' See Funeral Sermon by Dr. Wadsworth. 58 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS half that time ; and he was Justice of the Court of Gen- eral Sessions of the Peace thirty-five years, acting as Chief Justice of the same fifteen years. In 1777 Dr. Holten was one of the delegates from Massachusetts at the Yorktown Convention that framed the "Articles of Confederation," being forty years old when his sphere of usefulness so broadened, and at some time presided over that body, thus occupying tempo- rarily "the first seat of honor in his country." He served five years in the State Senate and twelve in the Governor's Council. Five years he served in Congress under the Confederation, and two under the Federal Constitution, ill health alone preventing him from continuing longer. From 1796 to 1815 he was Judge of Probate for Essex County. In his native town, he filled almost every responsible position. Not only was he chosen selectman, town clerk, assessor and treasurer, but he was the arbitrator in many a case of dispute, for which he was peculiarly well adapted. He was often called upon to write petitions and other public documents, which called for clear and forceful diction. Personal Appearance and Character. — Judge Holten was in form majestic, of graceful person, "his countenance pleasing, his manners easy and engaging, his talents popular, his disposition amiable and benevo- lent, and of good intellectual powers." He was not a brilliant man and perhaps not a great man in ability for any one line of action, but he was great in capacity for general accomplishments, and of tactful mind. He was faithful to every trust, a man of unswerving integ- rity, always to be relied upon.^ He was a man of Chris- tian principle, and once remarked that it was a happy 1 See llev. Dr. Rice's "History of the First Parish," and "Some Per- sonal Characteristics of Judge Holten," in Danvers Historical Col- lections, Vol. 10. ■I< = ■£■'- ./■ ■I' -^ -^ • t u - - r J V -: = _J c -_- ^ "^ "" ^ ■^ v^.-a ^f. — 4 T ^ K'. , J ;X ^ .= .-r: tri^ ,1. ,o 3 S 'f^Z-r ■^•s '' iJ ;_■ ■"' -S (J - J: ~ a 11 « ■■-- -a ~ •- "- C "^ •"z ■" ■5 "J " 2 '-: -T= ~^ - ^4 '^ ; ■ ■- '^ ^ ;; ,T ;; ■• ^ ;-j . s ^ c .2 - '"' 3 .. u -' „ -^ - — •" •" 2 r^- J^ H -^ ~ '-i '-S w '^' '-J ■"i ■■- r^ -^ •"-' ^ —i o ■^ /■'. ^2l ~- i> 5 X 3 ■J ?i -a >"' ■>; 2 ^ T -; i; ^ 5.-b t; 5 -- g 1 2 - - J-i-i 3o p ^ - ™ 4> W o -J N c J=. -j u c M 11 w " > &. 3 o ^ "?" c o . K U o — ; -.J w) s r K 7^ ^ -a M C 3 J O « o X c h ^ M -ti bd c -iS Ui O - % K i < 2 "o K S -1 O = 3 Q 3 "3 « ■— 1 W ^' fc. C J p N U ,^ t^ ; ) c "• z; M — -o — -^ =: v; ;i -n M o o •v; " s 1 ?^ THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 59 circumstance that the qualities of right living had been engrafted in his mind before he mixed with the world around him. "His was a high type of manhood, apt to be rare, and certain alwaj^s to be needed." Last Years. — The residence of Judge Holten during the greater part of his life was the house now owned and restored by Gen. Israel Putnam Chapter, D. A. R., corner Centre and Holten streets, which was built by Benjamin Holten about 1670. From this house he went forth to participate in the great councils of the country, those councils which made it possible for the people of today to enjoy the opportunities and privileges of the United States of America. He died on January 2, 1816, at the age of 78 years, and was buried in the cemetery in Tapleyville which bears his name. He left three daughters, but no son to perpetuate the name. The poet has well said of him : "A heart from which the milk of kindness gushed, A love, which all the evil passions hushed, . . . Such a life Of quiet glory in an age of strife. The peaceable supporter of a host Whose daring battles are our country's boast. Is worth our study." Tea Taboo at Town Meeting. — The year 1770 was distinguished by the Non-Importation Agreement, the refusal of the merchants of Boston and other towns to import tea, upon which a tax still remained, and they recommended that all who were disposed to resist the tyranny of England should refrain from the use of tiiat beverage. On May 28, 1770, the people of Dan- vers in town meeting assembled, pledged themselves to neither import, buy or use tea until the tax should be removed. A committee was appointed to convey a copy 60 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS of the vote to every family in town for signatures ; they were instructed to publish the names of any who refused to sign the paper, as enemies of the country. Some Tea Episodes. — There seems to have been one person found in the town who refused to comply with this order. He lived in the south part of the town, now Peabody, and the story runs that as a punishment he was obliged by his neighbors to furnish a bucket of punch at old Bell Tavern, a famous hostelry, and to repeat over his cup the following couplet: "I, Isaac Wilson a Tory I be, I, Isaac Wilson, I sell tea." It is said that however willing the men may have been from patriotic considerations to deny themselves the luxury of tea, they found some difficulty in preventing the women of the household from occasionally partaking of the forbidden beverage. The story is told that cer- tain husbands at the South parish grew suspicious of a large coifee-pot that was seen migrating from place to place at quiltings, and surmised that tea-drinking was being carried on by their good dames. The practice was effectually stopped by the discovery one night, while one of the dames was in the act of concealing the tea grounds behind the back-log, of a good-sized toad, which had doubtless been placed in the coffee-pot by some of the men to cure them of the scandalous habit. It prob- ably had the desired effect. Another incident is told of the Page house. There is a family tradition that on one occasion after the drinking of tea had been prohibited in the household, the wife of the owner invited a few friends who were calling upon her, to go to the roof of the house and indulge in a sip of the forbidden drink, appeasing her conscience by arguing that ''Upon a house is not within it."^ 1 See Lucy Larcom's poem, "A Gambrel Eoof." THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 61 Miss Anne L. Page, granddaughter of Colonel Page, has written concerning Dill, who figured in the "Tea party" episode: "Deliverance, or 'Dill,' as she was always called, was the youngest of the three named in the bill of sale before mentioned, and was then only a child. The valuable part of the purchase, in the buyer's estimation, must have been the two elder ones. Dill's mother and sister. These two died in a year or two. Dill lived to good old age and, with other members of the family, I attended her funeral in St. Peter's church in Salem, of which church she was a member. I think her death occurred sometime in the forties. She made up for the loss upon the other two. Combo and Cate, for she was a faithful nurse to the children and became a cook of renown. I remember when she came to the homestead, to spend a day, each year, we children liked to stay in the kitchen with Dill, who told us stories and made gingerbread for us that was always of the best. "In return for her faithful service she was always treated kindly in my grandfather's family. My Aunt Carroll once told me that the children did not dare tease Dill for fear of their grandfather's displeasure, and as she stood by his coffin in 1806 she was heard to say, 'He was a good man.' African trade was carried on by people in Salem and vicinity, and then vessels often returned with a few slaves as a part of their cargo. These slaves found a ready sale, for the New England conscience still slumbered and slept, so far as slavery was concerned. It is a well authenticated fact that slaves of both sexes were commonly held as family slaves, even by many of the clergy, who sometimes acquired them by purchase, and sometimes as presents from their parishioners. "Miss Lucy Larcom gives Dill a place in the poem of 'The Gambrel Roof,' but this was by way of poetic 62 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS license. Dill loved to tell us stories of 'the goings on' in the old time, and would never have omitted the story of the roof-party if she had known it. Besides, the tea- drinking was, and had to be, a profound secret between the three tea-drinkers who went slyly up the scuttle stairs, and sat on the roof and drank their tea that afternoon. Mrs. Page, the hostess, died within the year. Mrs. John Shillaber, by whom the account of the event was transmitted, moved to Salem soon after it happened. It was only in her old age, when all who would have been disturbed by it had been gone many years, that she told the story to her daughters. It was from the lips of one of the daughters that I heard the story, as she told it to my father and mother, neither of whom had been born at the time the event occurred. Had the least hint of the affair been given at the time. Colonel Page would have felt disgraced, and perhaps would have been mobbed, so strong was the feeling against using tea. "In her last years Dill lived in a small, unpainted house in North Salem, now North street, with a willow tree at the door, on which in sunmaer a parrot in a green cage hung, and called to horses in imitation of drivers of teams as they passed the house. "Dill wrote verses. Anstis, her daughter, told me that when 'Ma'am wanted to rhyme up' she would take a basket and go into the woods and bring home some poetry. I could see where the woods might be an inspi- ration, but the basket seemed irrelevent. One of the verses in a poem of some length, ran thus: 'The minister he stands in the pidpit so high And tells us from the Bible that we all must die.' The refrain between each verse ran: 'They stole us from Africa, the home of the free. And brought us in bondage across the blue sea.' THE OLD TO^Y^ OF DANVERS 63 "Peace to her memory. Stolen from Africa, but not exactly the 'home of the free,' from a little ignorant, friendless, black child, she came to be an unusually intelligent, amiable. Christian woman." A Firm Stand ; Strong Resolutions. — During the next three years the people of Danvers continued awake to the difficulties that were besetting the colonies. The arrival of the British troops and the massacre of several Americans in the streets of Boston were not events cal- culated to produce a quieting effect upon the people. In January, 1773, the feelings of the inhabitants of Danvers were forcibly expressed in a set of resolutions, which for strength and boldness never have been equalled in the town. They declared that the rights of the colo- nists had been greatly infringed upon by the mother country, pointing out in detail their various grievances ; that they stood "ready, if need be, to risk their lives and fortunes in defence of those liberties which our fore- fathers purchased at so dear a rate;" that their repre- sentative be instructed to "earnestly contend for the just rights and privileges of the people that they may be handed down inviolate to the latest posterity;" to use his influence toward a strict union of all the Provinces on the continent, and not to swerve as much as a hair's breadth in standing resolutely for all the privileges which they had a right to enjoy. A committee consist- ing of Dr. Samuel Holten, Tarrant Putnam, Jr., and Capt. Wm. Shillaber, was appointed at this meeting to confer with the Committee of Correspondence of the town of Boston, to whom a copy of the resolutions was sent. Gen. Gage's Arrival; The Hooper House. — Early in June 1774, the people of Danvers were treated to a somewhat unwelcome surprise in the arrival of the Royal Governor, Gen. Thomas Gage. Finding Boston 64 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS a little warm for his royal constitution, he changed the seat of government to Salem, making his headquarters at the "Hooper House," now known as "The Lindens," formerly the residence of the late Francis Peabody, Esq., and now of Ward Thoron, Esq. This house, which is still one of the finest mansions to be found in the country, was no less attractive in General Gage's time. It was built about 1754 by Robert Hooper, a wealthy merchant of Marblehead, who, once a poor boy, rose to great wealth, and for a time nearly monopolized the fishing business of that town. He was known as "King" Hooper, partly from the style in which he lived, but more especially on account of his personal honor and integrity. He had decidedly Tory^ proclivities, and the story is told that once during the Revolution, a com- pany of patriots on the way to join the army, appropri- ated to their use the large leaden balls which ornamented "King" Hooper's gateposts. The owner came to the door and remonstrated with the soldiers, using such vigorous epithets not in sympathy with their cause, that a shot was fired from the squad of men. The bullet missed its mark and entered the panel of the front door, which door has been preserved. Many important coun- cils took place in this house when the Governor enter- tained the prominent men of the official circle. The question was often asked, why General Gage happened to bring troops to Danvers, and the answer has been given that the General was an officer of dis- tinction in the British army, at one time Governor of Montreal, and for ten years had been commander-in- chief of the British forces in America. It was necessar}'" to give such a prominent man all the protection needed, - The only Tories, natives of Danvers, were Rev. William Clark, son of Rev. Peter Clark, who in 1768 was an Episcopal clergjonan in Quincy, and was afterwards confined in a prison ship in Boston har- bor ; and James Putnam, who went to Halifax, became a judge of the Supreme Court and died at St. Johns in 1789. GEN. ISRAEL PUTNAM (at left, with sword raised) COL. THOMAS KNOWLTON (central figure standing), of Boxford. From Trumbull's " The Battle at Bunker's Hill." BIKTHPLACK OF CUL. ISRAEL HUTCHINSON, CENTRE STREET Built in 1726 for his father, Elisha Hutchinson L)R. JONATHAN PRINCE HOUSE, HOBART AND FOREST STREETS Built on Newbury Street, opposite Ingersoll, by John Darling soon after 1680 ; owned by Dr. Prince in 1734 ; by Capt. Jonathan Ingersoll in 1794; by Capt. Joseph Peabody in 1827. Removed to its present location in 1845 by John Hook. Now known as the Hook- Hay House. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVEES 65 and the soldiers were there to enforce by their presence his arbitrary measures. The days were spent with se- rious meetings by those favorable to the royal cause, but the nights were given to revelry and dancing by the younger guests at the mansion, when the officers of the regiment took part and made the scene picturesque with their bright scarlet uniforms. Mr. Hooper was early suspected of disloyalty, and a letter was sent to him by the Committee of Safety of the town of Danvers, requesting him to explain his views and the reasons of his Tory conduct. His reply was read at a town meeting, January 1, 1775, and it was unanimously voted not satisfactory. Of "King" Hooper's family, Stephen, his eldest son, removed to Newburyport and became a prosperous merchant. Joseph graduated from Harvard and en- gaged in foreign trade in Marblehead, removing to New- buryport near the close of the Revolution; he was said to have become a loyalist, and his property was con- fiscated, after which he went to England, where he died. Robert was a merchant of Marblehead, as was also Swett. All of these children were, of course, familiar with Danvers, as they probably passed many summers at the mansion here. Robert Hooper died at Marble- head and was buried on May 23, 1790, when all the vessels in the harbor were dressed in mourning and the procession exceeded anything known before in honor of a merchant. Presence of Soldiers; How RECEnrED. — The first two months of the Governor's residence were marked by no conspicuous events. The people did not take kindly to having the representative of the Crown of England in their midst, and the feeling was greatly intensified when in the latter part of July two companies of the Sixty-fourth Royal Infantry from Castle Wil- 66 CHRONICLES OP DANVERS liam were dispatched to attend the Governor in Danvers. The presence of Red Coats in the town created great consternation, but on the whole they were under good disciphne and behaved well. A daughter of Archelaus Putnam often told the story that one day two officers surprised her in Colonel Hutch- inson's orchard at New Mills. To one who commenced to climb the fence, the other said, "Wait till the girl goes away; do not frighten her." Governor Gage often conversed with Colonel Hutchinson. He was affable and courteous, and once, while sitting on a log before the door, he said, "We shall soon quell all these feelings and govern all this," sweeping out his arm with an ex- pressive gesture. The soldiers were encamped in the field opposite the house. They were always watchful against surprise, realizing the hostility of the people round about, and occasionally were under arms all day. Many pranks were played on the troops. At the drum call to arms, Aaron Cheever, disguised, dashed in on horseback, shouting: "Plurry to Boston! The devil is to pay!" The following September, General Gage decided that his presence was wanted in Boston, and the troops made a night march to that place. A large oak in the field, used as a whipping post in the camp, and afterwards called "King George's Whipping Post," was cut down and the timber used in building the frigate "Essex" at Salem in 1799. Trees were hauled from many of the neighboring towns to be used for this purpose. The iron staple upon which the British soldiers were strung up for the lash, was found imbedded in the wood, which, strangely enough, became the stern-post of the "Essex," one of the most important vessels in the next war with England (1812). There are several unmarked graves of British soldiers in the field on the south side of JUDGE SAMUEL PUTNAM ,768- 1853 From a daguerreotype RESIDENCE OF JUDGE SAMUEL PUTNAM, HOLTEN STREET Built as a Summer Residence about 1805, near the old Nathaniel Putnam house, which he demolished in 1818 POND STREET, SHOWING PUTNAM'S POND AND MILL THE OLD TOWN OF DANYEES 67 Sylvan street, rear of the residence of the late Israel W. Andrews, Esq. There was one interested observer of the troops, Samuel Putnam, a lad of seven years, who a few months later, played the fife as the soldiers under Benedict Ar- nold marched by his home on their way to Quebec. This distinguished man was destined to devote his life to peaceful pursuits, being born at too late a day (1768) to engage in the Revolution. At the age of ten he began fitting for college at Andover, graduating from Har- vard in 1787, in the class with John Quincy Adams. His inclination was toward law as a profession, and he established himself in Salem, where he became one of the most renowned advocates in the state. No lawyer of his time was better versed than he in the principles of common, and especially commercial law. In 1814, upon the death of the distinguished jurist Chief Justice Sewall, he was appointed judge of the Supreme Judicial Court of this Commonwealth, holding that high office 28 years. It has been said of him that "no man ever held the scales of justice more even; none was ever more in- tent upon making righteous decrees, none ever more fearless and independent in his decisions, none more so- licitous for the deliverance of the wrongfully accused, and none more indignant against all trickery, lying and fraud." Judge Putnam received the degree of LL.D. from Harvard in 1825. He was an hospitable man, and delighted to show his friends over his old paternal estate in Danvers, on Holten street, near the pond. He was a lover of nature, and the setting-out of trees was one of his especial pleasures. Kind-hearted and charitable, the advisor of many a young business man, and enjoying the confidence and esteem of the community, he died in Boston, July 3, 1853.' 1 See Biographical Sketch of Judge Samuel Putnam and Sarah (Gooll) Putnam in Danvers Historical Collections, Vol. 10, 68 chronicles of danvers England Renounced; Preparations for the Struggle. — During the winter of 1774-75 the mutter- ings grew more intense. Revolution was in the air. On November 21, the town voted to consider itself no longer subject to the laws of England, but to adhere strictly to the doings of the Provincial Congress. As yet there had been no rupture, no engagement, but they eagerly prepared for the worst, and to this end each man was provided with "an effective fire-arm, bayonet, pouch, knapsack, thirty rounds of cartridges and balls." Drills were instituted and the constant tread of feet gave warn- ing of the storm which was about to break upon them. The Militia of Danvers. — From the close of the French and Indian war to this period, Danvers had sup- ported two militia companies, which were attached to the 1st Regiment of Essex County. In 1775, one was in command of Samuel Flint, and the other, which was composed chiefly of men in the southern part of the town, was commanded by Samuel Eppes. There were, in addition to the regular militia, six other companies of "minute men." These were called "Alarm Compan- ies," and stood ready to fight at a moment's notice. British Repulsed at North Bridge^ Salem. — Richard Skidmore^ was a wheelwright at New Mills and had recently made some gun carriages. He served in all the wars, a drummer at the siege of Louisburg, a soldier and privateersman in the Revolution, and a member of the alarm list of 1814. "A patriot, too, his drum he beat In three wars at his country's call ; Beating the onset, not retreat, He came victorious out of all." 1 See Hanson's history, page 104. RESIDENCE OF COL. JEREMIAH PAGE, KLM STREET. Built for him in 1754. The room on the left of the front entrance was used as an office by Gen. Gage, the Royal Governor, in 1774. This house was the scene of the tea party episode related by Lucy Larcom in her poem, " A Gambrel Roof " BELL TAVERN AND LEXINGTON MONUMENT. In the South Parish (now Peabody). Z -I f^ E THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 69 The guns themselves were concealed somewhere in North Salem, it is supposed. A report to this effect had reached Boston, and Colonel Leslie was sent with a detacliment of British regulars to find and destroy them. He landed from a transport at Marblehead on February 26, 1775, and marched overland to Salem. News of the approach of the soldiers flew like lightning. The alarm spread for 40 miles, and in a few hours, it is said, 40,000 men would have been on the spot. By the time Leslie had reached the North Bridge in Salem, the draw was raised, and the opposite side of the river defended by men from Danvers and Salem, armed with muskets, pitchforks, clubs and other rude weapons, who dared them to proceed at peril of their lives. Among them was Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth, pastor of the First Church, who shouldered his musket and hastened to the scene. There were three British regulars to every one American. The British Colonel was greatly en- raged when he saw that the draw had been raised and his plans thwarted, but deciding that discretion was the better part of valor he finally agreed to return to Mar- blehead if he could be allowed to cross the bridge and so obey orders. This he did, and then the regulars marched back to the transport. Just as the retreat was made. Captain Eppes' company of militia arrived from Danvers, armed and ready for battle. This was the first armed resistance to the encroachment of the British in this country. Here, nearly two months before the Battle of Lexington, the people of Danvers and Salem repulsed the foe, and but for the discretion of Leslie, the War of the Revolution would have commenced at the North Bridge. 70 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; FAMOUS OFFICERS FROM DANVERS. The Call to Arms ; Battle of Lexington. — Two months after the repulse at North Bridge, the British instituted a similar search for stores supposed to be con- cealed at Concord. This was the eighteenth of April. Early on the morning of the nineteenth, they were met by the patriot yeomen of Lexington and Concord and forced to retreat. The news of a battle had reached Danvers early on that warm April morning. About nine o'clock the hurried hoof-beats of a messenger's horse were heard in the streets. The man did not dis- mount, but called in a loud voice, as he galloped along: "There's a battle at Lexington! We have met the British! Hurry to help!" The companies of Danvers did not wait for a second call. "Swift as the summons came they left The plow, 'mid furrow, standing still. The half-ground corn grist in the mill, The spade in earth, the axe in clift. "They went where duty seemed to call. They scarcely asked the reason why; They only knew they could but die. And death was not the worst of all." Capt. Samuel Flint and Capt. Asa Prince with their men from the Village, Capts. Samuel Eppes, Gideon Foster and Caleb Lowe and their companies from the south part of the town, Capt. Jeremiah Page and his minute men from the Plains, Capt. Israel Hutchinson with the "New Mills" and Beverly men, and Deacon Edmund Putnam and his Putnamville and Beaver Brook men, 303 in all, old and young alike, ran sixteen THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 71 miles and more to the scene of carnage. Over fences, through fields, scaling stone walls, and then marching on the highway, they hastened on. They started about 10 o'clock; they reached Menotomy (now Arlington) at about two in the afternoon. The British were said to be on the retreat into Charlestown. The Dan vers men with others stationed themselves in the yard of Jason Russell, in the centre of Menotomy, where bun- dles of shingles served as a barricade, and awaited the approach of the enemy. Rumor had deceived the men as to the force of the British. It was their expectation to here intercept their retreat. But suddenly and un- expectedly the enemy came in sight, descending the hill near by in solid column on their right, while on the left a large flank guard was rapidly advancing. The Dan- vers men were caught in a trap, but they fought desper- ately and gallantly. The British, too, were desperate. Enraged at their defeat and harassed by the Provin- cials, who had fired upon them from behind stone walls and trees on their retreat, they now saw a chance for revenge. Some of the Americans were driven into a cellar nearby, where horrible deeds were committed, and here and in the yard seven of Danvers' young men fell, and two more were wounded. The dead were: Benja- min Daland, Jr., Henry Jacobs, Jr., George South- wick, Jr., Samuel Cook, Jr., Eben Goldthwait, Perley Putnam and Jotham Webb. Danvers lost more men than any other town except I^exington. Captain Foster, with some of his men on the side of the hill, finding themselves nearly surrounded, made an effort to gain the pond. Thev crossed directly in front of the British column. On the north side of the road they took position behind a ditch wall. From this re- doubt thev fired upon the enemy so long as any of them were within range of their muskets. Some of them fired eleven times, with two bullets at each discharge. 72 CHRONICLES OF DANVEES Jotham Webb, one of the killed, had been married only a few weeks. When the call came, he put on his wedding clothes, saying, "If I die, I will die in my best clothes." "A gallant hero, too, was Webb, Nor deemed his nuptial suit too fine In which to act a soldier's part And pour his gifts at Freedom's shrine ; "But donned his best, and kissed his bride, And sped to make the sacrifice — The wedding garb his glory shroud, The fatal ball his pearl of price." The house in which Webb lived is stiU standing, off Merrill street, having been removed from Water street.^ It was a sorrowful group that congregated that night in Colonel Hutchinson's house at New Mills, to wait for the news from the battle. There were women whose husbands had seen many a bloody battlefield in the old wars, who knew full well what a dreadful battle meant ; there were young women, born and bred in an atmos- phere of peace; and there were little children clinging to the older ones with childish trust, feeling that some awful thing was about to happen. Only one man was left at New Mills that night, illness alone preventing him from joining the company. On the evening of the 20th, several men on horseback drove up to the house, escorting a horse-cart, which bore a precious burden. On the kitchen floor of that house the dead were un- rolled from the bloody sheets, and the next morning were taken away for burial. Such was Danvers' part in the first battle of the Revolution. 1 See Danvers Historical Collections, Vol, 8, p. 24. the old town of danvers 73 Period of Watchfulness; The Revolution. — After the battle, the town of Danvers voted to establish two watches of thirteen men each, whose duty it was to guard the town every night. A penalty awaited any one who refused to do duty in this direction. Strict rules were laid down against the firing of any guns except in cases of alarm or actual engagement. The watches were discontinued in July, when Congress pro- vided a guard for seaport towns. The expectation of an outbreak was realized on the memorable 17th of June, when the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, in which a large number of Danvers men participated. During the following terrible eight years' struggle for independence, the men of this town bore an honorable and important part.^ Money was 5 For the names of soldiers see "Military and Naval Annals of Danvers," published by the town, 1896. The following gravefs of Revolutionary soldiers have been located : Walnut Grove Cemetery — Summit Ave., Samuel Cheever, Thomas Putnam, Nathan Putnam, Capt. Samuel Page ; Myrtle Ave., Brig.-Gen. Moses Porter, Benjamin Porter ; Fern Ave., Stephen Putnam ; Mag- nolia Ave., Asa Tapley ; Elm Ave., Johnson Proctor ; Aster Path, Allen Putnam. High Street Cemetery — John Josslyn, Capt. Edmund Putnam, Col. Jeremiah Page, Col. Israel Hutchinson, Nathaniel Webb, Jonathan Wait, David Tarr, Capt. Jeremiah Putnam, Richard Skidmore, Ben- jamin Porter. Holten Street Cetoetery — Hon. Samuel Holten, Col. Jethro Putnam, Rogers Nourse, John Kettelle, Michael Cross. Wadsworth Cemetery — Col. Enoch Putnam, Timothy Putnam, Daniel Tow^ne. Putnamville — Capt. Benjamin Putnam. Preston Street— Levi Preston, Phineas Putnam, Phineas Putnamj Jr., Archelaus Dale, George Wyatt. Beaver Brook, Spring Street — John Nichols, James Prince. Putnam Cemetery, near Hospital — Deacon Joseph Putnam. Off Green Street — Amos Tapley, Simon Mudge, John Preston, Daniel Putnam, Lieut. Gilbert Tapley. Pope's Lane — Nathaniel Pope, Nathaniel Pope, Jr. Rebecca Nurse Burying Ground — Matthew Putnam, Francis Nurse. Rear "The Lindens" — Dr. Amos Putnam, Nathan Putnam. Jacobs Cemetery, Gardner's Hill — Capt. Seth Richardson. In 1895, the town made an appropriation for the purchase of markers for the graves of Revolutionary soldiers, since which time the patriotic societies have decorated these graves annually. 74 CHEONICLES OF DANVERS raised and the services of hundreds of its citizens were freely given, so it was truthfully said that "On every field where victory was won, The sons of Danvers stood by Washington." Dr. Amos Putnam was one of the most influential citizens of the town at this time. He was born in Dan- vers, October 11, 1722. He studied medicine and prac- ticed in this town until the opening of the French and Indian war, when he entered the Colonial service as surgeon, serving six months. During the Revolution he was a member of the Committee of Safety and was always a firm and outspoken patriot. He practiced in Danvers over half a century, and died on July 26, 1807, and was buried in a family lot in rear of the "Lindens." The portrait from which the accompanying cut was made is the most ancient Putnam portrait known. GEN. ISRAEL PUTNAM. A Revolutionary hero of whom Danvers will always be proud was Gen. Israel Putnam, whose biography is really a matter of national history. In the house now standing at the corner of Newbury and Maple streets, he first saw the light on January 7, 1718, in a back room which is still preserved with all its ancient furnishings. The old part of the house was built probably about 1641 by Lieut. Thomas Putnam, his grandfather, and came into possession of the General's father, Joseph Putnam. His boyhood was distinguished by strength and courage, and with hard work on the farm and plenty of athletic exercise he laid the foundation of a vigorous constitu- tion. At the age of twenty-one he married Hannah Pope, and soon removed to Pomfret, Conn., in the vicinity of which he made his home ever after. It was < z, H t3 o BIRTHPLACE OF GEN. ISRAEL PUTNAM HOME OF COL. ISRAEL HUTCHINSON, WATER STREET Built by Samuel Clark, son of Rev. Peter Clark, about 1760. He exchanged houses in 1762, with Col. Israel Hutchinson, who then lived in the Hutchinson-Clark house now on Essex Street. Here were brought the bodies of the Danvers men slain in the Battle of Lexington. Demolished when the Danvers- port railroad station was erected in 1889 THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 75 there that he had the famous encounter with the wolf in her den. The neighborhood had been greatly excited at the meanderings of the wolf, but no one had the cour- age to attack her. Putnam, with his usual fearlessness, came to their rescue, entered the cave and shot the wolf, much to the relief of the people. His first service for his country was in the French and Indian War. He commanded a company at Ticon- deroga, where he attracted much attention on account of his undaunted courage. When the Revolution broke out he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Upon receiving the news of the Battle of Lexington, in his Connecticut home, he left his plough in the furrow, and seizing his coat from a tree where it hung, turned his horse loose, and hastened to the scene of the conflict. Commissioned a Major-General by George Wash- ington, who had been appointed Commander-in-chief of the armies, he commanded the American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Here, as elsewhere, he dis- played the utmost bravery and calmness. It was at this time that he gave the famous command to his men: "Don't fire until you can see the whites of their eyes," the wisdom of which was realized when it was seen how great had been the destruction of the enemy. Through all the years of the war he distinguished himself. "He dared to lead where any dared to follow." His courage was sometimes of a reckless type, as when (1778) on horseback he plunged down the hundred stone steps at Horseneck, Conn., to escape death at the hands of the British, a feat which would have been sure death to anyone but Putnam. He was not a man of learning; his education had been such as could be obtained occa- sionally winters in the district school, but he had a large amount of good judgment, common-sense and love of country that completely eclipsed all consideration of his ignorance of books. Washington was his friend, 76 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS and all the great generals and leaders of his time were loud in their praise of "Old Put," as his devoted soldiers loved to call him. George Washington wrote General Putnam, June 2, 1783: "Your favor of the 20th of May I received with much pleasure. For I can assure you that among the many worthy and meritorious officers with whom I have had the happiness to be connected in service through the course of this war, and from whose cheerful assistance in the various and trying vicissitudes of a complicated contest, the name of a Putnam is not forgotten, nor will be but with that stroke of time which shall obliterate from my mind the remembrance of all those toils and fatigues through which we have struggled for the pres- ervation and establishment of the rights, liberties and independence of our country. Your congratulations on the happy prospects of peace and independent security, with their attendant blessings to the United States, I receive with great satisfaction, and beg that you will accept a return of my gratulations to you on this aus- picious event, an event in which you have a right to par- ticipate largely, from the distinguished part you have contributed toward its attainment." In that famous painting, "The Battle of Bunker Plill," the face and form of Putnam is distinctly seen. It was copied from a portrait painted from life by John Trumbull.^ General Putnam died on May 19, 1790, at his home 1 Trumbull also sketched numerous portraits on drumheads and old pieces of deerskin during his service in the army with Washington. Among them are two in which he is in council with General Putnam and Benedict Arnold, one in which Washington is issuing a military order to Putnam, and another in which Putnam is seated on a drum, Washington standing by his side with his hand on the old general's shoulder. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 77 in Brooklyn, Conn., and was buried with military honors/ His monument bears this inscription : "Passenger — If thou art a soldier drop a tear over the dust of a hero who, ever attentive to the lives and happiness of his men, dared to lead where any dared to follow. If a patriot, remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy country by the patriot who sleeps beneath this marble. If thou art honest, gener- ous, and worthy, render a cheerful tribute of respect to a man whose generosity was singular, whose honesty was proverbial, who raised himself to universal esteem and offices of eminent distinction by personal worth and a useful life." GEN. MOSES PORTER. Forty-seven years in the service of his country — that is the record of Gen. Moses Porter, who was born in a house on Locust street, at Porter's hill, on March 26, 1736. This house, which was demolished in 1902, when the Watts residence was erected, was built early in the 18th century. It was the home of Zerubbabel Rea, later the home of Dr. Caleb Rea, whose sister married Benjamin Porter, the father of the General. When but eighteen years of age, he caught the patriotic enthu- siasm of the times, hastened to Marblehead, and enlisted in an artillery company for the fight at Bunker Hill. Here he was the last to leave the guns. He was at the siege of Boston, the campaign on Long Island and at New York, and at White Plains, doing valiant service under Generals Washington and Knox. He crossed the Delaware with Washington, took part in the battles 5 A fine equestrian statue of Putnam has be;en erected in Brooklyn, and a tablet placed by Gen. Israel Putnam Chapter, D. A. R., marks his birthplace. 78 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS of Trenton and the Brandywine, was wounded at Fort INIifflin, and then helped to strengthen and hold West Point. At the close of the Revolution, he was ordered to the northwestern frontier to fight the Indians. His long service there was remarkable for great achievements. In his capacity of engineer, he was of inestimable value to the country. At Fort Detroit he was the first to unfurl the stars and stripes over Michigan soil. Then he commanded the forces at Fort Mackinaw, later Fort Niagara, and leading his men down through western Pennsylvania to the Red river region, kept at bay the threatening forces of Spaniards and Mexicans. He then pushed on to New Orleans through a great trackless wilderness. Just at this time (1812) the country was threatened with another war with England, and he was called to civilization once more to put the Atlantic coast in a state of defence. He built new forts and stationed batteries all the way from New York to Maine, and when the struggle finally came, he was sent again to Fort Niagara to take command of the frontier against the English, with the rank of Brigadier-General. Finally he was placed in command at Fort Norfolk, Va. This was the great event of his life. All eyes were turned to Norfolk, and for long, anxious months the great and proud naval squadrons of England moved back and forth, in and out the bays, ready to pounce upon their prey. But Porter was there. He so fortified the main points and increased his forces and kept them well drilled and ready for attack, having at last 10,000 men under him, and yet thousands of them sick, that the enemy did not dare make him a visit, and finally put to sea. Again he was retained in service after peace was de- clared, and when the country was divided into great THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 79 geographical departments, at the head of which was placed some old distinguished veteran, General Porter was made successively commander, first of the 1st in Northern New York, with his headquarters at Green- bush; then of the 3d, with his headquarters at New York City; then of the 4th, with his headquarters at Philadelphia, and finally of the 2d, with headquarters at Boston, near the scene of his youthful glory. Estab- lishing his headquarters afterwards in Watertown and Cambridge, he died in April, 1822, and was first buried with public honors on the ground of the old Stone Chapel, Boston, the stores of the city being closed and a great military pageant taking place in his honor. His old war-horse was led in the long procession which followed his remains and in which were celebrated gen- erals and colonels and naval commanders who, like him- self, had been defenders of the country in many a notable campaign. His remains were later removed to Walnut Grove Cemetery, Danvers. General Porter was an able as well as a brave man, but his modesty prevented him from taking any credit to himself. Quiet and unassuming, he served his coun- try faithfully to the end of a long life. He was un- married. A large tray taken from the English by General Porter, silver drinking cups and other trophies of the Revolution, have been handed down in the Porter family. GEN. GIDEON FOSTER. This worthy Revolutionary hero was born in that part of the old town of Danvers, now Peabody, on Feb. 24, 1749. In his early days he improved the limited oppor- tunities for an education, so that he became an excellent 80 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS draughtsman, a fine penman and a skillful surveyor. He had considerable mechanical genius, having planned and constructed all the machinery used in his mills. Gideon Foster organized a company of "Minute Men," when the colonies were threatened by English oppression, who were at the North bridge encounter at Salem, and later at the Battle of Lexington. After this engagement he was stationed at Brighton, and was at the scene of the Battle of Bunker Hill, although he did not participate in it. Being ordered to escort a load of ammunition to Charlestown, he met the Americans on the retreat after the fight. Their ammunition was gone, and Captain Foster and his men, with their hands and dippers, filled the troops' horns, pockets and hats, and whatever else they had that would hold powder. At the same time the enemy's shot were constantly whistl- ing by, but they worked on, wholly unmindful of the danger. In the State militia, during times of peace, he ren- dered good service, advancing step by step, until, in 1801, he was elected Major General by the Legislature. "He was chosen commander of a company of 'exempts' during the War of 1812, and he never lost his military ardor, but to the last the sound of the drum was music to his ear. He was nurtured in that school of patri- otism which taught that opposition to tyrants is obedi- ence to God. Liberty and love of country were his early and abiding passions." General Foster was honored by his fellow-citizens with many town offices, and he also served in the State Legislature. He lived to be ninety- six years of age, the last commissioned officer of the lievolution. He died Nov. 1, 1845, and was given a military funeral. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 81 COL. ISRAEL HUTCHINSON. Israel Hutchinson^ was born in 1727 in an old house on Centre Street, near where it crosses Newbury. Ijittle is known of his early life, but when he reached manhood, he is mentioned as a member of a scouting party penetrating the wilderness of Maine in perilous Indian warfare. The next position of prominence was when, as Captain, he fought so nobly at the Heights of Abraham in the capture of Quebec. Hutchinson had gained valuable experience at Lake George and Ticon- deroga. The English had been trying to take Quebec, the stronghold of the French, for three months, but had failed. It seemed next to impossible to get into a posi- tion to reduce the fortress, situated as it was on such an elevation. Finally there was discovered a narrow bridle path leading upwards through the woods to the summit. This was the only chance the English had. In the early morning of the 13th of September, 1759, Captain Hutchinson and his men, with others, floated down the St. Lawrence river, without the use of oars, for silence must be preserved. They touched at a little cove and the sentinels who guarded this secret path, were overpowered. Hutchinson and his men pulled themselves up by catching roots, branches and stones, and digging out steps in the mountain side as they ad- vanced. By daylight they had reached the summit. The French could not believe their eyes when they be- held this band of Englishmen on the Plains of Abraham. A terrific battle took place, as a result of which Quebec became an English possession. Capt. Israel Hutchin- son, then thirty-two years of age, escaped uninjured from the awful conflict. 1 The monument which has been erected to his memory near the Danvefrsport station, stands near the site of his liome. 82 CHRONICLES OF DANVEBS Sixteen years later, Captain Hutchinson with his company of minute men marched from his home at Danversport to Lexington, on the 19th of April, 1775. For his meritorious conduct here he was appointed Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the 19th Massachusetts Regiment, with headquarters at Cambridge. At sunset of June 16, 1775, Lt.-Col. Hutchinson marched from Cambridge common to Bunker Hill. At midnight they began to throw up a redoubt, and by sunrise of the following day they disclosed to the astonished British a fort that rose out of the night as if by magic. All that morning, in the terrible heat, exhausted and famished, without food or water, that handful of men waited for the attack of the British. And when it came, with what determination both sides fought is recorded in history. Hutchinson was rewarded after the battle by appointment as Colonel of the 27th Regiment of the Army of the United Colonies. On the night of the famous retreat from Long Island (Aug. 29, 1776) to the mainland, Hutchinson and his men helped save Washington and his forces from cap- ture and possible destruction. Washington had been caught like a rat in a trap, and his only means of escape was by transports to the mainland. He ordered every transport that could be found to set out at once, adding "they must be manned by some of Col. Hutchinson's men." A heavy easterly storm was raging. At 8 in the evening the boats were ready, manned by Hutch- inson's Danvers and Salem men, but for three hours they waited before the tempest abated sufficiently to embark. Fortunately, a heavy fog settled down, which concealed the doings of Hutchinson, until the army was removed to a place of safety. At Newark and Trenton, the name of Colonel Hutchinson is found, but Christmas night of 1776 is second to none of the other great events THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 88 in his life. With Washington he crossed the Delaware to attack the Hessians at Trenton. The men were rag- ged and half fed. It was a bitter winter night. The wind howled from the northeast and by midnight a driv- ing snow storm was raging. Undaunted, they strug- gled on through the ice in the river and at four the next morning they appeared before the enemy, surprised them and forced them to surrender. Such was the mili- tary life of Colonel Hutchinson. In 1777, and for nineteen years thereafter, Colonel Hutchinson represented Danvers in the General Court, and for two years he was a member of the Governor's Council. In personal appearance he was of medium height, quick in his movements, while dignified and courteous in his manner. He was affable, social and generous. After his long public service he spent his declining years in the quiet of his home, attending to his mill. His life of activity was a blessing to the people among whom he lived ; a leader of men, he inspired others to noble action. His industry was one of his most noticeable qualities, to the extent that his neighbors used it as a byword and predicted that he would sooner or later lose his life in his mill. The prediction proved true, for in March, 1811, at the age of eighty-four years, while removing ice from the water-wheel, he received injuries which caused his death on the 15th of that month. He was buried in High street cemetery. COL. JEREMIAH PAGE. About the middle of the 18th century a man named Andrews, who lived in Putnamville, needed some bricks to build a chimney, and went to Medford to get them. Andrews told the brickmaker that there was good clay 84 CHRONICLES OF DANYERS in Danvers, and asked him to send someone to com- mence working it. Accordingly his son, then twenty- one years of age, came to Danvers, boarded in Andrews' family, married one of his daughters, and commenced the manufacture of bricks. This young man was Jere- miah Page. He built the house on Elm street — now removed to Page street by the Danvers Historical Society — soon after his settlement in town, and with his own hands brought from the woods near by the elm trees which grew to such enormous proportions and surrounded the old house. He was a staunch patriot and was captain of a militia company before the Revolution. While General Gage was stationed in Danvers, he occupied the front room of the house as an office, from the win- dows of which, it is said, there was an uninterrupted view of Salem harbor. At the breaking out of the Kevolution, he led a company of minute men to Lex- ington from the door of his house, which was the assem- bly place agreed upon. He was commissioned Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Eighth Essex Regiment in 1776. The same year he performed duty at Horseneck, being among those drafted for the relief of New York. He was in the famous Battle of White Plains, Oct. 18, 1776. A year later he resigned and spent the remainder of his days at home, taking an active part in town affairs. He died June 8, 1806, and was buried in High street cemetery. COL. ENOCH PUTNAM. Another distinguished son of Danvers was Col. Enoch Putnam.^ Born Feb. 18, 1732, in the old Put- 1 A plain gold ring given by Enoch Pntnam to his wife, bearing the inscription "Kemember the giver — E. P.," is in the possession of one of his great, great granddaughters. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 85 nam homestead near "Oak Knoll," he followed the oc- cupation of farmer during his early years. He served in a militia company before the Revolution, and at the breaking out of the war, hastened to Lexington as sec- ond lieutenant in Capt. Israel Hutchinson's company. The following month (May, 1775) he received a Cap- tain's commission. In 1778 he is found as Lieutenant- Colonel in command of the Eighth Essex Regiment, serving in this rank until 1780. The next year he was in command of re.gulars raised for three months, at West Point, and on the 14th of November, 1782, he was appointed a full Colonel. After his retirement from the army, he served the town in many important capacities. He died in 1796, and was probably buried in Wadsworth cemetery, although no stone marks his grave. REV. BENJAMIN BALCH. Rev. Benjamin Balch, who resided in New Mills from 1774-1784, was a character who figured in some of the most thrilling events of the Revolution. He graduated from Harvard in 1763, and while preaching in Machias met his future wife, a pretty Irish girl and a member of his congregation, the daughter of Morris O'Brien. Her brother, Col. Jeremiah O'Brien, has been credited with winning the first naval victory of the war, while another brother, Capt. John O'Brien, was a noted shipowner of Newburyport, Boston and New York, from which family, curiously enough, the Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, pastor of the Baptist Church at New Mills, in a later generation, took his bride. The O'Briens were most ardently devoted to the cause of the colonies. Benjamin Balch was chosen, in 1775, lieutenant of the New Mills Alarm company that marched to the 86 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Battle of Lexington. From that time his patriotic ser- vices were continuous, serving as Chaplain in the army until 1778, when he was appointed Chaplain of the frigate "Boston," on which two of his sons were serving. In 1781 he was assigned to the famous frigate "Alli- ance," Capt. James Barry, built in Salisbury, and said to have been the first frigate built for the Continental Congress, and his services in that year were marked by interesting events consequent upon the activity of that vessel under her gallant commander, and the leadership of John Paul Jones. Balch earned the designation of the "fighting parson," when in a perilous engagement with two British vessels he armed himself and fought with the others in a desperate and successful struggle in which the "Alliance" captured both vessels. At the close of the war he resumed preaching, and died in Bar- rington, N. H., in 1815.^ OTHERS HIGH ON ROLL OF HONOR. There were many other Danvers men on the roll of honor during the war. Major Caleb Low served in the Indian wars and in the Revolution under Washington; Major Sylvester Osborne, who, at sixteen years of age, rushed to the Lexington fight; Capt. Samuel Eppes, who hurried to Lexington in advance of his regiment; Capt. Samuel Flint, the only commissioned officer from Danvers killed in the Revolution, which occurred at Stillwater in 1777, the hero of the French wars, who, when asked where he could be found on a certain day, replied, "Where the enemy is, there you will find me"; Capt. Samuel Page, son of Col. Jeremiah Page, who served all through the Revolution; Capt. Dennison 1 See Danvers Historical CollectioBS, Vol. 7, p. 86. Balch 's son William married Mary, daughter of Rev. Dr. Benjamin Wadsworth of Danvers. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 87 Wallis, who, when nineteen years old, received twelve bullet wounds in the fight at Lexington ; Capt. Jeremiah Putnam, a faithful officer to the end of the war; Capt. Asa Prince, who, in attempting to escape from the hands of the British on June 17th, 1775, dislocated his ankle, and courageously thrust the bone back into the socket and renewed his flight; Capt. Levi Preston and Capt. Johnson Proctor, worthy sons of the south part of the town; and Capt. Edmund Putnam, the "fighting deacon," who, at the head of his company of minute men, marched to Lexington; Seth Richardson of "New Mills," afterwards a well-known sea captain, who en- listed at sixteen and saw some of the hardest service, at Valley Forge, Monmouth and Hubbardston, under Captain Page;- — these and many more grandly fought for the freedom of America. "God give us grace to know full well, Who sowed the seed that we might reap ; And, while eternal harvests grow, Let memory her jewels keep." EDUCATION AND BUSINESS DEVELOP- MENTS AFTER THE REVOLUTION. Shipbuilding Introduced at New Mills. — Al- most as soon as Archelaus Putnam had built his grist mills, sharp-eyed men from the shipbuilding towns saw an opening at New Mills for their business. The first to engage in the business here was Timothy Stephens of Newbury, an enterprising and skillful builder, from whom many young men learned the trade and estab- lished "yards" of their own. During the Revolution several privateers were built at New Mills for use in the service, besides merchant ships for the trade. When 88 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS the war broke out, the firm of Pinder, Kent & Fowler had a contract to build a large ship for a London house, but the impending hostilities prevented them from rig- ging and fitting her. So long as she remained on the stocks, the builders could get no pay, and the English agent, Capt. John Lee, who was superintending the building refused to allow her to be launched. How- ever, all the ship carpenters mustered one night and slid her into the water. A lawsuit was the result. The New Mills builders never received their pay, and the good ship, floating with the tides, rotted in the river. The privateers "Harlequin," "Jupiter" and "Grand Turk," were built here during the Revolution, and the Kents continued this business for many years, being succeeded by Ira Story in the middle of the nineteentli century. Danvers' First Printing Office. — About the time of the Revolution, there appears to have been a print- ing office in Danvers. It was located in a small build- ing, next adjoining Bell Tavern, in what is now Pea- body, and the printer was Ezekiel Russell, who had been engaged in the business in Salem. Here were printed books of various kinds, and "Bickerstaff's Boston Al- manac" (1779), a publication containing much advice, not to mention correct forecasts of wind and weather for New England, accompanied by crude illustrations. The printing office was the receptacle for old rags, sail- cloth, junk, or anything that could be converted into paper — a scarce article just at this time. Bibles, school books and religious books were kept on sale in this pub- lication office "at Danvers, near Boston," as the adver- tisement reads. Russell discontinued his business and removed to Boston about 1782. First School at Putnamville. — The children of Putnam ville had the benefit of a school as early as 1777; THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 89 a schoolhouse was built on a small ledge near the corner of North and Locust streets, and here many of the men and women who afterward made Putnamville one of the busiest and most prosperous sections of the town, received their early education. Not long after this, a new building was erected (1787) very near the old one. This later one had an interesting and varied history. After generations of use as a schoolhouse, it became the shoe factory of Elias Putnam (1812), having been moved to another part of Putnamville, and a new school- house erected on the site. Here it was the scene of many hot political as well as religious debates. Here, when liberal thought in the churches began to show it- self, its advocates, the early Universalists, held their first meetings. And when its usefulness as a factory was ended it was moved to Tapleyville (1832), where it was remodeled into a tenement house, remaining standing until the Tapley school was erected (1896). Primitive Shoemaking; First Shoe Factory in United States. — In the early days before the Revolu- tion, the business of making shoes was confined to little shops, built by the farmers near their houses. Here, during the winter months, when work on the farm was suspended, the time was profitably spent with the ham- mer and awl in the production of shoes for the neigh- borhood. About the time of the Revolution, Zerubbabel Porter, brother of Gen. Moses Porter, was engaged in the cur- rying of leather in a little shop which stood on Locust street on a knoll in front of the residence of the late An- drew C. Watts at Putnamville. It was a two-story build- ing. The tanning was carried on in the basement for some time, when the idea of manufacturing shoes occurred to the owner. He hired several workmen to make shoes from the leather which he was unable to dispose of in 90 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS his currying business. This, it is claimed, was the first factory in the United States in which the owner em- ployed a number of paid workmen in the manufacture of shoes for outside trade over and above the demands of people in the immediate locality. Porter was a man of more than ordinary ability, intelligent, shrewd and enterprising. He was born Sept. 6, 1759, and died Nov. 11, 1845. He rapidly extended his business, even to Southern ports, shipping the shoes, packed in barrels, on board of coasters out of Salem. These shoes were thick brogans, designed for the Southern slaves. Soon another pioneer in the business, having served a year's apprenticeship, one day in 1789 bought a side of leather, and "set up for himself." This was Moses Putnam. The shoes that he made from the side of leather, he took in a saddle-bag to Boston, having hired his father's horse, and sold them to good advantage. With patient industry and well merited success Moses Putnam continued fifty-seven years in the business, until he became one of the wealthiest men in the county. From this small beginning has grown the giant in- dustry, which has been a benefit, not only to Danvers, but to the country at large. Inoculation; How Received. — For many gener- ations the scourge of this country was the smallpox. Hardly a family escaped, and in the earliest days whole families were carried off by this terrible disease. In England a remedy had been found that would prevent the spread of the malady. It was called the process of inoculation. In 1778, an attempt was made to intro- duce it into Danvers, and a certain house was set apart for the purpose of inoculating those who so desired, but as in all great movements, there were those in Danvers who were skeptical and treated the matter as absurd. VIEW OF CRANE RIVER AND WATER STREET, DANVERSPORT Left to Right : Wool Store of Moses Black, Jr. ; Coal and Wood Shed ; Brick House, built by Nathaniel Putnam, in 1805; Houses of Major Moses Black; Black's Morocco Shop From a lithograph made in 1S52 BAPTIST CHURCH RESIDENCE OF THE REV BENJAMIN WADSWORTH, D. D. Centre Street. Built in 1785. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 91 Feeling on the subject ran high. So great was the opposition that in the following month a special town meeting was held, which quite effectually and in no uncertain tones stopped the practice immediately. After a dozen years, the people evidently had their eyes opened to the beneficial results obtained by the treatment, for from that time there was no further attempt to prevent its use, and, indeed, twenty years later the town enter- tained such a high opinion of vaccination that a specialist was paid to vaccinate the children of Danvers. The Commonwealth. — Massachusetts became, by the Articles of Confederation in 1781, one of the states which formed the United States of America. The States threw off the yoke of Great Britain with the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. Until the Constitution was adopted in 1789, thej^ were governed by Congress. From this period the Town of Danvers is to be considered a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Baptist Society Foemed. — The population at New Mills increased to such proportions that a church was desired in the neighborhood. The Baptist society was accordingly formed in 1781. A large number of Bev- erly people attended the services. Two years later a meeting house was erected, the timber for which was cut on Lindall Hill, hewn by hand, and hauled to the site of the new church. This building was sold in 1828, when a new church was erected, to John A. Learoyd, who moved it to the Plains and used it for j^^ears as a currier's shop in the rear of his house on Maple street. The ministers of the Church have been: Rev. Benjamin Foster, 1781-1784; Rev. Thomas Green, 1793-1796; Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, 1802-1818; Rev. James A. Bos- well (ordained 1819), 1818-1820; Rev. Arthur Drink- water, 1821-1829; Rev. James Barnaby, 1830-1832; Rev. John Holroyd, 1832-1837; Rev. E. W. Dickinson, 92 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS 1838-1839; Rev. J. Humphrey Avery, 1841-1842; Rev. Joseph W. Eaton, 1843-1849, Rev. A. W. Chaffin, 1850-1862; Rev. Foster Henry, 1862-1865; Charles F. Holbrook, 1865-1870; Rev. J. A. Goodhue, 1870- 1872; Rev. G. W. McCuUough, 1873-1876; Rev. Lucien Drury, 1877-1883; Rev. Gideon Cole, 1884-1888; Rev. C. F. Holbrook, 1889-1898; Rev. C. S. Nightingale, 1898-1903; Rev. C. H. Wheeler, 1903-1907; Rev. E. A. Herring, 1907-1911; Rev. F. J. Ward, 1913-1917; Rev. Walter G. Thomas, 1917. Early Schooling at New Mills. — In all proba- bility New Mills was one of the districts in which in 1777, it was voted to "set up a school for three months." At all events there was a schoolhouse there as early as 1785, which stood, it is thought, near the Baptist church. Of one of the early schoolmasters, Caleb Clark, the following has been written: "He was in the habit of whittling a shingle in school and for small offences compelling the disobedient to pile the whittlings in the middle of the room; when this was accomplished he would kick them over, to be picked up again. He would sometimes require them to watch a wire suspended in the room, and inform him when a fly lighted on it. For greater offences he would sometimes attempt to frighten them into obedience by putting his shoulder under the mantel-piece and threatening to throw the house down upon them. It is said of the worthy peda- gogue that when deeply engaged in a mathematical problem he became so absorbed in the work as to be wholly unconscious of anything transpiring around him, and the boys, taking advantage of this habit, would creep out of school and skate and slide by the hour together." Danvers Men in Shays' Rebellion. — After the Revolution, Massachusetts, as well as the other original o'^:''>i • ->..V.'- 1 BROADSIDE, GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF STILLWATER Printed and sold by Ezekiel Russell at his printing office in Danvers From the original in possession of the Peabody Historical Society THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 93 states, was very heavily in debt. The people were im- poverished by the long war and had no money to pay their bills. The jails were full of poor debtors, the law which permitted arrest for debt then being in effect. There was an uprising in the western part of the State (1786) known as Shays' Rebellion, in which Daniel Shays enlisted two thousand farmers and others to put a stop to further lawsuits for debt. They attempted to attack Worcester county court house and jail, but the "rebellion" was quelled by the militia, and Shays fled to New Hampshire. Danvers sent fourteen men with the Essex Regiment, to help put down the insurrection. THE GREAT NORTHWEST; HON. NATHAN READ'S EXPERIMENTS; WAR OF 1812. The Great Northwest; Emigrants from Dan- vers; The Ohio Company; Marietta Settled. — The town of Danvers took an important part in the settlement of the Northwest Territory. Previous to 1787, only a few traders and missionaries had penetrated into the wilds of the west as far as Ohio. The govern- ment had sent a man to survey the lands, who, upon returning, gave such glowing accounts of the country that Gen. Rufus Putnam of Rutland, a grandson of Danvers, commenced to form a corporation for the colo- nization of that region. Thus, what was called "The Ohio Company" came into existence, to which the gov- ernment granted five million acres of land. The first party of emigrants to the new country set out from Danvers, Dec. 1, 1787. This division was led by Major Hafiield White of this town, in which there were at least thirteen Danvers men, with several from Hamilton and Essex. They travelled overland in a long, ark-like looking wagon, covered with canvas and 94 CHRONICLES OF nANVERS bearing the inscription on the outside in large letters: "To Marietta on the Ohio." They were a vigorous set of men, and their energy, determination and power of endurance were well tested as they urged their way to the great wilderness of the west in the dead of winter, through deep snows, across ice-bound streams and over almost impassable mountains. Major White's division arrived at the Yohoigany river on January 23, 1788, where, on February 14, they were joined by General Putnam's company. Both par- ties then engaged in making boats and laying in stores. On the first of April, the whole company sailed up the river to the confluence of the Muskingam and Ohio rivers. Here on the 7th of the same month they landed and began the settlement of Marietta, Ohio.^ Consid- ering that General Putnam, the chief superintendent of the Ohio company sprang from a Danvers family, that it was from this town that the first division of the ear- liest settlers of that great state took their departure, and that Danvers furnished more men for the company than any othpr town, it is not claiming too much to say that not only the State of Ohio, but the Great Northwest is, in a certain sense, the offspring of Danvers. In the years which immediately followed, other small bands of pioneers were organized in Danvers and vicinity for the western settlement. Their life in a new home, so far from friends and native haunts, was on the whole a hard one, yet the wide prospects for business, the rich soil and the congenial climate appealed to them. The Indians for the most part gave them a wide berth at the outset, but as the settlement grew the colonists were obliged to live in the fort, and a strict watch was maintained against Indian attacks. The story of their subsequent life is the story of the hardship and privations of every J Named in honor of Marie Antoinette of France, who had shown so much friendship for our country. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 95 pioneer of the great west. There are many interesting and vakiable letters^ still in existence, written from the new settlement to friends and relatives in Danvers, in which they related their adventures and also urged their friends and families to follow them. HafReld White did valiant service in the French and Indian war and the Revolution. At Marietta he en- gaged in the milling business, erected mills and became a leading citizen. In person he is described as below medium size, robust and thickset, very active and brisk in his motions, prompt to execute any business on hand in the most expeditious manner. His home was in the southern part of old Danvers. Danvers vs. Essex Bridge; A Sharp Conflict. — In 175:8 it was proposed to build a bridge from Beverly to Salem, to take the place of the ferry. This was con- sidered a most wonderful undertaking. For many years Danvers had enjoyed the advantage of travel from the towns beyond Beverly to Boston, over the old Ipswich Way and the Boston Road. The new bridge meant that all this travel would now be turned to the more convenient route through Beverly and Salem. The same spirit which opposed so vigorously the road through New Mills a quarter of a century before, arose in its might and fought just as desperately to prevent the erection of the Essex Bridge, commonly known as Beverly Bridge. Danvers stood like a rock against the overwhelming current. All the other towns in the county directly concerned were as a unit in favor of the bridge. They complained that the old road was uneven and bad, that the snow through Danvers delayed the mails, and that the distance to Boston was greater. Single-handed, if need be, Danvers proposed to fight to 1 See extracts from their letters in Danvers Mirror of Nov. 10, 1877. 96 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS the bitter end for the preservation of her ancient pres- tige, "For if they once may win the bridge, What hope to save the town." Town meetings were held in which the citizens declared that by building the bridge, their only channel to the sea would be cut off and their shipping industry would be ruined. A stormy time ensued, in which petitions and remonstrances came thick and fast from the sturdy sons of Danvers. At one time it looked as if they would have a strong ally in the fishermen of North Salem, whose fears were aroused and sympathies doubtless en- listed by their Danvers neighbors. They, too, felt quite sure that the days of their fisheries would soon be ended. For months the war was waged. On one side, the whole eastern part of the county clamoring louder and louder for a bridge; on the other, Danvers and the North Salem fishermen as solid as a rock against it. As a last resort the opposition presented a most pleading peti- tion. They quoted scripture. They rose to eloquence and pathos. They summoned law and history to their relief, and prostrated themselves with all humility at the feet of the authorities to prevent such a dire calamity as the building of Essex bridge. Col. Israel Hutchin- son testified to the shorter route through Danvers. An- other Danvers man called attention to the large ship- ping interests of that season. They then had a fleet of vessels at the Grand Banks and many in the coasting trade. They sneered at Ipswich's clam-bait, ridiculed Newburyport's ship-building, declared that an inch of Beverly harbor was worth a fathom of Marblehead, and posed as champions of the preservation of Beverly harbor. All to no avail. Their selfish interests were not gratified, and on November 17th, the General Court L VIEW OF THE READ-CROWNINSHIELD-PORTER HOUSE ACROSS WATERS RIVER HON. NATHAN READ THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 97 passed the bridge bill, which was certified by Samuel Adams and approved by Gov. John Hancock, marking one more step in the march of progress of Essex county. To compensate for the alleged injury to shipping at New Mills, the proprietors of the bridge agreed to pay annually to the town of Danvers for fifty years the sum of ten pounds, which was allowed (1789) the Neck of Land people for the repair of the highways. "Spite" or Liberty Bridge. — The same year (1788) a wooden bridge was built over Porter's river by the New Mills people, evidently with the intention of draw- ing travel from Beverly in this direction. The bridge was called "Spite" bridge by the witnesses of the recent Essex bridge controversy, a name which clung to it for years. It was later (1805) named Liberty Bridge. Nathan Read ; His Experiments ; Other Inven- tions. — In the summer of 1789, a man about thirty years of age might have been seen in a small, lightly built boat, moving up and down Waters river. The man was Nathan Read, and the boat was propelled by means of paddle-wheels operated by hand, an idea which was later developed by Fulton with steam as the motive power. Read was a graduate of Harvard, where he had been tutor of Harrison Gray Otis and John Quincy Adams, and at this time was an apothecary in Salem. He was a thorough student, especially of scientific branches. For some time he had been experimenting in the hope of inventing a new motive power for the propulsion of boats. With two paddle-wheels he made successful trips across the river. Many distinguished people were witnesses of the experiment, including Gov. John Hancock. It is to be remembered that this was eighteen years before Robert Fulton successfully ex- perimented with steam on the Hudson. 98 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Ten years later (1799) he invented the first machine for cutting nails, and forming a stock company, the "Salem Iron Factory Company," bought the right to establish iron works at Waters river, as the tide power there had never been utilized/ Nathan Read moved to Danvers, built the fine residence, now the Benjamin Porter estate, where he lived until 1807, when he re- moved to Belfast, Maine, dying there in 1849. He rep- resented Danvers in the Legislature during his residence here. Read was the first man in the United States to receive a patent. The foundry business brought many iron-workers into the town with their families. A nail shop and an anchor factory were also established there, but both were removed years ago; one occupied a place in Calvin Putnam's lumber yard; the other was con- verted into a barn near by. The anchors manufactured were mostly of a size suitable for coasting and fishing vessels. One important piece of work turned out there, which will go down in history, was the forging of the anchor for the United States frigate "Essex," built in 1799 by the people of Salem, and presented to the gov- ernment. The Iron Factory gradually gave up the manufac- ture of anchors and nails, and iron rods and sheet iron became the product. After 1807 it was under the man- agement of Capt. Benjamin Crowninshield of Salem, who purchased the Read house, continuing to own it until his death in 1837, when it came into possession of the Porter family. The "Danvers Iron Works" has been owned since 1843 by Matthew Hooper, three gen- erations of Sylvesters, John, Benjamin F., and Her- bert W., and is now (1923) the property of the Massa- chusetts Iron and Steel Company. 1 See "The Salem Iron Factory," by Francis B. C. Bradlee, in Dan- vers Historical Collections, Vol. 6. THE OLD TOAVN OF DANVERS 99 Amos Pope and His Almanacs. — In the latter part of the 18th century, Amos Pope of Dan vers, a descend- ant of Joseph Pope, one of the earhest settlers, at the age of about nineteen, computed and published a series of almanacs. He was the son of a farmer, educated himself with books — many of which were imported from England — sufficiently to become a schoolmaster. He acquired a knowledge of mathematics, calculated eclipses and also imbibed enough Latin to use it on occasion. The first printed copy was brought out in 1792, and it continued each year, with the exception of 1796, until 1798, being issued from the office of a Boston printer. The first was entitled "An Astronomical Diary or Almanack for the Year of our Lord 1792. By Amos Pope, Philom," the last word probably an abbreviation for Philemon — "a lover of learning." A suggestion of inheritance as a reason for this young mathematician's interest in science is given by a great-grandson. He writes : "Peter Folger, one of the foremost men of Nan- tucket, and one whose biography shows him to have been a scholar with a mind of unusual breadth and depth, had among other children, two daughters. One, Abiah, married Joseph Franklin and became the mother of the great Benjamin. Another, Bethseda, married Joseph Pope, and became the great-grandmother of Amos Pope, making the great Benjamin own cousin to Amos Pope's grandfather. He doubtless heard a great deal about Benjamin Franklin, who died just at the time young Amos was getting data for his first almanac, and this young man may have copied somewhat in his aims and aspirations from his worthy relative, the author of the 'Poor Richard' almanacs. Both undoubtedly are indebted to the Folger strain for their intellectual ca- pacit\\ Many other Folger descendants had this stu- 100 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS dious characteristic, among them being William Oakes, the famous botanist, own cousin to Amos, and that other student, Maria Mitchell, well known for her astronom- ical attainments." It is said that his father was opposed to Amos' spend- ing his time in studies and that he had sat many a night without fire in his room, when the ink would freeze in the stand. According to a note made by the almanac maker himself, his royalty was about $10 per year, and as the printer defrauded him out of the last three years of even that small pittance, he gave up the work. The 1793 edition contains the following modest address : "Kind Reader. — The favorable acceptance of my former Calculations hath encouraged me to make my appearance before a generous Publick another year. I have added (more than is usual in works of this kind) a Table of the Sun's Declination, with a Table to cor- rect it for any degree of longitude, and do judge it will be of service to the reader. I have aimed to render this work both entertaining and useful. The Calculations are made (with considerable labor and patience) from the Tables published by the best Astronomers in Eu- rope, and which I have always found to agree very nearly with the truth. I have been very particular in the Calculations of the Eclipses of the Sun and Moon; and to satisfy the curiosity of some particular friends, I have inserted a few Eclipses of Jupiter's first Satel- lite; and only a few, because the calculation of a con- siderable number would cost time and labor, to little or no service to the reader; for those that are not favored with Telescopes cannot observe them, and those that are favored with Telescopes, I trust, can calculate eclipses for themselves, therefore, I have inserted that which appeared to be more beneficial to the Publick. 4^^ ASTRONOMICAL DlARYj ^\ |almanack,I «^) For the Year of our Lord (k 792: T--^ Being BISSEXTILE u>< LE \P-VEAR, j' ' A N O T ilE al \ 1 I , >, 1 -1 o r AMERICVN INDEPENDENCE. TYPE s/uaEclip!e a/. •'i.v SUN, March 2i, I'yi. •^^ . ■: lor die McnJiaii ot Cj^ion. ! ....■;.., ;Lac. 42 i^cg. 2j- miii. North) b- tor the aJjicfnt States. A M OS P O P E, F;w nA /} O 6' r O A . c> 'dhv !oi,:, \V. Kol.^uM, No. 30,i/'-;j'<- 5^^ .1 .ih'j by the BooKsuLLEiLj in Town /^ i4'''^i^^'^<^- :^^vr-l-.j5"^-''^^'t^«ei- r^I*'^ (H \^r^'.-^ zv.A '\ '■J ind Comil TITLE PAGE OF THE AMOS POPE ALMANAC From the original in possession of Jasper Marsh BIRTHPLACE OF AMOS POPE Built before 1700. SHOE FACTORY AND CURRYING SHOP OF ZERUBBABEL PORTER AND BIRTHPLACE OF GENERAL MOSES PORTER THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 101 That this work may prove useful, is the sincere wish of the Pubhsher's most humble, and most obedient servant, Amos Pope." "Danvers, May 24th, 1792." Mr. Pope died January 26, 1837, at the home of his son, Zephaniah Pope, on Pope's Lane. Some Old Taverns. — From the earliest settlement Danvers has been well provided with taverns, Nathaniel Ingersoll being the first licensed innholder, in 1677. He was the leading man in the Village, a large land- owner, deacon of the Village church, and captain of the troop of horse, and his house was conveniently located near the church, for in those days the tavern and the meeting house were on very friendly terms. A portion of his house is supposed to have been incorporated in the present parsonage of the First Church. Walter Phillips kept a tavern on Sylvan street, near the Peabody line, in 1689, which business was continued by the Putnams until 1753. Benjamin Holten had an ordinary in the Judge Holten house in 1715, and it was conducted by the family until Judge Holten's father bought the house in 1752. The Upton tavern on Centre street was built in 1717 by Walter Smith and conducted by his family until it was sold to the Uptons in 1791. It was a well-known hostelry; auctions were held here, parish and school meetings convened here, and school was kept in the hall. From the Uptons it descended in the Hutchinson family to Elijah Hutchinson, whose daughter still owns it. Samuel Endicott kept a public house in the old Dale house, now standing on Sylvan street, from 1762 to 1772, when John Piemont, an Italian, rented it and conducted it during the time when Gage's troops were encamped at the Hooper house. Here John Adams 102 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS and John Quincy Adams often stopped over night on their way to Ipswich. This tavern Avas in later years known as Leech's tavern, and used as such until about 1806. Deacon Gideon Putnam's famous old tavern occu- pied the site of the Richards building, corner Elm and High streets. It was built about 1773 bj^ Dr. Andrew Putnam, son-in-law of Jeremiah Page, and John Pie- mont kept a public-house here from 1776 to 1780. Pie- mont was the prime mover in the institution of the United States Lodge of Masons in Danvers in 1778, and was its first master. Gideon Putnam, having pur- chased the property in 1777, succeeded Piemont in the tavern business, and from that time until 1805 it was a famous place for the entertainment of travellers. Here the Deacon conducted a store also, which for years was a busy place where the farmers brought their produce, continued in later years by Jonas Warren, before men- tioned. Deacon Gideon was a man of high principles, represented Danvers in the General Court, and gave to the country that most distinguished son, Judge Samuel Putnam. He owned about two hundred acres of land in the vicinity of the mill-pond ; partly inherited and partly acquired. Putnam's mill on Sylvan street was owned by his family from the very earliest settle- ment, — at first located a little farther down the stream near Ash street, — and in the eighteen-sixties the mill rights were purchased by another Putnam of another line — Otis F. Putnam — so that for about 250 years this mill business has been conducted by men of the Putnam name. Early Libraries. — Several attempts to provide reading for the people of the town were made early. In 1794 was established the "Danvers Social Library," probably at Judge Holten's, in the Highland section. THE OLD TOWN OF DAN^^RS 103 It was owned in shares by different individuals, and the books were loaned to stockholders. This institution continued for about twent}^ years, the books remaining having found their way into the ministerial library of the First Chiu-ch. Dr. Rice says that "so far as we may judge by these, the people were not harmed by light or sensational reading from this library." In 1808, the New Mills Social Library was formed at Danversport, with the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Chaplin as librarian, in whose kitchen the books were kept, the "library" being open for the delivery of books on Mon- day evenings. The minister, who in addition to his duties at the Baptist Church, fitted young men for the ministry, selected the books, which were said to have included the best in English literature. One of the rules of the library was not to damage the books when read- ing them by the fireside, and also to avoid the drip of the candle. Upon the formation of the New Mills Lyceum, the library was removed to the brick school- house, and continued but a few years. Judge Benajah Collins. — One of the characters of this period was Judge Collins, who came to Danvers from liiverpool, Nova Scotia, in 1797, and purchased of the heirs of Robert Hooper, the mansion on Sylvan street, which was known during the next half century or more as the "Collins house." His father had removed in 17.59 from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, being one of the first settlers there. Judge Collins was connected with the Eppes family, who sold their farm to E. H. Derby, known now as the Rogers farm, so that he was more or less familiar with the locality. He entertained many of the prominent families of Salem and vicinity, Dr. Bentley often recording in his diary a visit to the mansion and with what great hospitality he was re- ceived. The Judge had four daughters, of whom the 104 CHRONICLES OF DANA^RS diarist writes: "Deborah was attentive, Triphenia silent but sprightly, Hepsibah sweet, innocent and cheerful, Ruth full of spirits, gaiety and fancy." Upon the arrival of such a conspicuous personage as Judge Collins in town, the officers of the First Parish Church had a consultation, and it was decided to fit up a special pew for him with cushions, carpet and other accessories, as befitted his station. He was not averse to making a grand appearance and duly impressed the populace by riding to meeting in a yellow coach drawn by two black spirited horses, making the gravel fly as they drove up with a flourish to the door of the house of worship. A coal-black negro on the box, with a negro boy behind the coach, holding on by the tassels, as footmen, added to the sumptuousness of the outfit, and these servants never left the coach while the Judge was attending service. It is said that when either Judge Holten or Judge Collins took their seats, the congre- gation rose, and that Parson Wadsworth, as he walked up the broad aisle, was wont to make a slight bow of recognition to the two magistrates. During the War of 1812, Judge CoUins was supposed to have been part owner in a small privateer fitted out at Liverpool, which made sad work in destroying coast- ers in New England, and in consequence he became obnoxious to the people of Danvers. He died in 1820 at this residence, and was laid out in great state in his broad hallway for a month before he was buried in the tomb which he had prepared near his house. It was said that when he lay in his coffin, by way of embalm- ing he was enclosed with a bag of Sumatra pepper, and when anyone came to view the body the pepper was removed from the face by the wing of a goose! His widow died in 1827, soon after which the family removed from town. The house had various owners THE PUTNAM-PERRV lluU.SL, .sLM.Mi.k .sTRtKT Residence of the Hon. Timothy Pickering, 1801-1S04 Birthplace of Judg:e James Putnam, the Loyalist, whom Chief Justice Parsons called "The best lawyer in North America. ' ' '/M THE COLLINS HOUSE From a wood-cut in "Gleason's Pictorial ' ' about iS '/ \\ -r^^ ////" ^-^'-■•'•' ^//^}i/^^i ^^>V^ ; t^'^'^- >r< ;..-;. :;?Jr7H'y M^/,. /;.:. ^/v. .'i./-^^. >/.-'■'' ■'' ^,//>-: ,^.>.,.,*^ ^ /rL-c>o->^ 4^. /»/^/ '^^ih:=H'^/' • d.4 ^^ »: A. SIGNATURES OF MEMBERS OF JORDAN LODGE, A. F. & A. M., INSTITUTED IN 1808 THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 105 during the next few years, among them Nathan Tapley, who rented it to a clergyman, and where a private school was kept for a short time. Finally the estate was pur- chased in 1860 by Francis Peabody, Esq., who made extensive improA^ements while restoring it to its orig- inal grandeur and beauty. District School System Established. — For many years there had been no system of separate school dis- tricts, nor had there been any established rules for the keeping of schools. One term they would be held in one section of the town, and the next term in another. Then again there would be nine or ten schools "set up," as it was called, and at one time there was such a lack of proper instruction that the town was reprimanded by the court for such neglect. Therefore, when in 1794 the town was divided into districts, quite as is the case today, it marked a decidedly new epoch in the history of the schools. System and order are always requisite for the accomplishment of good work, and the "district- ing" of Danvers proved no exception to the rule. Ten years before it was required by law to have a school committee (1816) Danvers commenced to choose one annually. And twenty-two years before the State law required committees to make annual reports, Danvers compelled her committee to do so. Fire Department First Organized. — The old days of the Fire Department tell an interesting story. In 1800 Danvers purchased the first of those old-fashioned contrivances — hand-engines. One was kept in the south part of the town and the other at New Mills, until the town became rich enough to supply the Highlands, Tap- lej^^ille and the Plains. Engine-men or fire- wards were chosen to man the engines, all of whom were required to keep a leather fire-bucket, a bed-key and a canvas bag hanging ready for use in the front entry of their 106 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS houses. Old-fashioned "rope" bedsteads were held to- gether by locking with a key, consequently the fire- wards carried keys in order to take down the beds in case of fire. Long, narrow houses, built at convenient intervals along the roadside, provided a shelter for lad- ders, while carriages for sail-cloths and hose-carriages were later added to the equipment of the department. As the engines were worked by hand much rivalry be- tween the different companies was created, especially with the companies of neighboring towns, each trying to outdo the other in the distance a stream could be thrown. Musters were held, which proved the great events of the year, the people from far and near turn- ing out to witness the proceedings. To be chosen a member of the Fire Department was the ambition of almost every young man in town, and to be a member of the Fire Club was to be in the social "swim" of the community. The Danvers Fire Department was estab- lished by Act of Legislature in 1830. The first engine at Danversport was the "Niagara," a four-inch cylinder, a small tub, with air brakes. The meetings of the company were held at Gould's tavern, the brick house, known in later years as the Lang estate, on Water street. The records of the company for 1808- 1857 have recently been acquired by the Danvers His- torical Society. The first engine at Danvers Plains was what is called a Leslie tub, a suction engine, with side brakes. After- ward the "General Putnam" was purchased. Timothy Pickering. — Col. Timothy Pickering of Salem, Secretary of State under Washington, and a distinguished Revolutionary patriot, resided in Danvers from 1801 to 1804. Retiring from public life, he com- menced at once to gratify his aspirations for agricul- tural pursuits, a subject in which he had been interested THE OLD TOWN OF DAN^T:RS 107 from earliest life, and the man who had been intimately associated with some of the greatest events in the his- tory of the nation, began farming on the Dr. Archelaus Putnam estate on Summer street, owned in later years by the Perry family. This place was probably sug- gested to him by Judge Holten, to whom Colonel Pick- ering had written inquiring for a suitable location, as it was in the hands of Eleazer Putnam, Holten's son- in-law, at the time. Another reason, doubtless, for se- lecting Danvers for a home was from the fact of its being the summer residence of Judge Samuel Putnam, whose wife was a niece of Colonel Pickering. Here he cultivated his acres, and possessed of an ample fortune, rendered the farm he occupied productive and profit- able, and commanded every comfort and gratification for himself and family. While living here, he was ap- pointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace for Essex County. He also engaged in a campaign for election to the United States Senate as a Federalist, and was assailed in most violent manner by his opponents, who sought by every means, in those days of bitter party feeling, to circulate stories derogatory to his honesty while in charge of public funds. His son has written: "Colonel Pickering remained quietly at his farm, taking no notice of the storm of slander against him raging through the district." A New York newspaper reported: "A south- ern gentleman lately paid a visit to Colonel Pickering at his farm in Essex. He found this worthy though much abused citizen, not superintending a set of ill-fed and worse-clad slaves; not amusing himself with cock- fighting, horse-racing, or hunting for popularity at a tavern or grog-shop; but literally, like another Cincin- natus, guiding the plow; while two of his sons were assisting in his rural labors. Such is the reply which this celebrated citizen issues to the many slanders which 108 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS the insatiable, unrelenting malice of political enemies is ever uttering against him." He was defeated for Con- gress, but strangely enough, owing to the resignation of the Senator whose term had not expired, Colonel Pickering was appointed by the Legislature to fill the unexpired term, and both he and his opponent, Jacob Crowninshield, took their seats. A scene in that session depicts most vividly the moral courage of the man, at a time when the question of giving the franking privilege to Aaron Burr was being discussed.^ Burr, who had killed Hamilton but a few months before, presiding, rose and said, "Is the Senate ready for the question? Shall this bill be passed ?" He paused, looking around to see if any Senator was pro- posing to speak. Colonel Pickering rose. Burr recog- nized him, "The Senator from Massachusetts," and sank back into his seat. Their eyes met; neither quailed. The Senate was awed into breathless silence. Colonel Pickering spoke as follows: "Mr. President: Who, sir, are dangerous men in this republic? Not those who have reached the summit of place and power, for their ambition is satisfied. I tell you, sir, who are dangerous men. Those who have ascended to the last round but one on the political lad- der, and whose vaulting ambition will never be satis- fied until they have stood upon the topmost round. Sir, I vote against this bill." It sent a thrill through the Senate. Not another word was uttered. The vote was taken and the bill defeated. Colonel Pickering occupied this farm until the sum- mer of 1804, when he removed to upper Beverly. 1 Related by his son, Octavius Pickering, in his "Memoirs." Colonel Pickering was the first President of the Essex Agricultural Society. THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 109 War of 1812; Why Danvers Opposed It. — The town, almost to a man, was decidedly opposed to another war with England, and they took pains to say so in a set of resolutions in town meeting. They had just re- covered from the terrible struggle of the Revolution, and now to be forced into war again with Great Britain seemed to them the height of folly, ruinous to prosperity and dangerous to the union, liberty and independence of the United States. They had very sensible views on the subject. They declared that war meant heavy taxes, and a naval war, as this must needs be, would interfere with all the country's commerce; that the burden of heavy taxation to carrj^ on the war would have a ten- dency to make the states dissatisfied and disrupt the new Union. But, unfortunately, the opinion of the citizens of Danvers, did not prove to be the sentiment of the country at large, and war was soon declared to protect the rights of American seamen. Alarms ; How Danvers was Protected. — The war once on, Danvers, in 1812 as in 1775, was ready with men to defend the country. The people dreaded another struggle with England, and especially those who lived along the coast were in constant fear of attack from an English man-of-war. Several from Danvers enlisted in the navy, and an artillery company from this town, under command of Capt. Jesse Putnam, was stationed at Salem for some time.^ The uniform of the company was a chapeau brass with long white plume tipped with red, a long-skirted red coat with white trimmings, white waistcoat, buff breeches with buckles at knee and long boots, a sword worn in the belt over the shoulder, and the hair was powdered and made up in a queue, which hung over the coat collar. 1 See "Military and Naval Annals of Danvers" for names. 110 CHRONICLES OF DAN\T<:RS At New Mills an "alarm company" of exempts was formed, that is, men who were too old to enlist in the war. It was a notable company, many of its members having seen service in previous wars, including old sea captains, shoe manufacturers, and, in fact, all the sub- stantial men of the place. Their motto was "Always Readj^," and the front yard of Capt. Samuel Page's house was designated as the place of assembling. Other companies were also formed in the southern and western parts of the town. Twice during the war these com- panies were called out on "false alarms." The first time the artillery on the Beverly shore saw what they sup- posed was a British barge headed toward Salem. They aroused the neighborhood, and great consternation pre- vailed until it was discovered that the much feared barge was only a boat loaded with seaweed. On another occa- sion, the artillery was alarmed at the sight of some fish- ermen, and firing upon them the country was thrown into commotion as far as the extreme limits of New Hampshire. Earthworks, mounting two iron four- pounders, were thrown up at Waters river, during the war. The fears of the people were never realized, for the conflicts between the English and Americans took place many miles from Salem. Freemasonry. — The first meetings, that later re- sulted in the formation of Jordan Lodge, A. F. and A. M., were held in the hall of the old Berry Tavern in 1808. There had been no IVIasonic meetings in Dan- vers for many j^ears, or since the old United States Lodge, which was formed in 1778, disbanded. This older lodge continued its meetings for four or five years. Its membership was always small, about fifty, but they were patriotic and influential men, among the first citi- zens of the town. They included John Piemont, John Stacev, Dr. Amos Putnam, Dr. Andrew Putnam, Col. ■.jvt^-)f^ It ^ f^i 1 ^' t,:/ri^i:^ o fj tn/n> - -^ ' JVc- ^ Lhr't-^'r/i^ X^ ^ ./•^ la— ^',\ t^jY^-^ivr^j- .^"^w-^^i^ /IPjE/ti*-. ''i'^r, /- 7^^ /y V Jcie/ift, l;^. J•.,ftY■^^i_.- •r>/t77^ ^J{»iniat 'J/y^ ::i^ ^Jt:*inia '^Uisi '^^ /J' ^-'^■^ yo^Cj^l^ yy/,-^^ A^/^ SIGNATURES OF MEMBERS OF JORDAN LODGE, A. F. & A. M., INSTITUTED IN i8o8 INTERIOR VIEW OF CAPT. SAMUEL PAGE'S PUNCH HOWI, SHOWING MASONIC EMBLEMS THE OLD TOWN OF DAN\T:RS 111 Enoch Putnam, Col. Jethro Putnam, Capt. Samuel Page, Rev. Benjamin Balch, Capt. Jeremiah Putnam, Sergt. Richard Skidmore, Lt. John Kettelle, Lt. Sam- uel Fairfield, and many from Beverly and Salem. When the adjoining towns instituted lodges of their own, the meetings of this lodge ceased. In 1805, the charter, furniture, and other property of the old lodge, wliich had been preserved by Richard Skidmore, tyler, was burned in the fire which destroyed his house. Meetings were held in Berry Tavern until 1810, when quarters were secured in the south part of the town, there being a larger membership there. In 1863, however. Amity Lodge was instituted in this town, and in 1870 Mosaic Lodge was formed, both of which have flourished, to- gether with Holten Royal Arch Chapter, which was constituted in 1872. Temperance. — The use of liquor in the early days was not confined to any class or condition. Everybody used it to some extent. New England rum was always present at house-raisings, and at the celebration of any event, civil or religious. No ordination of a minister was complete without a generous supply. The town fathers could transact no business unless the town pro- vided the "grog." At first the moderate use of such stimulants did not prove an evil, but after the Revolu- tion distilleries began to spring up in this country, flood- ing it with liquors of all sorts and of doubtful quality. Drunkenness began to be common, and during the first quarter of the 19th century the evil was widespread. The first temperance society in this country was forme4 in Massachusetts (1812). Three Danvers men joined it, Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth, Judge Samuel Holten and Joseph Torrey, and the next year these men formed the first temperance society in Danvers and named it "The Danvers Moral Society." At first its members 112 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS were not required to pledge themselves to total absti- nence. This would have been too strict a rule to enforce at that time, but they did have permission to post in a public place the names of common drunkards. Such a custom did not remain long in effect. The early pio- neers in the temperance cause made a strong fight and succeeded in stamping out in large measure the excesses of the times. First School Established at the Plains. — All the children who lived at the Plains up to this period had been obliged to go to New Mills to school. This was too great a distance for the younger children and in the first year of the 19th century a private school was kept in a small building moved here from Middleton. In 1816, however, the number of children had increased so that a new school district was made and a house built on the spot now occupied by the Colonial building. Then came the brick school house (1838) on School street, now the Central fire station, followed by the Maple street building (1856). Military Companies of Danvers. — After the Rev- olution and before 1800 there were at least two militia companies in town, composed of about fifty men each. Up to 1817 one of the organizations was in existence. The following year (1818) the Danvers Light Infantry, M. M., was organized. The uniform consisted of a blue swallow-tail coat with gold buttons, a white or buff waistcoat and pantaloons, high stiff hat, larger at the top than the base, with gold trimmings and a tall plume. This company disbanded about 1850, and its last ap- pearance as the Danvers Light Infantry was in 1861, when over one hundred past members did escort duty to the company of volunteers departing for the scene of the Civil War. Captains Philemon Putnam, Samuel P. THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 113 Fowler, Eben Putnam, Simeon Putnam, Amos Pratt, Jacob Perry, Asa Tapley, Nehemiah Fuller, Jesse Tapley, Daniel Preston, Nathan Tapley, Gilbert Tap- ley, Warren Porter, and others were at times command- ers of the local company, the five latter receiving com- missions as Colonel in the 3d Regiment of Infantry, 1st Brigade, 2d Division, JNI. M., to which the Danvers company belonged. Major Moses Black and Major Joseph Stearns were also officers in this division.^ VILLAGES OF DANVERS. Business at New Mills; Shipping. — After the Revolutionary war, business at New Mills began to increase until this village gained the reputation of being the largest and busiest in town (1825). Vessels laden with foreign goods were daily arriving at the wharves. Storehouses were built to accommodate the wares until they could be carried away by purchasers. There being no railroad facilities in town at the time, nearly every- thing came by water to New Mills. Quite a large ex- port trade was also built up, the vessels which arrived with foreign goods taking awaj'- shoes, potatoes, bricks, and other products of Danvers, even as far as the coast of Africa. Hanson says that during 1846 there were 157 arrivals at the various wharves, with cargoes of wood, flour, corn, lime, salt, molasses and coal, while this number was increased to 250 at the height of the greatest prosperity. Many men of the place were either masters or owners of merchant vessels which sailed to foreign lands. This was a business in which great for- tunes, for those days, were accumulated. The large substantial houses at the Port, now so neglected, were once the comfortable homes of those sea-kings, filled as 1 For names see Military and Naval Annals of Danvers, pp. 142-43. 114 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS they were with choice furnishings brought from the British Isles, Russia, France and the Far East. The leading merchant of the eighteenth century at New Mills was Capt. Samuel Page, a veteran of the Revolution, whose vessels sailed to all parts of the world. The story of his service in the war has been related by a grandson, who had it from the soldier's own lips: "On April 19, 1775, when Samuel Page was twenty- one years old, he was at work with his father in his brick-j^ard. Between nine and ten o'clock A. M. the news came of the British marching to Concord. His father left his work and said, 'Don't you go, Sam! You must stay at home and take care of your mother.' He was a private in his father's company of militia, but his patriotic ardor was so great he hurried to Lex- ington. Snatching a linen coat, he met other young men where now is the Lexington monument in Peabody. They took a short cut across the country, and in four hours they reached the British retreating through West Cambridge. He fought by the side of Perley Putnam, who is credited as being in the company of Capt. Israel Hutchinson. In company ^vith others, he went into a barnyard, and finding some shingles, they made a breast- work of them, from behind which they fired at the retreating British. So unexpected and fatal was the assault upon the enemy's columns, that it brought them to a halt. In loading his gun for another charge. Page broke his ramrod, which was a wooden one, and turning to Putnam, he asked him to lend him his; but at that instant a shot from the enemy's flank guard laid Put- nam dead at his feet." He was commissioned Captain of the 7th Company of the 8th Essex County Regiment and participated, among others, in the battles of INIonmouth and Stony Point. He was with Washington at the crossing of SHIP'S CABIN LANTERN USED BY CAPT. SAMUEL PAGE From the original in possession of the Peabody Museum, Salem RESIDKNCE OF CAPT. SAMUKL PAGE, WATER STREET From an oil painting in the possession of Miss Sara P. Fowler THE THOMAS PUTNAM HOUSE, DANVERSPORT Built about'1772. The home of Jotham Webb, one of the Danvers men killed at Lexington. Used as a tavern by Benjamin Balch in 1782. Water Street to off Merrill Street. Removed from WATER STREET, DANVERSPORT, FROM FOX HILL From a pencil drawing made in 1832 by Maurice C. Oby Showing the Major Moses Black House and Morocco Factory. THE OLD TOWN OF DAN\T:RS 115 the Delaware, and in the severe winter of 1777 shared in the suffering of the American army at Valley Forge. He served in the campaign of 1779, and, with his com- pany, was in the advance when the gallant Wayne stormed Stony Point. As the fortress was to be cap- tured at the point of the bayonet, Wayne ordered the flints to be removed from the muskets. Page had pieces of paper placed in the hats of his men to distinguish them from the British. Then, silently and swiftly, with the water rising above their waists, they surprised the garrison and took the fort. After the Revolution, he settled in what is now Dan- versport. He had a fine mansion for those days, which was regarded as one of the most aristocratic residences of the town, occupying the present site of the Danvers Coal Company's property on Water street. Behind it he built a long dock for his vessels. He also erected several large warehouses to accommodate his business. His garden extended north somewhat over the site of old Citizen's Hall. Captain Page was full owner of ten vessels, mostly schooners, and part owner of three more. He named a schooner for each of his daughters, namely, "Sally," "Nancy," "Eliza," "Clarissa," "Rebecca," and also one for his daughter "Betsey" who died in infancy. He also named a schooner for his son "Jeremiah," and a brig for his son "William." One of his schooners was named "Two Brothers," and one "Five Sisters." Of all these he was sole owner excepting the "Betsey." He also had a ship, "Putnam," named probably for his wife, whose master was at one time Nathaniel Bowditch, the famous mathematician and navigator, and a brig "Re- becca," perhaps named for his wife, also a schooner ^'Dolphin" and a schooner "Hawk," of which be was sole owner. He sent these vessels to the Grand Banks 116 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS for fish, which was exchanged in France, Spain, Hol- land, Russia, and the West Indies for fruit, mechanical and agricultural tools, drj'^ goods and small wares, wines and brandies. In 1799 and 1800 the French captured two of his schooners, "Eliza" and "Sally," for which his descendants in quite recent years obtained redress. He was President of the New Hampshire Iron Co. and a director of the Salem Iron Works, also a member of the Salem Marine Society, and a strong temperance advocate. He was a member of the General Court for ten years, and nine years a selectman. He was also on the school board. The people turned to him as coun- sellor in town affairs, and as administrator of estates and as referee he was often sought. He died September 2, 1814, aged 61 years, leaving a large estate. His grave is in Walnut Grove cemetery. Henry Fowler, William Endicott and Leonard Poole, all of Danvers, had a thrilling experience on a trip to the Fiji Islands in 1826. They embarked on the ship "Glide," from Salem, for a cargo of Beche-de-Mer (a sort of sea-slugs found on the reefs) tortoise-shell and sandal-wood. The ship was wrecked and the men suf- fered many hardships on the islands which they man- aged to reach, and which were inhabited by cannibals. Mr. Fowler lived in friendly relations with the savages for some time, and was honored and respected by them. A description of a cannibal feast upon human flesh is graphically told by him in the Danvers Courier of Aug. 16, 1845. It was four years before Mr. Fowler re- turned home. The story of these years has been printed in a volume entitled "The Wreck of the Glide," pub- lished in 1848. Another thrilling shipwreck, in which Capt. Edward Richardson of Danvers, when a young man in 1810, was one of the company to survive, was that of the ship THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 117 "Margaret" of Salem. Sailing from Naples, she en- countered a heavy gale four hundred miles from the nearest land. A few who managed to escape in the longboat were picked up, after spending several days without food or water. A pamphlet written by Captain Fairfield gives a detailed account of the sufferings of the crew. Captain Richardson removed to New York about 1832, where he became a prominent merchant and a pioneer and leader in all seamen's welfare work in Brooklyn and New York. His death occurred in 1870. Among other seafaring men, either natives or resi- dents of Danvers, were Capt. Stephen Wilkins, Capt. Charles Wilkins, Capt. Charles Rhoades, Capt. An- drew M. Putnam, Capt. Horace B. Putnam, Capt. Seth Richardson, Capt. Abel Richardson, Capt. Thomas Cheever, Capt. Benjamin Porter, Capt. Nathaniel Put- nam, Capt. Frank Putnam, Capt. Lewis Endicott, Capt. George Putnam, Capt. George Johnson, Capt. Henry Johnson, Capt. Thomas Johnson, Capt. Israel P. Porter, Capt. James A. Johnson, Capt. Hiram Putnam, Capt. Thomas Putnam, Capt. Samuel H. Webster, Capt. Samuel Endicott, Capt. John Endi- cott, Israel Endicott, W. J. C. Kenney, Jonathan Smith, Philemon Putnam, Capt. Stephen Brown, Capt. Parker Brown, Capt. Moses Endicott, Capt. Joshua Goodale, Capt. Solomon Giddings, Captain Elliott, Capt. William Cheever, Capt. Allen Putnam, Captain Haskell, Capt. Albert Putnam, Capt. William Johnson, Capt. Jeremiah Putnam, Capt. Caleb Oakes, Capt. Benjamin Kent. The shipyards, too, at New Mills, were lively places, where there were always one or two vessels in process of construction. The launching of these was an inter- esting occasion. With brick-making, iron and nail works, wheat mills and saw mills, tanneries, shoe shops, 118 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS and a good-sized country store, there must have been busy times at New Mills in the old days. Samuel Fowler, Jr., who was born in 1776, and died in 1859, carried on an extensive milling and tanning business near Liberty Bridge. His father, who was a shipwright, removed to Danvers from Ipswich about 1765, and assisted in building, before and during the Revolution, many vessels at New Mills, of some of which he was part owner. He built the house corner of High and Liberty streets, which is now owned and preserved by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. In 170d, he married Clarissa Page, daughter of Capt. Samuel Page. His tanyard, which remained in the family until about 1880, was one of the longest-established in the country and was said to have been the largest in the state, having 450 vats for tanning sole leather. It occupied the land now owned by the Widen-Lord Company on Liberty street. One of the most prosperous pioneer shoe manufac- turers in this section was Caleb Oakes, who learned the business at Jonathan Porter's shop in Putnamville. He started in business for himself and later moved to New Mills, where he built up a large trade. He accumulated a fortune and was most liberal in its distribution, espe- cially among the poor and unfortunate. His son, William Oakes, A. M., born in Danvers, Juty 1, 1799, was a graduate of Harvard in 1820, and a famous botanist. He studied law and began practice in Ipswich in 1824, but abandoned it early for the study of natural history. He was called "the most distin- guished botanist of New England" by the American Journal of Arts and Sciences, and his exploration of the White Mountain region resulted in his wonderful com- pilation, not only of the flora of that whole section, but the geology, mineralogy and zoology as well. His "New Courtesy " Old-Time New England " Copyright by Frank Cousins Art Co., 1911 MANTEL IN PARLOR CHAMBER, FOWLER HOUSE This room still retains its old wall paper Courtesy " Old-Time New England " THE PARLOR OF THE SAMUEL FOWLER HOUSE be c t "^ ^ o THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 119 England Flora" was in the hands of the printer in 1848 when his distinguished life came to a close, by acci- dent on a ferry-boat between Boston and East Boston. He had contributed to many scientific publications, but his contributions to American botany were not to be judged by these. It was said that there were few bot- anists in the country who were not indebted to him, directly or indirectly, for some portion of their knowl- edge, and what he might have accomplished had his life been spared, cannot be measured. Parish Rate Abolished. — Up to this time (1828) the law made in the first days of the church in this coun- try, enforcing everyone to contribute to the support of the minister, was still in effect. This was perfectly legitimate during the many years when there were in existence no religious bodies other than those of the Congregational faith. But when new religious bodies sprang into existence, the advocates of these new de- nominations naturally rebelled against paying their rates at the old First Church while also supporting the church of their choice. So long as this old law existed, the Congregational churches had a claim upon every man in town. It now created much annoyance and ill-feeling. The law was abolished in 1828. Liberal Religious Thought; Universalist So- ciety Formed. — The next year (1829) liberal thought took shape in the formation of the Universalist Society. Deacon Edmund Putnam, who had served as deacon of the First Church twenty-three years, was the pioneer in this faith. For fifteen years previous to this time many of the Putnamville people were accustomed to meet in the little shoe shop of Zerubbabel Porter to discuss these "new-fangled ideas of God's grace" which proclaimed universal salvation. This, in the eyes of the 120 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS old Congregationalists, was nothing less than rank heresy, but the new cause gradually gained friends, and drifting away from the mother church, the "Danvers Universal Society" came into existence. The first meetings were held in the schoolhouse at Putnamville, where Ballon, the Streeters, Murray, and others often preached. The new faith drew many members from the First and Baptist churches. The old Baptist Church, which had given way to a new one, was first rented, then the society built (1832) the present Roman Cath- olic church, and later (1858) the house of worship on High street, whose twin towers can be seen from all approaches to the town. The ministers of this church have been: Rev. F. A. Hodson, 1831-1832; Rev. W. H. Knapp, 1833-1836; Rev. Samuel Brimblecom, 1836-1840; Rev. A. A. Davis, 1840-1841; Rev. D. P. Livermore, 1841-1843: Rev. S. C. Bulkley, 1843-1846; Rev. J. W. Hanson, the pubhsher of a "History of Danvers," 1846-1848; Rev. J. W. Putnam, 1849-1864; Rev. H. C. Delong, 186.5-1868; Rev. G. J. Sanger, 1868-1874; Rev. H. P. Forbes, 1875-1880; Rev. F. A. Dillingham, 1880-1885; Rev. W. S. WilHams, 1885-1886; Rev. C. B. Lynn, 1887-1890; Rev. W. H. Trickey, 1891-1897; Rev. Ed- son Reifsnider, 1898-1903; Rev. Eugene M. Grant, 1904-1912; Rev. A. E. Wright, 1912-1915; Rev. George A. Mark, 1915-1916; Rev. Ernest M. W. Smith, 1916- 1918; Rev. Gerhardt Dehly, 1918-1919; (Union with Unitarian) Rev. E. H. Cotton, 1919-1921; Rev. Mr. Hayes, 1921-1922; Rev. Llewellyn A. Owen, 1922. Putnamville Wealthy and Prosperous. — For more than a half century after Zerubbabel Porter started his little shoe factory in Putnamville, that sec- tion of the town enjoyed unusual prosperity. In fact, it might have been called the centre of Danvers' business Courtesy " Old-Time New England ' ' Copyright by Frank Cousins Art Co., 1911 THE FRONT DOOR AS SEEN FROM THE HALL, FOWLER HOUSE SHIP " MARGARET " OF SALEM, John Crowninshield and William Fairfield, owners Lost in 1810. Capt. Edward Richardson, of Danvers, was one of the survivors of the wreck SHIP " GLIDE " OF SALEM, Joseph Peabody, owner Wrecked in 1832, Henry Fowler, Leonard Poole and William Endicott of Danvers being among the crew who weie saved From the painting by " Anton Roux fils aine a Marseille, 1823," now in possession of George Augustus Peabody, Esq. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 121 activity during the first half of the 19th century. Seven shoe factories employed a large number of men, and Samuel Fowle's box factory supplied the needs in that direction. New families attracted by the prospect of steady work, established themselves there and made pleasant homes. The manufacturers made shoes — and money. They hired teamsters to drive over the road to Boston several times a week with loads of the manu- factured product, which were disposed of at good prices. The frequent visits of dealers from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and the regular number of big covered wagons for the transportation of pur- chases made this section a busy place. One of the successful manufacturers was Hon. Elias Putnam, who was born June 7, 1789, in Danvers. He taught school in Putnamville, after taking a course at Bradford academy, and then chose the life of a farmer instead of the college education offered him. Shoe manufacturing, however, soon claimed his attention, and the remaining years of his short life were spent in that occupation. He was one of the earliest Universalists, represented the town in the Senate, and was influential in securing railroad facilities for Danvers ; was the first to suggest a bank for the town, and its first president; was elected first president of Walnut Grove cemetery, which was laid out at his suggestion, among others ; and was a warm friend of education and always public spirited. "He greatly desired to see slavery brought to an end, but he was opposed to all rash and violent measures to compass the result." His personal char- acter was the noblest, and he delighted in doing good to others. His services in the county and the town were in constant requisition, on account of his strong mind and excellent judgment. He enjoyed the entire confi- dence of the community. No one in the town ever did 122 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS more for the prosperity of Danvers than did he. He died July 8, 1847, while yet a comparatively young man. The house which he built on Park street is now "The Home for the Aged." Business Start at The Plains; The Country Stores. — While Putnamville was still at the height of its commercial glory, the Plains began to show signs of life. In 1830 several enterprising men, including Samuel Preston, Capt. Eben Putnam and Joshua Sil- vester, had begun the manufacture of shoes at the Square, which bid fair to outrival Putnamville before many years. In 1836 the population of the Plains was only 130, but two years later the Salem Gazette com- ments thus: "Within a few years, some six or eight, between 30 and 40 dwelling houses and other buildings have been added to this place, and several more, including a large hotel, are going up at the present time. A few years ago this was a village of a few scattered houses, and the chief business besides agriculture was confined to two stores. Now the place has a bank, several shoe manu- factories, and shops of various kinds of artisans. The place at present is fast branching out into streets and building lots, many of them commanding a high price, — the whole assuming quite a townlike appearance. All this is attributed to enterprise and industry and to the establishment of manufactures, — a never-failing cause of thrift." The shoe industry made rapid strides and for the next half century was the principal manufacturing business of the town. These were years of great pros- perity for the shoe men. The southern and western markets, which depended almost exclusively for their supply upon New England, were every day opening new sources of consumption. The increasing population THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 123 of the West alone created a demand which the local manufacturers could by no means meet. The workmen were receiving what they considered very high wages. "We know of journeymen earning two and a half dol- lars a day regularly and with ease," says a contempo- rary account. Danvers was already well and favorably known as a shoe town, and the quality of boots and shoes turned out was the equal of any in the country. The business has experienced many vicissitudes dur- ing these years, according to the financial condition of the country. In 1854 there were within the present limits of the town thirty-five firms, making animalh'^ over a million and a half pairs, valued at over a million dollars, and giving employment to about 2,500 persons. In the first years of the shoe business a great and happy change was wrought in many families in town. Sons and daughters of parents of limited means no longer "lived out." They could now help on the shoes and keep within the home circle. It was the beginning of a new era. The wealthy farmers, who had been accus- tomed to employ them, found in the stalwart young men and women of New Hampshire worthy substitutes, and in this way commenced the drain of young people from the hill towns of the northern states.* 1 Among the shoe manufacturers in the various parts of the town, in addition to those mentioned, have been : Elias Endicott, Jonathan. Putnam, Samuel Putnam, Jonathan Porter, Nathaniel Boardman, Daniel Putnam, Daniel F. Putnam, Georg-e A. Putnam, Henry F. Putnam, Elbridge Trask, Israel P. Boardman, Frederick Perley, Joseph S. Black, John Sears, Eben Hutchinson, James Hutchinson, John C. Butler, Alfred Fellows, John R. Langley, Joel Putnam, Israel H. Putnam, Jesse Tapley, George Tapley, Aaron Putnam, William E. Putnam, A. Alden White, Phineas Corning, Reed Jones, Abraham Callahan, Henry Prentiss, Joseph G. Prentiss, Otis Mudge, Francis Noyes, John M. C. Noyes, Nathaniel Sylvester, Joseph G. Prentiss, N. Holten Boardman, Ira P. Pope, Charles H. Gould, Albert G. Allen, George Howe, Albert Howe, Alden Demsey, Edwin Mudge, Edward Hutchinson, Edmund Legro, Augustus Mudge, James Goodale, Melvin B. Putnam, C. C. Farwell, J. E. Farrar, Silas Conant, James B. Sawyer, Henry M. Merrill, E. Everett Eaton, Robert K. Sears, George 124 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS The country groceries, one at Perley's corner, kept by John Perley and later A. Proctor Perley and Moses J. Currier, and the other in the Richards building, kept by Jonas Warren, later by Daniel Richards, came in for their share of trade. In those days the country store was a scene of great activity, and between the two on Danvers Square there existed much rivalry. Both of these establishments did an extensive business. Their trade was chiefly with people in the back country, who came to town with teams loaded with produce, which they exchanged for a supply of fish, salt, molasses and other staples. The store at which they could drive the best bargain secured their trade. It is said that as many as forty would arrive in one day, keeping the clerks busy loading for the return trip well into midnight, and giving the Square a bustling appearance. Jonas Warren was one of the ablest business men who ever lived in Danvers and an "up-and-down square dealer." He was born in North Beverly, July 29, 1787. Early he struck out for himself, coming to Danvers and working as clerk in Gideon Putnam's grocery store, corner Elm and High streets. Before many years he bought the business, and his fairness and farsightedness won for him a tremendous trade. In 1841, he sold out at the Plains and opened a store at the Port, where he became the pioneer of the wholesale flour and grain business. The first to bring grain to this port by water, from the cargoes of the many vessels in his employment, he supplied a very extensive inland trade. He was a constant supporter of the Unitarian faith. He was the E. Martin, Walter A. Tapley, Granville W. Clapp, J. Albert Blake, Henry Preston, Gilbert A. Tapley, Thomas Palmer, Fred and Reuben Wilkins, Jeremiah Chapman, Jacob Cross, Daniel P. Pope, Malcolm Sillars, Georg-e W. French, Joseph Crosby, B. Lewis Tibbetts, Austin Huckins, Loring- Carleton, Joseph N. Smith, Georg'e H. Peabody, Charles L. Elliott, C, A. Kieth, Patrick Sullivan, Martin Kelley, Fred U. French. THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH - £ ^ < CU ° 12 CM THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 125 last survivor of the New Mills Alarm List of 1814, and died Nov. 18, 1876, nearly 90 years of age, "leaving the community the priceless example of the life of an hon- est man, and to his family the legacy of an unspotted name." Daniel Richards was a native of Atkinson, N. H., and came to Danvers as a clerk for Mr. Warren in 1828. When the temperance movement was being agi- tated, he started a temperance store in the building corner Locust and Maple streets, from which the old- time custom of selling liquor was excluded. Later, after Mr. Warren moved to the Port, he bought the latter's stand on the Square, then owned by Elias Putnam, which he ever afterward conducted. He was for thirty years president of the National Bank and a life trustee of Peabody Institute. He built the grist mill at Libert}'^ bridge, which, later used as a rubber mill, was destroyed by fire in 1898. He died in November, 1886. A. Proctor Perley and his brother Nathaniel came from Boxford in 1830 and bought out the general store of John Perley, who had conducted the business at the corner of JNIaple and Willow streets, as Conant street was then known, since 1800 and possibly earlier. The latter was a native of Georgetown, and after leaving Danvers experienced a successful career in New York and Philadelphia, amassing a considerable fortune, with which he founded the Perley Free School in George- town. Nathaniel Perley died in 1835, and Proctor Per- ley took as a partner his brother-in-law, Moses J. Cur- rier. The business was conducted under the firm name of Perley & Currier for forty-five years, or until Mr. Perley's death in 1881. In 1885, Mr. Currier retired and the store was purchased by Charles N. Perley, son of the senior partner, who, with his children, still con- tinues it. It is thus the oldest established business in 126 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS town, having been conducted by the Perley family for more than 125 years. For years this store was the ren- dezvous for the townspeople generally, who, around the big wood or coal fire, told stories, played jokes, discussed all the topics of the day, and no doubt settled to their own satisfaction, at least, all the great problems con- fronting the nation. Mr. Perley was always alert and full of native wit, and many tales are told of practical jokes perpetrated by him on some unsuspecting towns- man. He was popular with the whole community, and his partner was also well and favorably known for miles around. These stores were a great accommodation to the shoe manufacturers also, whose workmen were not paid in money, but in orders for groceries, dry goods, or other commodities. The shoe men had little cash on hand and sold their shoes to the southern planters on six months' notes, which were settled when the planters were paid for their crops. This was, on the whole, a satisfactory arrangement from the standpoint of the workman. Everything could be procured in these stores, from a salt fish to a new silk dress, and although they had not much ready money to indulge in such luxuries as cakes and lemonade on muster daj^s, yet they lived contented, happy and peaceful lives. Other Manufacturing in Danvers. — In years gone by it was commonly said of Lynn that all the inhabitants worked upon shoes except the minister — and that he made his own. That can hardly be said of Danvers. Although notablj^ a shoe town, other indus- tries have occupied the attention of the people. The manufacture of earthenware was introduced very early into the southern part of the town by the Southwicks and Osbornes. In the middle of the 18th century the manufacture of bricks bj^ Deacon Joseph and Israel THE OLD TOAVN OF DAN VERS 127 Putnam, on Conant street, was an important business, followed by the Pages, John Fowler and Nathaniel Webb, off High street, and in more recent years by Day, Gray, Carr, Gallivan and others at Danversport and East Danvers. It is claimed that Col. Jeremiah Page was the first in Massachusetts to make "clapped" bricks, which were shipped to many distant points. Tanneries, as early as 1739, were established in the Middle Precinct by Edward South wick, a business which has always been maintained, there being in 1845, 61 tanneries of such influence that "the state of the leather market determined the degree of prosperitj^ which the town enjoyed." Now, of course, Peabody as a tanning community is second to none in the country. Lumber, iron, and the manufacture of leather, electric lamps, crayons, knitted goods and neckties, have been and still are valuable accessions to the business life of the town. Banks Established. — The Square, which was no more than a country cross-roads a few years before, soon became a busy commercial center. The establish- ment of the Village Bank about this time (1836) also helped the growth of the Plains. It was started through the efforts of Elias Putnam and other leading shoe manufacturers, and it occupied the site at the corner of Elm and Maple streets. It was later called the First National Bank of Danvers, and in 1904, under a new charter, the name was changed to the Danvers National Bank. The present building was erected in 1854. The Presidents of the National Bank have been: Hon. Elias Putnam, 1836-1847; Moses Putnam, 1847- 1856; Daniel Richards, 1856-1886; Gilbert A. Tapley, 1886-1911; George O. Stimpson, 1911. Cashiers: Samuel B. Buttrick, 1836-1841; William L. Weston, 1841-1884; Benjamin E. Newhall, 1884-1913; Ralph S. Higgins, 1913. 128 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS This enterprise was followed later (1850) by the organization of the Danvers Savings Bank, which, with the Danvers Co-operative Bank, established in 1892, have assisted very materially in building homes for the people of the town. The Presidents of the Savings Bank have been: Gilbert Tapley, 1850-1859; Rufus Putnam, 1859-1876; Israel H. Putnam, 1876-1884; Hon. Augustus Mudge, 1884-1902; Hon. J. Frank Porter, 1902; Dr. Charles H. White, 1903-1910; Charles H. Preston, 1910-1916; Joshua Armitage, 1916. Treasurers: William L. Wes- ton, 1850-1884; Israel H. Putnam, 1884-1889; A. Frank Welch, 1889-1902; Hon. J. Frank Porter, 1902- 1916; Charles H. Preston, 1916. The Presidents of the Co-operative Bank have been: Fletcher Pope, 1892-1893; Hon. Samuel L. Sawyer, 1893-1910; Jasper Marsh, 1910-1922; Harry E. Jack- son, 1922. Invention of Pegging Machine ; Its Introduc- tion INTO England. — At this time the soles of shoes were all sewed on by hand. It remained for a Danvers man to invent the machine for pegging shoes, that is, fastening the soles to the uppers by means of wooden pegs. Samuel Preston, one of the largest manufactur- ers of the day, was the inventor, and he obtained the lirst patent ever issued for such a machine. The paper, dated March 8, 1833, signed by President Andrew Jackson, together with the original shoe, may be seen at the Essex Institute. Mr. Preston was born in Danvers, Nov. 12, 1792, and served in important offices in town and church. He served as secretary to the Danvers Moral Society, and was a Deacon of the First Church for many years. He represented the town in the General Court, 1842-1844; selectman in 1850; school committee for several years; o i oi I c < o w o OS o o H W W H THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 129 trustee of the Danvers Savings Bank 42 years; first superintendent of the First Church Sunday school in 1818; and held the office of notary public for 14 years. He died June 21, 1878, while on a visit at Warner, N. H. He was married in 1822 to Lydia W. Proctor, by whom he had several children, their daughter, Harriet Waters Preston, becoming a writer of note. She began her literary career about 1865 as a translator from the French, and published many books throughout her life, contributing also frequent critical papers to the At- lantic Monthly and other magazines. She resided abroad for many years, mostly in France and Great Britain, and died in 1911 at Keene, N. H. However, it was reserved for men of a later time to bring to wonderful perfection what Mr. Preston created as only a humble beginning. Twelve years later (1845) another Danvers man, Joshua Silvester, conceived the bold idea of crossing the ocean and introducing into England the manufacture of pegged shoes. In addi- tion to the establishment of a factory there, he was employed by a New York concern to sound the English market in regard to its acceptance of American made leather, with a view to exporting large quantities to that country. The Danvers Courier of Sept. 27, 1845, comments upon the experiment as follows : "It will be recollected by our readers that we pre- dicted that the experiment of shipping leather to Eng- land^ would fail on account of inveterate prejudice of Englishmen to everything not English, and that this prejudice must be overcome by a close imitation of their own production in quality and appearance. Sufficient time has now elapsed to know the results of the first 1 In 1910, the United States exported fifty million dollars' worth of leather and leather goods to England and other countries. 130 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS shipments, which have all been unsuccessful and from the cause above stated. We hope this failure will not discourage further attempts to introduce this important staple into the English market. We are convinced that with our advantages for the cheap and rapid manufac- ture of leather, we can undersell the British manufac- turers and satisfy the people there of the equality, if not the superiority, of our own tannage. We think just the right mode of effecting this desirable object has been hit upon by some highly respectable parties in the leather trade in New York, who have engaged the ser- vices of an experienced shoe man of this town, to go to England and superintend the making of shoes of American leather by English worlonen. It seems almost certain that this undertaking will not only succeed but be highly profitable to those concerned, as the difference in the cost of our leather compared with the English will afford a good chance for profit, and after the leather is made up the difference of kind will be scarcely per- ceptible to the purchaser. We think we do not over- estimate the importance of the English market to the leather trade, when we declare that it will be of as much importance to that interest as the opening of the port of China for the admission of cotton goods has been to the manufacturers of cotton cloths. "We heartily wish the project every degree of success, not only on account of the enterprising individuals im- mediately interested in it, but for the advantage it will be to the whole leather trade of the country. Although English prejudice is so strong against everything for- eign that even educated men of the country believe that one Englishman is equal to two Frenchmen, and that there is no comfort beyond the shores of their little Island, instances are not uncommon of this prejudice having been overcome by Yankee ingenuity. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 131 "When we sent our beef and pork to England, Mr. Bull turned up his nose at it until it was cut up and packed in the British style, when it at once became quite palatable. So it was with our butter and cheese, the latter article particularly, which is now in great demand and in extensive use in that country. John received our wooden clocks, flattered as he was by the reflection of his own bluff features as he looked into their mirrors, and the superiority of Wenham Lake ice was too clear not to be seen through, even by an Englishman. These changes in the direction of articles of export, either coastwise or foreign, are so familiar to those who recol- lect the time when Danvers supplied Albany with wool and the city of New York with sole leather, that they need not be much astonished to find the staple manu- facture of our town finding its way to a foreign market." The business was started in Manchester upon the arrival of six Danvers men who were selected by John M. C. Noyes to teach the English the shoe-pegging business, some to work on ladies' and misses', and others on men's shoes. The men who went over were Jacob Cross, Charles Story, Theodore Hobbs, Samuel Knight, William Marshall and Charles F. Waitt, and they sailed from Boston on the "Columbiana" in April, in company with Mr. Noyes, being forty-eight days on the trip. Shoe-pegging was a novelty then, and much in- terest was manifested by all classes witnessing the pro- cess of the manufacture by these Yankee workmen. American tanned leather was sent over by Danvers tanners,^ and the shoe pegs were obtained from Charles P. Preston, and later from Norris & Preston. 1 Among' the firms of Danvers, Salem and vicinity from whom he boug'ht leather to export, or later to whom he sold imported leather to be made into shoes, -were the following- : A. F. Thompson & Co., B. F. Thompson & Co., J. A. Learoyd, Harris Munroe, O. Kimball, J. R, Langley, Joseph Walden, D. C. Haskell, Pool & Jacobs, John G. 132 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Previously only sewed work or a clog consisting of a wooden sole with a leather upper nailed to the side, had been sold there. They took a sole-leather splitting machine, which was the first seen in England. The prejudice against Yankee pegged shoes, however, was very strong, and for a long time dealers could not be induced to buy them, but eventually a good business was established. Regarding the introduction of American leather into the English market and the success of the undertaking, the Salem Gazette of Nov. 23, 1855, has this to say: "In respect to cheapness of material our American tanners have a decided advantage over those in Eng- land, where not only hides have to be imported but also the materials for tanning them. The bark used in England is mainly imported, at much expense, from the Baltic and Mediterranean countries. The cost of leather in England, therefore, is much increased, and a chance is offered our tanners to supply that market with profit, since leather can here be made at less expense,^ and within the last ten years (since the new British tariff) a considerable trade has been growing up in this commodity. At first the English dealers had strong prejudices against American leather, but these seem to be so far removed that English houses are now en- gaged in its importation. The English leather is gen- erally regarded as superior to our own. The hides are more carefully worked and cleansed there than by our tanners, and more time is taken to perfect the change. Gove, W. & M. Black, Jr., Caleb L. Frost. James M. Munroe, L. & W. S. Belcher, Geo. L. Thayer, Daniel John.son, Boardman & Goiikl, I. H. Putnam, Putnam & Fellows, Poland & Connors, W. H. Sargent, Boston Japan Leather Co., S. Case & Sons, John Huse, Josiah Brackett, and Benjamin Goodrido'e. From 1846 to 1848, he bought of Pre'ston 256 barrels of shoe pegs at $3 per barrel, which were shipped to Manchester in the ship "Sunbeam" and other vessels. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 133 From one to one and a half years to double that time is thought requisite to produce a good article. Particu- lar care is taken with upper leather to insure a smooth and even grain and give it a handsome color. English sole leather is so well impregnated with bark as to be nearly impervious to water, while ours absorbs water freely. Yet it is said that American leather is more durable than English, although it may not do so good service while it lasts." Lexington Memorial Erected. — Sixty years after the Battle of Lexington, Danvers erected a monument (1835) to the memory of her young men who were killed on that memorable day. The occasion was made one of great interest, especially from the fact that nine- teen survivors of the Revolutionary War were present and took part in the exercises. Twelve of these were from Danvers: Gen. Gideon Foster, Sylvester Osborn, Johnson Proctor, Levi Preston, Asa Tapley, Rogers Nourse, Joseph Shaw, John Joscelyn, Ephraim Smith, Jonathan Porter, Joseph Tufts, William Flint. The shaft stands at the junction of Main and Wash- ington streets, in what is now Peabody. On one side are the names of the slain, followed by the words : Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori ("It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country" ) . On the reverse side, "Erected by the Citizens of Danvers on the 60th Anniversary, 1835." The cost of the monument was $1,000. First Postoffice Established. — The organization of the Village Bank and the growing manufacturing interests at Danvers Plains resulted in the establish- ment of this section of the town as the business center. New Mills falling back to second place. There was, of course, immediate demand for a postoffice,^ all Danvers 1 See "History of the Danvers Postoffice," by Charles Newhall, in Danvers Historical Collections, Vol. 7. 134 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS mail previous to this time having been received at the Salem office. After several years of agitation the North Dan vers postoffice was opened in 1837, with William Wallis as the first postmaster, followed in a few months by Thomas M. Bowen. Later postmasters have been: Levi Merrill, 1846-1852; Daniel Emerson, 1852-1853; Levi Merrill, 1853-1861; Sylvanus Shattuck, 1861- 1865; Joseph E. Hood, 1865-1886; Charles N. Perley, 1886-1890; Capt. G. W. Kenney, 1890-1891; Mrs. Ger- trude S. Kenney, 1891-1896; Charles N. Perley, 1896- 1900; Charles Newhall, 1900-1916; R. T. Fennessey, 1916-1922; Maj. F. C. Damon, 1922. In 1844 the New Mills postoffice was established, Henry Potter being appointed postmaster. Later postmasters have been: William Alley, 1849-1852; James M. Trow, 1852-1853; David Mead, 1853-1886; Henry Warren, 1886-1887; Anna E. Manassa, 1887- 1889; John P. Withey, 1889-1893; T. J. Gallivan, 1893-1897; J. W. Mead, 1897-1900. The residents of Danvers Highlands and Tapleyville were given the privilege of a local office in 1849, with George W. French as postmaster, which later was re- moved to Centre street. Later postmasters have been: Henry Prentiss, 1855-1865; Albert H. Mudge, 1865- 1869; F. A. Wilkins, 1869-1895; G. C. Clancy, 1895- 1900. N. P. Merriam was appointed postmaster of the Tapleyville section in 1872. Other postmasters have been: Daniel Fuller, 1885-1887; Norris S. Bean, 1887- 1891; Archie W. Sillars, 1891-1894; John A. Logan, 1894-1898; A. W. Sillars, 1898-1900. The Hathorne office was the result of the building ot the State Hospital, and was opened in 1878, with Samuel S. Pratt in charge. Other postmasters have been: G. W. Dudley, 1878-1880; J. W. Pierce, 1880- THE OLI) TOWN OF DANAT:RS 135 1801 ; Andrew Xichols, Jr., 1891-1893; Mary E. Hines, 1893-1899; Joshua Nichols, 1899-1913; C. F. Skill- ings, 1913-1921; Dennis M. Kelley, 1922. Early Days of Tapleyville; The Carpet Busi- ness. — Up to the time of the eighteen-thirties that por- tion of Danvers known as "the Village," and more recently as Tapleyville, was owned by a few families and dotted with farmhouses separated b}^ acres of highly cultivated land. Eighty years ago there were but five houses there, tlie Tapley house on Pine street, opposite Hyde, the Nurse house, the Tarbell house, the old Tapley homestead on Hyde street, and the Perley Tapley house, corner of Holten and Pine streets, of which the first two and last mentioned are stand- ing. Roughly speaking, Tapley^dlle comprises the area described by a circle, using the Tapley school as a pivotal point, and extending on the east to Putnam's pond, on the south to Sylvan street, on the west to Collins and Centre streets, and on the north to PIo- bart street. Danvers Highlands had settled down with the complacency of old age, content to be a populous farming community. But Tapleyville was destined to wake up. The Tapleys have been a numerous family in the vicinity of Salem since 1660, when the emigrant Gilbert Tapley came from Marldon, Devon, England, and settled at Salem Neck. In the middle of the 18th century, another Gilbert, a great-grandson of the emi- grant, by alliance in marriage with the Putnam family, came to the old Salem Village part of Danvers and bought a farm, which has been known in later years as the James Goodale estate at the Highlands. Gradually acquiring more propertj^ he became one of the largest landowners of this section, and was the progenitor of all the Danvers and many of the Lynn families of the name. Of his four sons, Asa became the possessor of 13G CHKONICLES OF DANA^RS much of the land south of the Nurse house, between Pine and ColHns streets and crossing Sylvan street to the Endicott farm on Endicott street, and by marriage with Elizabeth Smith further added to his estate the land to the west as far as the Andover turnpike. In 1843 Perley Tapley moved a building in which Mathew Hooper had manufactured boxes near Felton's corner to the brook at Hadlock's bridge, near the pres- ent Tapleyville railroad station. This, in itself, was not so remarkable a feat, for he had doubtless moved other buildings before. He certainly did move many afterwards, as anyone who lived eighty j^ears ago could testify. But that particular move is worth recording, because it marks precisely the psychological moment when Tapleyville, or the "Village," awoke. Here Perley and his brother Gilbert embarked in the carpet business. The latter had been engaged in the shoe business for many years, in a shop which was connected with his house on Pine street. The carpet business was a new enterprise for Danvers, and in order to carry it on successfully skilled labor had to be obtained from outside. Connecticut factory towns at first contributed a few weavers, but it was not long before many families from England and Scotland began to come in consider- able numbers, until it became a problem to house them within the confines of the "Village." Then it was that Perley Tapley's skill as mover of buildings was used to advantage. Houses from far and near began to roll toward Tapleyville. Buildings of all descriptions were moved and converted into dwellings, until Holten street was a motley collection of houses made from anything from a church steeple to a schoolhouse. The church steeple was used as a shed in the rear of a Holten street house. The schoolhouse, moved from Putnam- ville, was torn down when the Tapley School was METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH THE OID TOWN OF DANVERS 137 built. Thus the "Village" grew in size and importance, but not without many a friendly jibe upon the apparent lack of "city planning." A humorous squib in the Danvers Eagle, October 30, 1844, which was concocted on one of those trips that leading South Parish men used to make to the North Parish to hear Dr. Braman preach Fast Day and Thanksgiving sermons, appeared under the heading, "Taplejwille in 1844." It said: "This celebrated city is now in a state of unexampled prosperity. We are aware that, owing to the defects of modern geography, it is not to be found on the maps. But we know that the city exists, as we have been there and seen its mayor and its corporation. It is situated on one of those numerous streams that empty into the Atlantic ocean, and contains as large a population as its buildings will conveniently accommodate. "There is one peculiarity which, we believe, is not common to any other place. By the city regulations it is provided that no house or other building shall be erected within its territory, and the city is entirely com- posed of buildings which have been moved into it, and by these means it is constantly increasing. Nothing is more common than to see houses of all sizes and shapes and of every quaint style of architecture traveling into the place and seating themselves down in some comfort- able situation, to rest just so long as the mayor will allow them to remain. We have never yet ventured to spend a night in the city; we know so well the migra- tory character of its buildings that we should expect to find ourselves next morning — house and all — moving off on wheels, drawn by 40-ox power. We had the curiosity to look into the city hall when the council was not in session, and found it ornamented with various agricultural implements. Like the rest of the city it 138 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS looked like a travelling concern and was built of rough slabs. We understand that it once took a tour of obser- vation through Salem, and afterward returned to its native place." The "mayor" was, of course, Perley Tapley, and the building last referred to was the famous "log cabin" which had been conspicuous in the Harrison campaigji procession in Salem. Rev. Dr. Alfred P. Putnam, in reminiscences written several years ago, says: "The log cabin was hauled all the way to Salem amidst the ut- most enthusiasm. Suspended upon or set against the sides were coon skins, hard cider barrels, and a variety of rude or simple articles of furniture or husbandry, all of which were generally among the peculiar accom- paniments of such occasions in that never-to-be-forgot- ten campaign. On a balcony stood a company of sing- ers, who, all along the route, amused and delighted the moving throng, or the farmers and villagers who came out from their houses to hear the spirited and frequently humorous pieces which rhj^msters had ground out so plentifully for the popular ear. Much accustomed to moving buildings, a man of great force and energy, always prone to brisk physical activity, and favored with a stentorian voice, Perley Tapley was well fitted to make such a migratory scene as this as lively as pos- sible. On that Independence day he was here, there and everywhere. His was the voice that arose above all the Babel noises of the hour; and on sped the rustic habitation with its attendant carriages, quadrupeds, bi- peds and all, until it entered Salem, threaded its way through the streets, and finally reached and invaded the crowded common amidst circumstances that beggar all description. There never was such a stir, such com- motion, such fun, such cheering, such enthusiasm. We lads eagerly saw and enjoyed it all from beginning to THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 139^ end, now running alono'side the oxen or the cabin, again advancing to the front or falhng behind, then jumping aboard and thrusting ourselves in among the musicians, and in manifold ways showing how much we shared with Mr. Tapley himself, the responsibility of that cele- bration by Danvers of the Fourth of July, 1840." The cabin was built by W. J. C. Kenney and Simeon Put- nam of Danvers, who were well-known carpenters of that time, and people gazed in admiration at Mr. Tap- ley's skill in managing the forty yoke of oxen, especi- ally in turning corners. The throng on Salem Common was addressed by Daniel Webster, who made one of his famous, able and eloquent speeches upon the political situation of the time. Rev. O. S. Butler of Georgetown, in referring to the humorous article quoted, in which the new settlement at Tapleyville was so ingeniously ridiculed, says: "I remember what a commotion the article produced among the inhabitants of that enterprising village. Perley Tapley was highly incensed, and justly so. Gilbert Tapley, the other owner of the factory, said it was beneath the notice of a dog. But the authorship of that light artillery was never known, though diligent search was made in and about several departments of the Eagle office. In those early days it was the custom of a few citizens of South Danvers to visit the suburbs of the village once a year to listen to a sermon from Rev. Milton P. Braman, who always made a special effort to give his hearers the results of his reflections and convictions during the year, on the state of the community in general and its political aspects in par- ticular. In the spring of '44, a party of gentlemen, consisting of Fitch Poole, Jacob Perley, Isaac Hardy, A. P. Phillips, John Peabody, and a boy, were passing through the village of Tapleyville on their way to the 140 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS church. They discovered two or three buildings on wheels, or in process of moving. Then and there a dis- cussion arose as to whether those buildings were the same as we saw the year before or a new installment. Young Damon said they were the same; Fitch Poole said no, but that Mr. Tapley had moved one building a day on the average for several years. I have no doubt that the little squib was born in that old coach, but who gave it bodily form, I never shall tell. But 1 remember that at the next town meeting, which was held in old Union hall, under the Universalist church, South Danvers, Mr. Winthrop Andrews made quite a point of the little fling at Tapleyville, as he was advo- cating the improvement of the road from the Plains to Tapleyville." During its first year of business the carpet factory was burned, but another was immediately erected. The Danvers Courier, June 14, 1845, says that on June 13, at half past twelve in the afternoon, the fire was dis- covered in Wyatt B. Woodman's box mill connected with the carpet factory, both of which were totally destroyed. It started in a pile of shavings while the men were absent at dinner. David Henderson was the owner of the machinery and stock of the factory. "The fire spread so rapidly that the Company connected with the engine belonging to Tapleyville were obliged to abandon it, and it was nearly destroyed. The firewards immediately ordered the Niagara engine to be removed to Tapleyville to take its place. Nothing is known of the origin of the fire, but it is generally supposed to be the work of an incendiary." It is probable that the Tapleys owned the factory itself and at that time had no interest in the business, but after the fire they took over the business and erected immediately another building 182 by 30 feet. This THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 141 factory was operated by a 25-horse-power engine, had about 30 looms in use, employed 60 hands, used about 100,000 pounds of wool annually, and wove about 60,000 yards of carpeting each year, as Hanson tells us in his history printed in 1848. From 1847 to 1866 the owners were Gilbert Tapley and his son, the product being ingrain and stair carpets, later making ingrain only. The Salem Gazette of Dec. 18, 1860, says that 50 looms were then in operation and there were em- ployed 100 men and 50 women, 200,000 pounds of wool were used, and 100,000 yards of carpeting were turned out annually. In February, 1865, the Danvers Carpet Company was formed, with a capital of $100,000, Gil- bert Tapley, president, the principal owners being resi- dents of Newburyport. In May, 1875, it changed hands again and became the Eagle Carpet Company, employ- ing 100 hands and producing annually 150,000 yards of woolen ingrain carpet, valued at $175,000. Gilbert Augustus Tapley, son of the original owner, was the treasurer and agent, and he continued to manage it until the business was discontinued about 1880. The factory was then converted into a morocco factory and later occupied by Knapp and Downing. It was burned in 1910. It has been said that fourteen of the Scotch carpet weavers and twenty of their sons were veterans of the Civil war, seven of whom became commissioned officers, and the same loyalty to the Union might also be re- corded of the English, of whom there were fully as many in the service. Upon the decline of the carpet business, the shoe business was established, which for many years has been the principal industry in Tapley- ville. Nathaniel P. Merriam was another who was iden- tified with the growth of this village, maintaining a 142 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS country store at the corner of Holten and Pine streets for nearly forty years. Col. Gilbert Tapley was the son of Asa and Eliza- beth (Smith) Tapley, and was born April 30, 1793. He was one of six brothers, Daniel, Asa, Nathan, Perley and Jesse, who inherited good estates in this section of the town. In early life he manufactured shoes, and during the war of 1812 he, in common with others, took the manufactured product to Baltimore and other cities with teams of horses. This was in the time of the embargo, when the coastwise trade in vessels was inter- rupted. In the fall of 1813 he reached Baltimore, after many weeks of hard travelling, and foimd that the English were about to bombard the place. Here he was pressed into the service by an artillery company, to convey them to the point where the enemy was to land. Colonel Tapley was successful in his business ventures and became one of the leading citizens of the town. He was always active in the First Church, serving on im- portant committees, and when the Methodist Church was built gave generously to the building fund, his son, Gilbert A. Tapley, also contributing the lot on which the church stands. He served as moderator, assessor and on the school committee, was a trustee of Walnut Grove cemetery, director of the Warren Bank of South Danvers and president of the Danvers Savings Bank. He was a prime mover in obtaining the Danvers and Georgetown Railroad, now the Western Division line from Newburyport to Boston. He was an ardent and efficient worker in the temperance cause, and was iden- tified with all good works until his death, which occurred on Octobers, 1878. "Neck of Land" No Longer a Separate District. — The other sections of the town had become prosperous villages since "The Neck of Land" was incorporated THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 143 in 1772, and the road to Salem, which had caused so much controversy in the early days, was a necessity, not only to the residents of New JNlills, but to the people of the whole town. Consequently New Mills began to regard it as no more than just that it should now be relieved of tlie burden of supporting the highways, which it had faithfully done for the past seventy years. As the town of Danvers did not object, the act of incorporation was repealed in 1840, since which time the roads at Danversport have been included in the town's appro- priation for highways. Walnut Geove Cemetery Corporation. — This cemetery, which was originally the grove and adjacent lands of Judge Samuel Putnam, was consecrated in 1844, and comprises about 21 acres. Generally speak- ing, the formation of the older portion is that of the hillsides, gently sloping to meet in a central valley, watered by brooks and adorned with a natural growth of trees. The grounds have practically the same front- age on each of three streets, Sylvan, Ash and Adams streets. The large tract upon the Ash street side is practically level, and, like the top of the hill on the Adams street front, is unshaded. Thus, by combination and contrast, the rich foliage of the grove and verdure of the lawns which lie open to the sun, contributes each to the beauty of the other. Adding to the natural fea- tures of the landscape, the work that is constantly being done in the care of the grounds, the Walnut Grove cemetery is itself the best monument to those men in whose wisdom and energy it had its origin, and is most worthy of the pride so generally felt in it. The presidents of the corporation have been: Hon. Ehas Putnam, 1843-1844; Samuel Preston, 1844; Samuel P. Fowler, 1845-1886; Dr. W. W. Eaton, 1887- 144 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS 1910; George W. Fiske, 1910-1912; Lester S. Couch, 1912. Other Cemeteries. — It is doubtful if there is an- other town in New England which has within its pre- cincts as many cemeteries, public and private, as old Danvers, including Peabody, no les^ than 53 being located when the vital records of the town were pub- lished in 1910. In the early days there were little plots set aside on nearly all the farms for burial purposes; then later neighborhood grounds were laid out, which were the forerunners of the large tracts given up to this purpose today. Wadsworth cemetery on Summer street was one of the earliest, controlled by the First Church, and now cared for by an association. High Street cemetery was in early use, several of the Revo- lutionary soldiers having been buried there, but in 1805, Colonel Page, whose land it was, "for ten cents" con- veyed the plot to Israel Hutchinson, Jr., Thomas Put- nam and Caleb Oakes, who were to "forever permit the Inhabitants of that part of Danvers called the Neck and all other persons who have been so accustomed, to occupjT^ the same land as a Burying Ground . . . keep- ing always the same ground inclosed with a decent fence not less than five feet high at their own charge." Other grounds^ in the present town of Danvers are the Nurse^ Endicott, Preston, Prince, Putnam at Hathorne, Russell, Ilolten, Putnam, rear the "Lindens," Jacobs, Hutchinson, Tapley and Preston, Putnam at Putnam- ville, Swinerton, Goodale and Pope. Irish Settlers. — From the first settlement of the town there have been scattering Irish families through- out the territory of Danvers. As early as the time of the witchcraft delusion (1692) down through 1 See Danvers Vital Records, page 3. z '^ S s 2; '5 THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 145 the French and Indian wars and the Revolution, names of people of Irish birth are found on the records. It was not, however, until 1842 that the settlement of Irish emigrants commenced.^ Probably the first at the Plains was Cornelius Ryan, who came to town in 1844 to work for the masons who were constructing Elias Putnam's shoe factory, now a portion of the Curtis block on High street. He did not remain long, but returned to Salem. Nearly all the emigrants of the first years "worked out" for the farmers of the town, the men often helping in the fields while their wives assisted in the household affairs; but as soon as they prospered they established little homes of their own. The building of the Essex Railroad (1848) was the means of bringing many more Irish families to town, who, after the road was completed through Danvers, remained here and found other occupations, in the shoe shops, the brickyards, morocco factories, or on farms. Many at a later date bought land and built houses in the vicinity of Hobart street. This land belonged for the most part to Capt. Andrew M. Putnam, whose advice and assistance are gratefully remembered today. These families have, in general, been thrifty and law- abiding citizens, and many of the second and third gen- erations are now prosperous, represented in many trades and professions, interested in the progress of education, ready to assist in all philanthropic movements, loyal to the town of their birth and to the country which has given them the opportunity of success. Maple Street Church Organized. — With the in- creased growth of the Plains, the question of a church began to be agitated. The long distance to the First Church was one of the reasons for the establishment of 1 The first to pay taxes in Danvers were Patrick Agan and Joliix Kain, in 1842, Daniel Crowley followed in 1843. 146 CHRONICLES OF DAN^^RS the Maple Street church (1844). For a time neigh- borhood meetings were held at the residence of John A. Learoyd, opposite Maple Street church, and, in fact, the new society was practically formed in the parlor of this house. The church edifice, which was erected soon after, was burned (1850), the present building taking its place. The annual town meetings were held for several years in the first edifice, or until the Town Hall was erected. The ministers of this church have been: Rev. Richard Tolman, 1846-1849; Rev. James Fletcher, 1849-1864; Rev. WiUiam Carruthers, 1866-1868; Rev. James Brand, 1869-1873; Rev. W. E. C. Wright, 1875-1882; Rev. E. C. Ewing, 1882-1899; Rev. C. J. Hawkins, 1900-1902; Rev. Robert A. MacFadden, 1902-1909; Rev. M. A. Shafer, 1910-1913; Rev. Dr. F. W. Mer- rick, 1915-1921 ; Rev. Leon E. Grubaugh, 1922. Samuel P. Fowler was one of the first deacons of this church. He was born at New Mills, April 22, 1800, and early developed a desire for reading and a taste for natural history. He manifested a deep interest in church and town affairs, serving in various offices, representing the town in the Legislature, and holding the position of overseer of the poor for forty-five years. His wife was Harriet, daughter of Moses Putnam of Putnam- ville. He was famous as a botanist and contributed articles to many papers and magazines on this subject, his beautiful garden on Cherry street attesting his great love of flowers. Fond of historical research, his equal in knowledge of local history could not be found, and upon this subject, too, his pen was often used. A cor- porator of the Danvers Savings Bank, a director of the Danvers National Bank, a life trustee of Peabody In- stitute, a publisher of several valuable books and pam- phlets, a temperance worker, president of Walnut Grove THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 147 Cemetery Corporation, honored and respected by his townspeople and the country at large, he passed away in December, 1888, at the age of 89 years. His large collection of valuable historical manuscripts and relics were, after his death, presented to the Essex Institute. ABOLITION; EXPORT OF ICE; MODES OF TRAVEL; MEXICAN WAR. Feeling Against Slavery; The Abolitionists. — There was a constantly growing feeling in the North in opposition to slave-holding. There were many Abo- litionists at New Mills, who held that the business of buying and selling negroes was not in accordance with the constitution of the United States, which declares that all men are born free and equal. At first their lot was not a happy one. They were very outspoken on the subject of slavery, and their candor incensed a great many, their enthusiasm in the cause of the slave often overpowering their better judgment, but their earnest- ness was never doubted. Meetings were held as early as 1834. A club was formed in 1838, called "The Young Men's Anti-Slavery Society," and the cause of the slave was eloquently pleaded, not only by local orators but by some of the most noted Abolitionists in the country. In 1842, the controversy had reached fever heat. Those who did not profess to follow the doctrines of Garrison or enter into the then unpopular movement, were de- nounced by the anti-slavery supporters as false to the principles upon which the country was founded, and as lacking Christianity. So far did their enthusiasm carry them that the society of Abolitionists at New Mills declared that it was "inconsistent and unbecoming" for them to celebrate the Fourth of July because there were so many slaves in bondage in this free country. The 148 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS churches, because they did not at once champion the Abolitionists' cause, were derisively called "the strong- holds of slavery," and upon them the storm broke. Two of the churches refused to open their doors to the meet- ings of the Abolitionists. This was the occasion of new charges and complaints. Feeling between man and man at New Mills was wrought to a very high pitch. The anti-slavery supporters, disappointed that the churches did not favor a discussion of the subject in the pulpits, resolved to come out from the congrega- tions. This they did, and from this movement they became known as "Come-outers." "On one occasion the minister at the Baptist church was in the midst of the service when one of the abolitionists present arose and began an anti-slavery appeal. He was temporarily choked off by a hj^mn, but as soon as the music ceased he was at it again. Two men of the congregation, with righteous indignation descended upon the intruder and dragged him out of the house. Worship was broken off. The congregation, or most of them, were thor- oughly mad. The minister called for a sheriff, and certain men jumped out of the window to run to the Universalist church for an officer." Service was re- sumed, but in came the same offender at a side door and continued his disturbance. Subsequently, he and sev- eral other "Come-outers," who took his part, were ar- rested. But the fanaticism of the times gradually gave way to saner action, and people began to more calmly consider the great slavery question. Their enthusiasm did not diminish, to be sure, but a wiser and more sj^s- tematic plan of action resulted in the formation of a new political party — the Republican — and ultimately in the freedom of the slave. "One must greatly admire the high moral standard of these Abolitionists. Their adherence to the cause was THE OLD TOAVN OF DANVERS 149 at great cost. Many of them were church members, long and devotedly attached to the observances that belonged to it, and they left it, not because they did not believe in Christianity, but because of the very strength and sincerity of their faith. They were ridi- culed and anathematized for it, but here they took their stand, and practically illustrated in their character and daily life the principles they would make the law of the land. They were tanners and curriers and shoemakers and artisans and tillers of the soil, yet they were pos- sessed of a high degree of intelligence. The future will make small account of anj^ shortcomings which men may see in the old Abolitionists. It is to their everlasting honor that, at the time when millions of our fellow crea- tures were groaning under insufferable bondage, and church, state and people alike were deaf to their cries, they were the first to rouse the public to a sense of duty and needed action." Among the men and women identified with the cause in Danvers were Jesse P. Harriman, Richard Hood, John Hood, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Merrill, Hathorne Porter, Alfred R. Porter, Mr. and Mrs. John Cutler, Mr. and Mrs. William Endicott, James D. Black, William Francis, Henry A. Potter, Rev. Samuel Brimblecom, John R. Patten, William Alley, Job Tyler, Hercules Josselyn, Mr. and Mrs. Abel Nichols, Mrs. Eben G. Berry, Miss E. H. Hutchinson, Miss Irene Kent, Dr. and Mrs. Eben Hunt, Dr. Andrew Nichols, Thomas Bowen, John R. Langley, Jonathan Richardson, James F. Mclntire, Moses Black, Jr., Elias Savage, John D. Andrews, James M. Usher, Charles W. Page, John Hines, Oliver C. Wait, James Kelley, Archelaus P. Black, Winthrop Andrews, George Kate, Joseph W. Legro, Benjamin Potter, Ingalls K. Mclntire, Daniel Woodbury, Josiah Ross, 150 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Edward Stimpson, Jonathan Eveleth, Charles Benja- min, Samuel P. Fowler, Oliver O. Brown, Alexander A. Leavitt, William Needham, Elbridge G. Little, Ira P. Cloiigh, Abner S. Mead, Joseph Porter, Frederick Howe, Col. Jesse Putnam, John A. Learoyd, Peter Wait, Allen Knight, Francis P. Putnam, Ehas E. Put- nam, Alfred Fellows. Dr. Andrew Nichols was one of the prominent Abo- litionists. He was born in Danvers, Nov. 22, 178.5, graduated at Harvard Medical School, and practised in the southern part of the town for nearly half a century. He was a noted botanist and agriculturist, an ardent anti-slavery and temperance man, a poet of more than local repute, an inventor of much ability, and one of the founders of the Unitarian church in Peabody. His object was "to live for man, to work for humanitj^" He died March 30, 1853, beloved and lamented by all. Dr. Ebenezer Hunt, another Abolitionist, was born, April 13, 1799, in Dracut. He graduated from Dart- mouth College in the Medical Department in 1821. Soon after, he settled at New Mills, where he practiced his profession fifty years. In the temperance cause and the anti-slavery movement he was firm and always had the courage of his convictions. He became associated with John G. Whittier in the slavery cause, retaining the latter's friendship through life. At the age of 65 years he enlisted in the Civil War as assistant surgeon of the 8th Regiment, by which service his health was considerably impaired. Dr. Hunt was hospitable, sim- ple in his habits, and his worth as a man and his skill as a physician were fully appreciated by all who knew him. Hathorne Porter was another Abolitionist who was very active during his short life in the cause of the slave. He was son of Aaron and Eunice (Hathorne) Porter, THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 151 and was born in Salem, but at an early age went to Putnamville to learn his trade at the home of his uncle, Zerubbabel Porter. Settling finally in Danversport, where he engaged in tanning and currying on his own account, he became one of the leaders of the anti-slaverv movement. He was also one of the earliest Univer- sahsts. He died in 1845, at the age of forty-seven, and thus did not live to see the result of the good work of the party whose cause he so ardently espoused. He was a nephew of Gen. Moses Porter. His residence at Danversport was the brick house built by Nathaniel Putnam in 1805, near Creese & Cook's factory, and recently (1922) remodelled into a warehouse by that company. Newspapers. — In the early days Danvers depended upon Salem and Boston papers for the news, the Salem Gazette and Salem Register being widely circulated here. In 1845 the Danvers Courier was established, following the Danvers Whig and the Danvers Eagle, two ephemeral political sheets. It was short-lived. The South Danvers Wizard (1859) became the Pea- body Press in 1869. The Danvers Monitor was estab- lished in 1865. All these weekly papers were printed in the southern part of the town, now Peabody. In 1871 the Danvers Mirror was established as a distinctly Danvers paper, by H. C. Cheever, who sold the busi- ness in 1875 to Charles H. Shepard. In 1890 Mr. Shepard sold the business to Frank E. Moynahan, and it is now (1923) conducted by his widow, Mrs. Magda- lene DeNormandie Elmcre, who has changed the name of the paper to the Danvers Herald. The Great Fire. — Just as business was beginning to get a good start at the Plains, everything was swept away by a great fire (1845). An old newspaper says of it: "It broke out in a small building belonging to the 152 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS dwelling house of Joshua Silvester, and was thought to have been occasioned by sparks from the pipes of some of the workmen, a pile of shavings probably ignit- ing. The fire spread with great rapidity and seemed at one time as if beyond all human control. Eighteen buildings on either side of Maple street were destroyed. There was great scarcity of water, it being necessary to connect eight engines to obtain a single stream of water upon the fire. The nearest body of water was Frost Fish Brook. The alarm reached Salem about a quarter past two, and several engines and fire companies imme- diately started, guided by the direction of the smoke, although it was not then known where the fire was nor how imminent was the danger. Express messengers arrived some time afterwards for assistance, when the alarm was again sounded, and several more engines were dispatched, making seven in all from Salem, preceded, accompanied and followed by great numbers of citizens. The progress over the length of dusty road was exceed- ingly toilsome, with the almost vertical sun beating down upon their unsheltered heads at a temperature of 120*^ to 130''. Some were very much overcome by the expo- sure and fatigue. The loss was $80,000." After this conflagration, building was resumed and the Square widened, as it appears today, the west side of Maple street up to that time having formed a junc- tion with Elm street at about the location of the present drinking fountain. Wenham Lake Ice in England; The Danvers Ice Company. — At about this time an important export business, in which Danvers men were concerned, was organized. It consisted of the shipment of ice^ from Wenham Lake to England. The enterprise originated 1 See Articles by Eev. A. P. Putnam, D. D., in "Ice' and Refrigera- tion." THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 153 with a few Salem men, and in 1846 a resident of Dan- vers, returning from a business trip in England, having noted the success of the business there, suggested to several Danvers men, including Henry T. Ropes, Jo- seph W. Ropes, W. I^. Weston and Daniel Richards, the formation of a stock company for the same purpose. This was accordingly done, and Henry T. Ropes was delegated to go abroad and find a suitable location for the opening up of the ice business. The field was thor- oughly looked over, and it was decided to buy out the Salem company's Liverpool trade. Here the Danvers Ice Company was established. The ice was gathered at Wenham Lake and shipped to Boston, where it was packed in sawdust on a large vessel for the trip across. It was genuine ice and of the purest qualitj^ and was something which the English people were to appreciate more and more, slow as they were to learn its uses and virtues at first. The ice proved a curiosity to the people, and blocks of this new, indispensable crystal were placed on exhibition in the windows of London and Liverpool. It created much talk and attracted public notice. The Queen and Royal Family set their seal of approval upon it, — a sufficient guarantee of a great business. During the first years, the Danvers men did not realize much from their investment, and three of them concluded to withdraw, but Henry T. Ropes was not to be dissuaded, and, in later years, he was re- warded for his energy and perseverance by achieving immense wealth and the well-earned title of "The Ice King." As soon as Mr. Ropes had his business well estab- lished he discontinued the shipment of ice from Wen- ham Lake, receiving the larger part of his supply from Norway, but even at the present time the ice-wagons, it is said, travel through the streets of London bearing the sign "Wenham Lake Ice." The name and fame of 154 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS our neighboring sheet of water became so firmly rooted in the early days of the trade that it was deemed not wise, from a business standpoint, to change it when the import from Norway began. The business was carried on by Mr. Ropes' sons for many years. Omnibus Line to Salem. — Up to this time there had been no public mode of conveyance from this town to Salem. Stage-coaches from Haverhill to Salem ran inf requentljr ; people used their own carriages or walked, as the case might be. In 1842, a man named Berry came from the West to Danvers and started an omnibus route, running a few trips each day. He sold out soon to John Grout, who, in turn, about six years later, sold out to Samuel W. Spaulding. Parker Webber bought the route in 1865. A three-seated wagon, which had accommodations on top for half a dozen, was the popu- lar vehicle of transportation. The business increased with every year, and larger and more commodious coaches were provided as the traffic demanded them. Through heat and dust of summer and the deep snows of winter, blocking the roads nearly to the degree of impassability at Gardner's Hill, the old coaches made their daily trips. Fifteen cents for the ride each way was deemed none too exorbitant a price to pay. The Danvers terminus of the line w^as the Square, and pas- sengers were content to walk to their homes, being as yet uneducated in the convenience of the street car. Even after the railroad came (1847) the equanimity of the stage driver Avas not disturbed, and he drove on unmindful of his iron competitor and apparently suf- fering little financially from the innovation. Another line from the Highlands through Peabody to Salem was also established about 1849. The occupation of the stage driver is gone. "Never again shall we gather at the cottage gate as the clatter IW k MIDDLE ROUTE ^EJT-V^ £3 lEir^ GEORGETOWN, TOPSFIEU) AND DANVERS, Connt-eting at WEST I>A>VEIIS with Trains to and from SALE^I. Train** from BRADF<»KD and C^ROTELAIVD connect witii this line at GEOKGETOn > for BOST<>]\. Depot in Boston, - Boston and Maine Depot, Haymarket Square. " Bradford, At HaverhiU Bridge. " Newburyport, - - - - 'West of the TunneL FALL ABBANCEMEHIT. 01 m IFTER MOIDiT. OCTOBER 23. 1854. "M' cc .4L M im' s turn: j%. %' k: POB I BOSTON. FROM BOoTON. NEWBURYPORT, 7.45, 11.00 a.m. , 1.43, 5.00 P.M. BOSTON, - - S 0-5 A.M. 12.00 M. 3.00, 5.30 p.M BYFIELD - - - 7.S7, 11.12 1.57, 5.12 W. DANVERS, - 8.45 I£.35 3.35,6 08 HAVER'L BRIDGE 7.45, 11. CO 1.45, 5.00 1 N. DANVERS, - 8.54 12.41 3.44, 6.18 GROVELA.NU, - - 7.90, 11.03 1.50, 5 03 "OPSFIELD, - 0.08 12.38 3..5S, 0.32 GEORGETOWN, - 8.03, 11.18 2.03, 5.18 BO.XFORD, - - 9.18 1.08 4.08, 6,39 BOXFORD, - - - 8.09, 11.25 2.09, 5.25 GEORGETOWN, 9.25 1.15 4.15, 6.46 TOPSFIELD, - - 8.18, 11.34 2.18,5 34 GROVELA.\D, - 9.31 1.21 4.21, 6.52 N. DANVERS, - - 8.33, 11 50 2.35, 5.5l> BYFIELD, - - 9.32 1.21 4.21, 6.52 W. DA.\ VERS, - - 8.42. 11.58 2.43, 6.00 HAVE BRIDGE, 9.36 1.26 4.26, 6.57 Arrive at BOSTON, 9.19 12.40 3.23, ti.40 Ar. atNEWBP'T, 9.43 1.33 4.33, 7.04 NEWBURYPORT AIUD BRADFORD. TRAINS LEAVE NKWBIRVPOK T FOR BRADFORD at 7.45 and II.'K) a.m., 1.45 ari.l 5.00 p.m.. BRADFORD FOR NEWBURYPORT at 8.40 a.m., and 1.45, ?..W and 6.20 p.m. Leaving NEWBURVPORP at 7.J5 and 11 00 a.m., and 5.00 p.m., and BRADFORD at 8.40 a.m. 3.45 and 6.20 p.m., connect with Trains on the Boston & Me. Railroad to and fron LAWRENCE, and the West and North ; also, with Trains poinj; East. GEORGETOWN AND HAVERHILL BRIDGE. TRAINS have GEORGETOWN for HAVERHILL BRIDGE at 8 05, 9.25, 11.18 am. and 1.15, 2.03, 4.15, 5.18 and fi.4(! p.m. Leave HAVERHILL BRIDGE for GEORGETOWN at 7.45, 8.25, 11.00 a.m., 12.5-5, 1.45, 3 50, 5.00, 6 20 p.m. 33" Passengers are not allowed Baggage above $50 in value, or 80 lbs. in weight, without extra charge. F'or furtlier particulars, see. Hallway Guide. GEORGETOWN. OCTOBER 18, 1854. C. S. TEJ^NEV, Sup't. Pwia»;j«i<» eivS Bog^gff vW di? ttktti tram ibf Ct>wp Jny's D^t, «« jtrtm«'» nUarf, «t itl« folfawin^ hgvf - © « ' A. M. 1 . Si : ♦' V'. M. nOaio:i «I3} 0«n «Vw« the Dejxii, fsot «f Wa»toi«gtan-STON aad tVNIV, - - ' ., . Si CertJs. iW*V ifirit P. KJ, v^** »fev nt ilv >*nr*W»(W O^^w^t fat J*t<;> MjJ Vi»vfl y^fwo^l^'^ . . ■ ., .X ,>,., isfj EaiJf^B Stajfc C'omp»n» will be W 1lv« S»|»t (*« ft«t«'t8k« i«»«ngrr» to ■ :,, ...^.n .. OI III. •"I" ■- „j,rf,^t(„,rri,,!^l*»7.«.ltt!l«a»iTr.imfhlsn>B<«to'«ryP''''* ' - 0J,> ng r» J ' ..^^j. ^ch, jdovr Train* will bf Uh»n t« iMwsw^Jair frfjic?*, »s tiual. ■'■'""'"- '" ^ VtX. SAOO.&OB WHX Be AT TKE BXI^K. OF TTS OWNEIFS. ,_, *.aS9. STEIPJafml;; A. CHASE. Sup^rintendecTt ,»iL*j»^s« ,^ .i>&4: ;#i:,3A,:.*( FIRST TIME TABLE OF THE EASTERN RAILROAD, 1836. Which served Residents of Danvers in the Trip from Salem to Boston until 1848, when the Essex Railroad was opened. From F. B. C. Bradlee's " History of the Eastern Railroad." THE OLD TOWN OF DAN^^ERS 155 of wheels and the cloud of dust approach, to welcome the aged parent, the coining guest, the daughter home from school. Famous levelers were the old stage coaches and masters in etiquette also! What chance medley of social elements they brought about! What jostling of ribs and elbows, what a test of good nature, what a tax on forbearance ! For how else could a dozen strangers consent to be boxed up and shaken together, but upon condition that each was to exhibit the best side of his nature, and that only. To this generation the old stage coach is a shadowy and unreal thing, but the memory of its usefulness will long live." Opening of the Railroads. — The matter of trans- portation facilities for the town of Danvers was one of the most discussed topics of this period, and the town was divided into several factions, favoring as many different railroad routes. There were some who argued like the narrow-minded correspondent in the Salem Gazette, when the Eastern Railroad was contemplated, "Let us construct our own railroads, north and south, but, as we hope to prosper, let us not have one to Bos- ton!" Even before the Eastern Railroad was built, and when the different routes were under discussion, there was an attempt made to survey a road from Danvers to Boston.^ At this time there were two roads proposed, one called the Eastern, with a terminus at East Boston, and the other called the Western, passing through Charlestown Neck, West Lynn, Danvers, Salem and Beverly, with a terminus over Chelsea Bridge. At the annual meeting in Danvers in 1836, resolutions were adopted in favor of the latter course, because it avoided the ferry, and a memorial to that effect was sent to the Legislature, but the Eastern route was finally selected^ as the most direct, cheapest to construct, and passing 1 Salem Gazette, Ansriist 25 and 28, 1835. 2 April 11, 1836. The Eastern Eailroad was incorporated April 14, 1836, and the road opened from Boston to Salem, August 27, 1838. 156 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS through the most populous district. For the next fifteen years the peace of the community was periodically dis- turbed by bitter factions favoring this or that route, and it was made the paramount issue at all the Representa- tive elections. Indeed, it served in no small measura to keep alive the sectional feeling that ultimately re- sulted in the division of the town. The shoe manufac- turers did all in their power to create an influence in favor of a road to Boston, and finally obtained a charter for a road from Georgetown to Danvers, the proposi- tion being to continue the road already built from New- buryport to Georgetown. The road, known as the Georgetown and Danvers Railroad, was duly incorpo- rated on Nov. 16, 1844, the incorporators from Danvers being Elias Putnam, Samuel Preston, Joshua Silvester, John W. Proctor, Esq., Robert S. Daniels, Henry Poor, Elijah W. Upton, Kendall Osborne, Lew^s Allen, David Daniels, Fitch Poole, Eben Sutton and Dr. George Osborn. The road did not materialize, probably from lack of funds to finance it. The Danvers Courier, commenting on the failure of the project, thus face- tiously remarks: "No accident has happened to any one, if we except the trifling pecuniary damage to those who obtained the charter. All are delighted with the invis- ible cars which render the motion at greatest speed imperceptible. The grade is perfectly level the whole distance, the rails not being laid on sleepers but on good substantial drawing-paper." It might be added that the Courier was published in the southern part of the town. "One day in the summer of 1845, two Danvers men might have been seen on the summit of the hill which is now crowned by the Hospital, eagerly scanning the winding valleys to the south and to the north. Pres- ently they went on, and climbing one of the high hills of Andover, followed again the course of the lowland THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 157 to where the great mills in the new manufacturing town of Lawrence on the Merrimac were soon to rise. These two men, Elias Putnam and Joshua Silvester, always progressive, were full of the new idea of steam and iron, which had already begun to revolutionize travel. These men on the hilltops saw in the valleys the course of an iron highway, which, uniting Lawrence to the main line at Salem, would bring the railroad to Danvers. "And soon it came (1847). Cutting through the high ridge south of Waters river, it crossed the stream almost at the little cove where Governor Endecott is said to have landed from his shallop; passed within a gunshot of the ancient pear tree which the Governor planted; bridged the river down which was floated the little cooper's shop, the beginning of Danversport; entered Parson Skelton's grant close by the old home of the Revolutionary hero. Colonel Hutchinson ; pushed on across the old Ipswich road through Porter's Plains ; beyond Beaver Dam, almost under the windows of that little room where 'Old Put' was born, and so on north- ward, — a truly historic route."^ While the new railroad was of great benefit to the people of the town, its opening was the means of finally ruining the shipping business of Danversport. Car- goes of supplies which, in the old days, arrived by water, now began to come by freight over the railroad at a much less expense to the purchaser. One by one the storekeepers and other citizens turned their backs upon the vessels, and welcomed the railroad freight system. The old-time shipping business received its death blow. Coal and lumber are now the principal cargoes arrivini^ at Danversport, and even a considerable portion of the coal consumed in town today comes by way of the rail- roads. 1 From Hon. Alden P. White's "History of Danvers," in Essex County History. 158 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS In 1846, Joseph S. Cabot, Elias Putnam, Gayton P. Osgood, Albert Thorndike and others were incorporated as the Essex Railroad Company, to operate a road from Salem to Lawrence. It was fathered by the Eastern Railroad Company from the first, on account of the prospects of tapping the Boston and Maine Railroad's lines in the northern town and of bringing travel to their main line at Salem, and it was finally absorbed by that company.^ In 1852, William D. Northend, George J. Tenney, Asa Pingree, Joseph S. Black and Gilbert Tapley were incorporated as the Danvers Railroad Company, for a line to connect with the Danvers and Georgetown Rail- road, already planned, and continuing to South Read- ing, now Wakefield, to connect with another new line to Boston. It was opened to the public in 1854, and operated under lease to the Boston and Maine Railroad, thus giving through trains from Newburyport to Bos- ton. The Danvers Railroad as a corporation continued until 1906, when its officers, who were officials of the Boston and Maine, voted to buy all outstanding stock, and the latter road was authorized to issue bonds to acquire title to the old Danvers road.^ Attitude of Danvers in Mexican War. — The town, true to its old-time fearlessness, boldly declared itself, with the rest of New England, as opposed to a war with the feeble republic of Mexico (1847). The citizens in town meeting voted this war wrong in its origin, in its progress, and in its continuance; that the acqusition of new territory by the United States would not counterbalance in any measure a warfare so unjust and unnatural ; and that the representatives of the town in Congress and in the State use all lawful influence in 1 See "The Eastern Railroad," by Francis B. C. Bradlee. 2 See "The Newburyport and Danvers Railroad," by Henry F. Long. THE OLD TOWN OF DAN VERS 159 their power to bring the unrighteous war to a speedy- close. Seven men from Danvers helped win the vic- tories in this one-sided conquest.^ The FoRTY-lSTiNERs and the Gold Fever. — Stories of the wonderful discovery of gold in California in 1849 did not escape this town. The people shared in the general excitement and many a head was filled with dreams of sudden wealth. The local paper urged on the frenzy by printing letters from the scene of the gold fields, which related that "the people were running over the country and picking the gold out of the earth here and there, just as a thousand hogs let loose in the forest, root up the ground-nuts." This seemed easy. How- ever, these accounts failed to tell of the terrible hard- ships the miners were obliged to endure. Several Dan- vers men joined parties for that then far-distant land, but no records of fabulous wealth are reported. GEORGE PEABODY AND HIS GIFTS. Holten High School Established. — The estab- lishment of the High School was a hard struggle. For ten years a few progressive men of the town courage- ously fought for this higher education, but the town as a whole was apparently not ready for it. There were those who thought the grammar school education suf- ficient, and others considered the extra expense not war- ranted; but the few energetic ones persisted. Finally the State helped them out by passing a law compelling towms of the size of Danvers to establish a High School. If such towns neglected to comply with the law, a heavy penalty was to be imposed. So, in 1850, Danvers found herself under the absolute necessity of supporting such an institution. However, as the town, which then in- 1 See Military and Naval Annals of Danvers. 160 CHRONICLES OF DAN^^RS eluded the present city of Peabody, was so large terri- torially, and the population so scattered, it would be folly to expect one school to cover all; hence the town found itself obliged to form two schools, one in the south and the other in the north part of the town. Accordingly the first session of the Holten High School, which was named for Judge Samuel Holten, was held in a small building which stood on Conant street, next to Charles N. Perley's barn. It was a long, narrow structure, a little back from the road, with two large trees before it. The room in which the school was held was very low-studded, with a desk at one end and at the other end the recitation platform; between were only three rows of double seats. This building was known as "Belvidere Hall," after it had outlived its usefulness as a schoolhouse. It now stands in the rear of Unity Chapel and is converted into a dwelling. The school soon outgrew these small quarters and it became necessary for the committee to find a more commodious place. A short time before this a building had been moved from the south part of the town to the spot now occupied by the wSoldiers' monument. It was used for Methodist meetings, but when this society discontinued services, it was secured for the High School. It was known as "The Quail Trap," and was later moved to Essex street, where it now stands, owned by George W. Howe. Two or three years later there was a de- mand for a Town Hall in this part of the town, and, when erected, the High School was moved (1855) to a room in that building. The principals of the High School have been: John Marshall, 1850-1851; Ambrose P. S. Stewart, 1852- 1853; Nathaniel Hills, 1853-1865; John C. Proctor, 1865-1866; James Fletcher, 1866-1871; Orville B. Grant, 1871-1872; Myi-on O. Harrington, 1872-1873; ' i'lV^^^^i-i^ ARCH AT DANVERSPORT ERECTED FOR THE PEABODY RECEPTION ARCH ON HIGH STREET ERECTED FOR THE PEABODY RECEPTION Residence of Hon. James D. Black. Later the estate of Gilbert Augustus Tapley. DANVERS' CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Tents erected in the South Parish for the occasion From a wood-cut in "Gleason's Pictorial'' in 1852. ._^^^.^ ^^^/^. The inscription on the envelope in which the first donation to the town of Danvers was received. The seal was broken at the Centennial Celebration in 1852. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 161 Albert W. Bachelor, 1873-1874; Edward D. Mason, 1875; Joseph W. Keene, 1875; Henrj^ H. Hart, 1875; Frank M. Hawes, 1875-1879; Howard R. Burrington, 1879-1890; Ernest J. Powers, 1890-1900; Herbert J. Chase, 1900-1904; William J. Rushmore, 1904-1907; Fred C. Mitchell, 1907-1909; Charles F. Abbott, 1909- 1912; William A. Spooner, 1912-1919; Edward L. Montgomery, 1919-1920; Roy M. Strout, 1920-1921; Lester Williams, 1921-1922; Ivan Smith, 1922. Dan^^rs' Centennial; Mr. Peabody's Toast. — The year 1852 marked the one hundredth anniversary of the separation of Danvers from Salem, and the event was celebrated in royal style in the south part of the town. It was one of the greatest days in Danvers' history. A procession a mile and a half long was one of the principal features, not to mention the banquet which followed. It was the day of days for the engine companies. The trades also were well represented. The 1,500 school children, gaily attired, added to the beautiful scene, while a cavalcade of 300 horsemen brought up the rear. The whole town was decorated with banners and beautiful arches spanned many of the streets. The Governor and all the distinguished men from far and near were there. There was one, however, a native of Danvers, who, although invited, was not able to be present. He was then in London. It was fifteen years since he had seen his native land, and he had not visited the place of his birth since he was sixteen, when he started out to seek his fortune. George Peabody, the London banker, did not forget the old town of Danvers. With his regrets to the committee's invitation to be present at the cele- bration, he sent a sealed letter, with instructions as follows: "The seal of this envelope is not to be broken till the toasts are being prepared by the chairman at 162 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS the dinner, 16th June, at Danvers, in commemoration of the one hundredth year since its severance from Salem. It contains a sentiment for the occasion from George Peabody of London." At the proper time the seal was broken. The senti- ment contained is well known to all of the present day : "Education, a debt due from present to future gener- ations." A gift of $20,000 to the town was also included, for the erection and maintenance of a library and lecture hall. Thus came George Peabody's first large gift to the town of Danvers. The building designated was erected the next year in the south part of the town on Main street, and named "The Peabody Institute." It was under the management of a committee chosen from both parts of the town. They were: Eben King, Joseph S. Black, William L. Weston, Aaron F. Clark, Francis Baker, Joseph Poor, Ehjah W. Upton, Miles Osborne, Joseph Osgood, Eben Sutton, Robert S. Daniels, Samuel P. Fowler, William F. Poole, the latter the author of Poole's "Index of Literature." High School Prizes. — The year following (1853) the first donation to the town, a Danvers business man who was in London, found an opportunity to call at the small, dark office which Mr. Peabody occupied in one of the courts leading out of Throgmorton street, where from ten to four o'clock each day he attended to his great business interests. The banker had much to ask him, during this and subsequent visits, concern- ing the progress of the building of the Institute, and in one of these conversations in 1853 it happened that Mr. Peabody spoke of his intention of presenting prizes to the pupils of the High School in the southern part of the town, which school had been named for him. The Danvers man suggested that there was also a High School in his part of the town, something which Mr. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 163 Peabody expressed himself as glad to learn, and he promptly agreed to treat both parts of the town impar- tially. Accordingly, in 1854, he sent $200, with a prom- ise of a similar annual donation. Early in 1856 it was decided that the prizes should be in the form of medals, and the Peabody medal was evolved by the celebrated engraver, Francis L. Mitchell of Boston.^ Early Life of Mr. Peabody. — This well known philanthropist was born on Feb. 18, 1795, in that part of old Danvers, now Peabody, in a house still standing near the junction of Washington and Foster streets. His parents were able to give him only a meager educa- tion, and at the age of 12 years he secured a position as grocer's clerk for Captain Sylvester Proctor, whose friendship he cherished to the last. The first dollar he ever earned was while he was yet a schoolboy, for tend- ing a little booth at a certain celebration, for the sale of apples and other edibles. He stuck to his post in spite of the fascination of the sports about him, and was rewarded for his faithfulness with a dollar, — ^the foundation of his colossal fortune. Success in Business. — At the age of 16, with no capital but a good character and a persistent energy, he started out in life as clerk in his brother's dry-goods store at Newburyport. Before he reached his majority he was taken into partnership by Elisha Riggs, a wealthy New York dry-goods merchant, and the next year the firm moved its business to Baltimore, estab- lishing branch houses in New York and Philadelphia. During the next ten or twelve years the business of the firm increased to such an extent that Mr. Peabody made several trips to England in furtherance of his interests. Owing chiefly to his talent and industry the business flourished, and when, by the retirement of Elisha Riggs, 1 See Danvers Historical Collections, Vol. 2, p. 4. 164 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS he became the senior member of the firm, the house of Peabody, Riggs & Co. took rank with the leading con- cerns of the country. So trustworthy was Mr. Peabody that at times the United States Government, taking advantage of his business sagacity, employed him to transact important financial negotiations. At the age of 45, he went to London to live, where he made his home during the remainder of his life, and established the great banking firm of George Peabody, a concern which was known all over the civilized world. He enjoyed the highest position in the mercantile world of any American up to that time. As a factor in creating a friendly international feel- ing between England and America at a time when rela- tions were strained in the years following the War of 1812, he was a greater power, in the estimation of Hon. R. C. Winthrop, than "all the diplomacy of London or Washington." So, too, in 1837, in that critical period of American finance, he alone sustained the American credit. It was said that no other person would have been listened to for a moment in the parlor of the Bank of England upon the subject of American securities, yet he was able to negotiate a loan which saved the com- mercial credit of the nation. His Acts of Philanthrophy. — There is no act of philanthrophy in George Peabody's long life that shines with a brighter lustre than his first. He believed that "charity begins at home," and as soon as he began to be successful in business, he gave freely of his earnings to provide a comfortable home for his mother and sisters. His subsequent gifts of millions of dollars for charity have seldom been equalled in the world's history. When Congress refused to appropriate money to aid in the American exhibition in London (1851), Mr. Peabody came to the rescue of his countrymen by generous con- <~-^ C^^Z^^^ ^' yj'-^rf: THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 165 tributions, securing to the American nation its proper place. He provided the means to fit out Dr. Kane's Arctic expedition in search of Sir John Franklin (1852). He founded the Peabody Institute in Balti- more (1857) , to which he gave in all one million dollars. He established libraries in Thetford, Vt., and George- town, Mass., and devoted in all three millions to the Southern educational fund. Yale and Harvard Col- leges received $150,000 each; Peabody Academy of Science, in Salem, $140,000; Phillips Academy, And- over $25,000. His greatest liberality was shown in his munificent gift of $3,000,000 for the erection of tenement houses for the deserving poor of London, where, for small rentals, needy families live in com- parative comfort. As the interest on the fund accumu- lates, new houses are built, so that if the money is properly handled, the good work will go on forever. His generous donations to his native town will be men- tioned later. All these gifts, and many more, amount- ing to nearly $9,000,000, were made in his lifetime, while he could be a witness to the great good accom- plished. At his death, $4,000,000 more were disposed of by will. His Visit to Danvers and the Reception. — When in 1856, the people of South Danvers learned that Mr. Peabody was soon to visit the United States, they deter- mined, with the aid of Danvers, to give him a magnifi- cent reception. He declined all other attentions show- ered upon him in the large cities, preferring rather to receive his first greeting at the hands of the people of his native town. The two towns, just divided, united enthusiastically in the welcome to their former son, and a committee was sent to New York to meet Mr. Pea- body on his arrival. The day of the reception, October 9, 1856, was a 166 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS perfect Indian summer day. The guest of honor drove from Georgetown with his sisters and a nephew, and met the committee at the Maple Street Church, where a sakite of one hundred guns announced his arrival. Here he was seated in an elegant barouche, drawn by six horses, and accompanied by Rev. Milton P. Braman, Robert S. Daniels and Joshua Silvester, commenced his triumphal drive^ through streets gay with flags and bunting and arches of flowers, by the way of Danvers- port to South Danvers. "The scene at the starting point was very beautiful. The spire of the church and private buildings were gaily dressed with flags and streamers, and in full view was an elegant threefold arch spanning the wide street, the centre arch rising above the others and being adorned with evergreens, wreaths, medallions, flowers and flags. Coming first in a long series of decorations with which the streets of both towns were adorned, the sight im- pressed Mr. Peabody, who expressed his surprise and gratification. Two cavalcades were drawn up just be- low the arch, one wholly of ladies, who threw into Mr. Peabody's carriage bouquets of flowers as he passed. The procession moved on through the streets lined with decorated houses and vmder waving flags and triumphal arches, attended by the booming of cannon and strains of martial music. Thousands of people from all over the countrj^ came to witness the grand celebration. It was the day of all days for Danvers and South Danvers. The shouts and salutations of the people were gratefully acknowledged by INIr. Peabody, as he bowed to the throng on either side." At Peabody Institute, South Danvers, the exercises of the day took place, and here Mr. Peabody's voice was heard for the first time. His words to the school chil- 1 See "The Peabody Reception," published by the Committee in 1856. THE OLD TOWN OF DANVERS 167 dren are worthy of mention. Said he: "There is not a youth within the sound of mj'^ voice whose early oppor- tunities and advantages are not very much greater than were my OAvn, and I have since achieved nothing that is impossible to the most humble boy among you. Bear in mind that to be truly great it is not necessary that you should gain wealth or importance. Every boy may become a great man, in whatever sphere Providence may call him to move. Steadfast and undeviating truth, fearless and straightforward integrity, and an honor ever unsullied by an unworthy word or action, make their possessor greater than worldlj^ success or pros- perity. These qualities constitute greatness. May the advice I have given you be impressed upon j^our young hearts. It is given with much sincerity by one who has had much experience in the world ; and although Provi- dence has smiled on all his labors, he has never ceasCvd to feel and lament the want of that early education which is now so freely offered to each one of you." Later, at the dinner, he said, in reference to England and America: "If there are two nations on the face of the earth which ought to be connected by the closest ties of mutual good will, thej?^ are these two countries. . . . I am sure that, notwithstanding the little outbursts of jealousy which occasionally show themselves, England is not less proud of her offspring than is America of the parent stock." Mr. Peabody returned to Georgetown the next day. At Danvers Square he found his way blocked by the school children, who, hand in hand, formed a chain across the street. His greeting to the children from the carriage was a fitting close to the wonderful ovation. Me. Peabody's Gifts to Dan\ters. — A few days after the reception, JNIr. Peabody announced to Joshua Silvester of Danvers, who had previously known him in 168 CHRONICLES OF DAN^TLRS London, his intention of presenting the sum of $10,000 for the estabhshment of a branch hbrary in Danvers. He asked Mr. Silvester to bring to him at the Revere Plouse in Boston, a hst of names of suitable persons to receive the gift, they to act with the library com- mittee of South Danvers. They were: Rev. Milton P. Braman, Samuel Preston, James D. Black, Matthew Hooper and William L. Weston. Mr. Silvester was added by Mr. Peabody. A room for the library was secured at the Town Hall, and here it was located for the next twelve years. In the meantime the committee purchased the beautiful grounds on which our present Institute stands today, planted over 250 rock maple trees, laid out avenues and walks, and named it "Pea- body Park," in anticipation of a building on that spot some day. Mr. Peabody made two other visits to Danvers, one on August 5, 1857, when he was entertained at the residence of John R. Langley on Sylvan street, now the residence of Henry M. Melcher, and where a recep- tion was held, followed by a drive about town and a call at the High School, his autograph being preserved in the "Visitors' Book." In the spring of 1866, when it became known that he contemplated making another visit to this country, the citizens of South Danvers, rep- resented by Gen. William Sutton, Henry Poor, Elijah W. Upton and Warren M. Jacobs, and those of North Danvers, by Rev. Dr. Braman, Joshua Silvester and Daniel Richards, were delegated to meet him in New York, they having been advised by Blake Brothers & Co., bankers of New York, of his arrival on the "Scotia," on May 1. On another visit, April 13, 1867, he was given a recep- tion by the school children of Danvers, which was made a gala occasion. He was met at the noon train from Salem by about one thousand young people, who con- THE PEABODY INSTITUTE Dedicated in 1869. Destroyed by fire in i8go. /l^^.C<^ ^^.'*^gX-^ /V>»*-f^ £Zyz.crt>e>f*^ y'ic^*^ y'^cc2^^^ t2•>'•' -4?'%'^^{^^^^fi^^iDH|| %%'-H^> Wiijl'''''j^|P^WiB '■■'■■■ ■ , .*-"-:•; ^H^p ^ ^^€; W^S >.AJ ImIHUb^^'Vs",^.!?. / <^t1 i*fe*W» -.■:.-''■ ■■■•A*'- ■->■'':,■ -i"-".', p^pIi ^. ■■•■"■'.J. ' :t,' "^^gMH A^^^%^^^^,ll -if 1 ^ •* «ki s^^ Sff 1*^' HfeSSfaflAMJ^i^L- T>N '^ _i^ fe;r>- • "^ ■^^^^[*|'^?SI"?'*"^^i||Hi CALVARY (Episcopal) CHURCH MAPLE STREET (Congregational) CHURCH ANNUNCIATION (Roman Catholic) CHURCH dan^t:rs since the division 179 Calvary Episcopal Church. — This parish was organized April 14, 1858, in Bank Hall. The first rector was Rev. Robert F. Chase. The present church, corner Holten and Cherry streets, was built in 1859, and consecrated by Bishop Eastman the next year. The rectors of this church have been : Rev. Robert F. Chase, 1858-1865; Rev. William W. Silvester, 1867- 1868; Rev. S. J. Evans, 1869-1871; Rev. W. P. Magill, 1872-1877; Rev. George Walker, 1877-1888; Rev. A. W. Griffin, 1888-1890; Rev. J. W. Hyde, 1890-1899; Rev. Dr. Robert W. Hudgell, 1899-1904; Rev. Marcus Carroll, 1904-1907; Rev. Henry W. Winkley, 1908- 1918; Rev. Nathan Matthews, 1918. Portion of Be^terly Annexed. — The land on the east of Porter's river, now called East Danvers, up to this time (1858) belonged to the town of Beverly. By agreement, this territory was now annexed to Danvers and the boundaries changed. Feeling Before the War. — The strained conditions between North and South on account of negro slavery increased with every year, until mutterings of rebellion could be plainly heard along the Southern lines. "And yet, at the North there prevailed an optimistic feeHng of security — a reluctance to believe that these brethren of the South were willing to sever a Union of States baptized with the blood of their fathers and presenting, with all its defects, such a grand illustration of a suc- cessful government by the people and for the people. To the last, they hugged the hope that the Southern bluster would evaporate, and, in some manner, the dif- ferences between the sections be healed. The first shot on Sumter awakened the people from this dream, and although poorly prepared for war, they arose in great strength to the task of preserving the Union at any cost." 180 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS THE CIVIL WAR. Preparation for War. — A week before the first shot, which openly announced rebelHon, was fired at Fort Sumter, the citizens of Danvers, anticipating a struggle between the North and South, had called a town meeting to see if provision would be made for the families of such citizens as might enlist in the volunteer militia. But the news from Fort Sumter aroused the people to immediate action, and before the time for the petitioned meeting arrived, a rousing war meeting was held, at the conclusion of which enlistments were received. Danvers Light Infantry. — Danvers had no militia company at the breaking out of the war, as had many of her sister towns, but the old spirit of the Revolu- tionary sires was not wanting in the sons of '61. In six days a full roll was announced and the company, under command of Nehemiah P. Fuller, was organized under the name of the Danvers Light Infantry. Quite a number of Danvers men enlisted in Salem companies and went to the seat of war before the Danvers com- panies. Company drill soon began, eight hours a day of hard work. Captain Fuller was a veteran soldier, having served in the Mexican war, and was anxious to have his company present a good appearance. The men had no arms and were boarding themselves. In vain did they appeal to the Governor to assign them to ser- vice. Such a state of affairs could not long exist, for the men had families depending upon them and were fast becoming discontented. Finally the company went into camp at West Gloucester, where, with old muskets loaned them, and living on the generosity of Danvers citizens, they managed to exist for six weeks. At the end of that time, however, the men began to grow dis- couraged and threatened to join a New York regiment DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 181 for immediate service. Governor Andrew objected to their leaving the Commonwealth, and at last the Dan- vers Light Infantry was ordered to join the 17th Mas- sachusetts Volunteers at Lynnfield/ The first military funeral of the war in Danvers was that of Thomas A. Musgrave of Captain Fuller's com- pany, who died August 9, 1861, from injuries received in the camp at Lynnfield. The services were held in the Universalist church and were attended by the whole regiment from the Lynnfield camp. On July 22, 1861, the Danvers Light Infantry became Company C of the 17th Volunteer Infantry, and just a month later left for a three years' service at the front. After a few months' garrison duty at Baltimore, the 17th reported at Newbern, N. C. It was engaged at Kinston and Goldsborough. On December 16, 1863, an attack was made on Newbern by a strong force of the enemy, and the 17th lost heavily in repelling it. Later it was engaged at Washington, D. C. Subsequently, March 8, 1865, the regiment was heavily engaged at Wise Forks, N. C, in the advance made from the coast to connect with General Sherman. Garrisoning Greens- boro, N. C, until July 11, 1865, the regiment was then mustered out of service. The Putnam Guards. — A day or two after the famous "war meeting," Arthur A. Putnam, then a young lawyer, began to organize a company, which was later named "The Putnam Guards." It was composed of 50 strong, j^oung, able-bodied men of the town. It made its headquarters in the first floor of the Maple Street School building. As soon as commissioned, Captain Putnam made an attempt to secure a supply of muskets from the State, but since all organized com- panies in Massachusetts were making the same clamor, 1 For names of Civil War soldiers, see "History of Danvers," pp. 536-41, in Essex County History. 182 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS it seemed next to impossible to procure the arms. At last, however, through a combination of influences, they were secured, much to the gratification of the entire company. The receipt of the muskets lent much enthu- siasm to the cause. A majority of the men had never had military training, but under an able officer from the Salem Cadets, officers and men soon learned the manual of arms. The usual training ground was "Berry's pas- ture," the public park of today. The company made marches into all the neighboring towns. On one occa- sion, when they invaded Marblehead, they received a great demonstration, the people throwing open their doors at night for a camp, and loading their tables with substantial rations for the soldier boys. On June 24, the Putnam Guards reported at Fort Warren, and on the 5th of July following were mus- tered into the service of the United States as Com- pany I, 14th Volunteer Infantry. This company was transferred, January 1, 1862, to the First Massachusetts Heaw Artillery. It saw hard service in many impor- tant battles of the war. In 1862 it had charge of the heavy guns in different fortresses in the belt around Washington, at Maryland Heights and elsewhere. In General Pope's campaign in 1862, it was ordered as infantry to the front and participated in the battle of Centreville. After another period of service in garri- son, it again took the field. May 14, 1864, and in Tyler's powerful division of heavy artilleiy lost heavily at Spottsylvania. It took a distinguished part in the work of the Army of the Potomac until Lee's surrender. Their Uniforms; Presentation of Banners. — No sooner had these two companies been recruited than the women of the town began to organize to make uni- forms for the men. The Infantry were given dark blue jackets and trousers with red trimmings; the Guards, DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 183 light blue, also with red trimmings. The suits of the officers of the Guards were gray, of a shade similar to that which later became the Confederate color. The townspeople furnished the material, and Gothic Hall, now the Universalist vestry, was suddenly transformed into a grand tailoring establishment, with the women in full charge. The uniforms were indeed fearfully and wonderfully put together, and the appearance the sol- diers presented when arrayed in these costumes of war, was startling in the extreme, for they had been made with no regard to size or fit, and it was not infrequent to see the short, stout youth attired in a suit which ought to have been appropriated by his tall, thin comrade. Before their final departure, the Putnam Guards were presented witii a flag of heavy silk, a silver plate upon its oaken staff bearing this inscription: "Presented to the Putnam Guards of Danvers, Mass., by Miss Catherine Putnam, daughter of a son of Danvers. Our Birthright is Freedom and God is our Trust. May, 1861." The Danvers Light Infantry was also given a recep- tion and presented with a silk banner by the citizens ; a sash and sword from Miss Putnam was presented Cap- tain Fuller. Both companies were supplied with Bibles and Testaments. Both banners are now preserved by Ward Post 90, G. A, R. Miss Putnam lived in Peter- borough, N. H., and upon the suggestion of Mrs. Julia A. Philbrick, she offered to give a flag provided the company be named "The Putnam Guards." Major D. J. Preston, Capt. A. G. Allen, Capt. G. W. Kenney, and Capt. William Smith were the Dan- vers men in command of troops at different times during the war. Lieut. Charles H. Masury served as Captain during the latter part of his service. 184 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS The First Struggle. — "During July it was daily expected that our army would advance, and as the enemy were now known to be in some force in its front, a decisive action was anticipated. The month wore on, full of earnest work, and with an underlying feeling of suppressed excitement and strained expectation, until at last the day came, — that day of sorrow and deep mortification. When the particulars were at hand, the full extent of the defeat at Bull Run struck the people of Danvers, as the entire North, like a blow." The Northern soldiers had expected easily to put to rout the rebellious young Virginians. Then the war would be over. Instead, the Union army, after an encounter, fell back into Washington. No wonder one of the leaders of the Southern forces cried out, "We'll go into Washington tonight, boys, and m}^ headquarters will be at Willard's Hotel !" No wonder that the Northern people, stunned at first, began to grasp the full mean- ing of the situation, and to realize that a great war had only just begun. The South was terribly in earnest. The novelty of the situation had passed. Men and women were sobered, and realized the heavy burden of grief and loss that they must bear. Even while the Northern soldiers were retreating to Washington, Con- gress passed a vote calling for 500,000 volunteers. It is impossible here to give anything like an indi- vidual record of the brave men who went from Danvers during those long four years. Both in the army and the navy they were loyal to the Union. Each call for troops was quickly and fully responded to, in every instance. At home all the principal victories were cele- brated by the ringing of bells and other joyful demon- strations. Then came the news of those who had fallen in the struggle, and joy in many a household was turned to sorrow for the loved ones, whose faces they were never to see again. Scarcely a week passed that some name THE REA-DODGE HOUSE, HATHORNE HILL Birthplace of Gen. Francis S. Dodge jK i ;t|' THE SALEM AND DANVERS OMNIBUS ON ESSEX STREET, SALEM, i8 I'roiii a broadside in possession of tlie Essex Institute PUTNAM-SEARS HOUSE, LOCUST STREET Birthplace of Elias Putnam. In an ell of this house, now removed, Gen. Grenville M. Dodge was born. ^aS^Ml^SQM HOUSE ON HOI.TEN STREET, TAPLEYVILLE Formerly the Schonlhouse in No. 3. Demolished in 1895 DAXTERS SIXCE THE DIVISION 185 was not added to the death roll, or that did not witness the return of some disabled patriot. It would require a volume of itself to record the trials and hardships of the Danvers men during the war. Soldiers' Families. — It was only a few months after the first "war meeting/' that Danvers began to make provision for the families of those who had volunteered in the service, and be it said to the town's credit, that during all the long struggle, such families did not want for the necessaries of life. The war cost the town $36,596, regardless of State aid, which figured up to $66,068.11 more. Besides this, no one can estimate the thousands of dollars in money, materials and labor which were freely given by the townspeople during those four years. In the second year of the war, calls from the Presi- dent for men came thick and fast, and the town from that time (July 25) paid a bounty of $125 to every man who was mustered into the United States service, whether volunteer or drafted. Danvers furnished 792 men for the war. Forty-four were commissioned offi- cers. Ninety-five laid down their lives for their country. Many peacefully lie in the soldiers' lot in Walnut Grove; others rest in more secluded sepulchers; but by far the greater number still sleep upon the battlefield. End of the War. — "If the soldier of the Union could justly rejoice in the triumph of his cause and the victory won, the Confederate soldier, who suffered de- feat, shared in that victory. He, too, returned to enjoy the blessings of a united country and to clasp hands across the graves of tens of thousands of comrades who had fallen on both sides, in conscientious devotion to what both believed to be a duty." Not one loyal heart in this broad land but felt truly thankful when the war was over. The Southerners were no longer our enemies, 186 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS but our brothers and fellow-citizens. They had made a glorious fight, then manfully surrendered and became loyal to our flag and country. That the Confederate soldier should still cherish the memory of those long, eventful years of battle and suffering is quite natural. They, too, feel a comradeship endeared by a thousand ties and sealed by the blood of their brothers. Distinguished Service. — One native of Danvers who distinguished himself in the war, and afterwards as chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad, was Gen. Grenville M. Dodge, who was born in Putnam ville, April 12, 1831, in a house still standing. He later lived in Taple;^r^ille, and finally located in Iowa, where he enlisted in the Civil War. He was the trusted friend of both Generals Grant and Sherman, and his ability was recognized in times of peace as well as war. His career was one succession of victories, in business as well as in militarj^ life. He was concerned in vast projects, and when confronted by opposition it was to him only the call to battle. For this reason he stood among the gi'eat men of the nation throughout his long life. He died January 3, 1916, at Council Bluffs, lowa.^ Capt. Warren Porter was one of the forty-seven men from this town who served in the Navy. He was an experienced and competent sailor at the beginning of the war, having shipped before the mast in 1849, and was commissioned as Ensign in 1863, on the U. S. S. "Savannah." Shortly after he distinguished himself while cruising in the Gulf of Mexico in the U. S. S, "Magnolia." One afternoon the rebel steamer "Mata- gorda" was seen in the distance, and chase was immedi- ately given. For a time she was lost to view, but only for a time. Porter, with permanent injury to his eyes, 1 See Danvers Historical Collections, Vol. 2, p. 67. DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 187 sighted her long and intently through the hawser-hole as the pursuit was continued for about eight hours, when this far-famed blockade runner was overtaken. Porter was the first to board her, and as prize-master he took the ship to Boston, when, with her cargo, she was sold for $355,000. He was at once promoted to commander of the U. S. S. "Nita," later the U. S. S. "Sunflower," and afterwards captured several smaller vessels, still scouring the seas until his discharge at the close of the war. Captain Porter was son of Col. Warren Porter, and in later life was a practicing dentist in Salem. Brigadier-General Francis S. Dodge, also a native of Danvers, is another who has brought honor to the place of his birth. He was the son of Francis and Re- becca (Brown) Dodge, born in 1842, at the old Dodge homestead, which stood on the top of Hathorne hill and which was removed when the Hospital was erected. At the age of nineteen, in 1861, he enlisted in the army, in the famous company of Col. George M. Whipple of Salem, "Whipple's Jewels." His entire service of four years was distinguished by unusual bravery under fire, which earned for him a Captaincy in the 2d U. S. Cav- alry in 1865. Four years' service apparently had not impaired his taste for militarj'- life, and in 1866 he received an appointment in the regular army. As Cap- tain of the 9th Cavalry, from 1867 to 1879, during which time he took part in some of the most thrilling conflicts with the Indians in the West, he was breveted and received a vote of thanks from the Wyoming legisla- ture and a medal from Congress. In further recogni- tion of his services the President, in 1879, made him a Christmas present of the appointment of Paymaster. From that time until the breaking out of the Spanish war his work often took him to the remotest parts of 1 See Essex Institute Hist. Coll., Vol. 46, p. 97. 188 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS the country, and in 1896 he was promoted to Chief Paymaster of the Department of Texas. In 1898, he was transferred to Atlanta, as Chief Paymaster of the Department of the Gulf, and in the summer of that year was ordered to Santiago, Cuba, and thence to Porto Rico, sailing with 18 safes containing a million dollars, stowed away in two staterooms. He also had charge of the payment of the three million dollars or- dered by our government to be paid to the Cuban army. In 1901 General Dodge, then holding the rank of Major, became Lieutenant- Colonel and Deputy Pay- master-General, and in 1904 he was appointed Pay- master-General with the rank of Brigadier-General. General Dodge contracted the yellow fever in Cuba, which seriously impaired his health, but upon his retire- ment in 1906, he bought a house in Washington, expect- ing to make it his home. He passed away February 19, 1908, and was buried in the National Cemetery at Ar- lington. General Dodge had a high sense of honor in public and private life; loyalty to his country and liis friends were marked characteristics, with intolerance of deceit, dishonesty and shams.^ Soldiers' Monument; The G. A. R. — Three years after the close of the war (1868) a soldiers' monument was proposed, to be erected by the town in memory of the men who were killed. For two years the matter was discussed in town meetings, the location being the great bone of contention. Some favored Peabody Park, others the Training Field at the Highlands; but at length the site in front of Town Hall was agreed upon as the most central and suitable. The monument was dedicated on Nov. 30, 1870. On its sides are inscribed 1 See Essex Institute Hist. Coll., Vol. 46, p. 97. DAN VERS SINCE THE DIVISION 189 the names^ of the 95 men from Danvers who lost their lives. Its cost was $6,298.20, toward which sum Edwin Mudge, Esq., contributed the larger part of his salary for his two years' service in the Legislature. The mon- ument is of Hallowell granite, 33^/4 feet high and 7% feet square at the base. In 1869 the local post of the Grand Army was organ- ized, and was named Ward Post, No. 90, in memory of the two Ward brothers who died in the service. Its main object, to care for the families of the veterans of the war, has been faithfully carried out, in which work the townspeople have ahvays lent a willing hand. Ward Relief Corps, its woman's auxiliary organization, has been most efficient in assisting in the charitable work of the post, and the George J. Sanger Sons of Veterans has also aided. A few years after the organization of the Post, the town made an appropriation for the decor- ation of soldiers' graves on Memorial Da}'-, May 30, a custom which still continues. 1 Major Wallace A. Putnam, Lieut. James Hill, Hector A. Aiken, Henry F. Allen, James Battye, Edwin Beckford, Isaac Bodwell, Syl- vester Brown, James H. Burrows, Lewis Britton, John H. Bridges, William H. Croft, Simeon Coffin, H. Cuthbertson, Thomas Collins, William H. Channell, Charles W. Dodge, George H. Dwinell, Moses Deland, William C. Dale, George A. Ewell, George W. Earl, Eeuben Ellis, George A. Elliott, William S. Evans, Nathaniel P. Fish, Benjamin M. Fuller, Ephraim Getchell, E. I. Getchell, William P. Gilford, John Goodwin, C. W. C. Goudy, Alonzo Gray, Daniel H. Gould, Samuel S. Grout, Ambrose Hinds, Levi Howard, James J. Hurley, Thomas Hart- man, Abiel A. Home, James H. Ham, Everson Hall, Charles Hiller, T. C. Jeffs, William W. Jessup, James W. Kelley, IMoses A. Kent, James E. Lowell, Samuel A. Lefl9au, Joseph Leavitt, Charles H. Lyons, Charles E. IMeader, John Merrill, T. A. Musgrave, James Morgan, Michael McAuliff, William IMetzger, Allen Nourse, William H. Ogden, William H. Parker, George W. Peabody, J. Frank Perkins, George W. Porter, Samuel M. Porter, Alfred Porter, Robert W. Putnam, Isaac N. Roberts, S. P. Richardson, S. A. Rodgers, Israel Roach, Daniel Smith, Henry A. Smith, William E. Sheldon, Charles W. Sheldon, John Shackley, Frank Scampton, Cornelius Sullivan, Patrick F. Shea, Joseph T. Smart, Edward Splane, Milford Tedford, Patrick Trainer, William F. Tu'iss, John N. TTiompson, Austin Upton, Angus Ward, William Ward, Joseph Woods, C. E. M. Welch, George Woodman, John Withey, Nathaniel K. Wells, George T, Whitney, Joseph F. Wiggin, Charles H. Young. 190 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Noted Scientist, — Among Essex County scientific men, there is none who achieved greater success than Prof. John H. Sears, for many j^ears curator of geology and mineralogy in the Peabody Academy of Science in Salem. He was born in Putnamville, June 18, 1843, the son of John A. Sears, one of the early shoe manu- facturers there. The house in which he was born, known now as the Lawrence W. Jenkins house, was his home until his father built the house now owned by W. W. Wilkins. The farm house to which his father finally removed, now known as the Sears farm, was at one time the home of Hon. Elias Putnam, and in a part of this house, since moved to another location, Gen. Grenville M. Dodge was born. It is a house of much interest to Danvers. From early life Professor Sears was a stu- dent of the natural features of his native town, which work developed in later years to include the whole of Essex County. He contributed to many scientific pub- lications, and his life work, "The Geology of Essex County," published a few j^ears before his death in 1910, is invaluable. Unitarian Church. — Up to this time families of the Unitarian faith had attended the Universalist church, but in 1865 a distinctly Unitarian society was formed, principally through the influence of Mr. and Mrs. Philip H. Wentworth. Services were held in Town Hall for six years, and in 1871, Unity Chapel was erected and dedicated. The first pastor was Rev. L. J. Livermore, who preached here from 1867 to 1886. Other ministers have been: Rev. John C. Mitchell, 1887-89; Rev. Eugene De Normandie, 1890-97; Rev. Kenneth E. Evans, 1897-1902; Rev. John Haynes Holmes, 1902-1904; Rev. Edward H. Brenan, 1908- 1911; Rev. Edward H. Cotton, 1912-1920 (union with Universalists during Mr. Cotton's pastorate) ; Rev. Mr. Hayes, 1921-22; Rev. Llewellyn A. Owen, 1922. DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 191 Methodist Episcopal Church. — An attempt had been made previously to organize a Methodist church at the Plains, but it was not successful. Tapleyville had no place of worship near at hand, and the erection of the Methodist church in that section was the outcome of a demand for religious services. The church was built in 1873, after holding meetings in Lincoln hall for a year or two. Throuorh the generosity of Col. Gil- bert Tapley and his son, Gilbert A. Tapley, the society received the gift of a valuable lot of land and a sub- stantial sum of money. The ministers of this church have been: Rev. Ehas Hodge. 1872-1875; Rev. R. H. Howard, 1875-1877; Rev. Garrett Beekman, 1877- 1880; Rev. W. J. Hambleton, 1880-1883; Rev. W. M. Ayres, 1883-1886; Rev. C. A. Merrill, 1886-1888; Rev. J.'H. Thompson, 1888-1891; Rev. L. W. Adams, 1891- 1894; Rev. W. F. Lawford, 1894-1897; Rev. H. H. Paine, 1897-1898; Rev. H. B. King, 1898-1901; Rev. George E, Sanderson, 1901-1904; Rev. WilHam M. Cassidv, 1904-1909; Rev. Nathaniel B. Fisk, 1909- 1911; JRev. Edward T. Curnick, 1911-1917; Rev. Jona- than Cartmill, 1917. Seventh Day Advent. — In the summer of 1877, a large tent was erected on Hobart street, where Ropes' grain store now stands. Large congregations heard Elder Canright expound the doctrines of this faith and many were converted. In 1878 the chapel on Putnam street was erected. Danvers Water System. — The old-fashioned hand engines, including the "General Scott" at Tapleyville, the "Ocean" at Danversport, and the "General Put- nam" at the Plains, were the only apparatus in use in Danvers up to 1873, when the first steamer was pur- chased and named the "General Putnam." Water for drinking purposes was obtained from wells, while rain- 192 CHBONICLES OF DANVERS water served for other household uses. The town pro- vided reservoirs or wells sunk in the ground at con- venient intervals on the principal streets, several of which may still he seen where modern road-building has not obliterated them. The matter of a water system first came before the town in 1873. On April 24, 1874, the Danvers Water Act was passed by the Legislature, authorizing the town to take water from both Middleton and Swan's ponds and to construct works at a cost of not more than $300,000. Just here an alty of the new water project appeared. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in 1873, looking about for a location for the new hospital for the insane, selected Hathorne hill in Danvers. The institution would of necessity require a large quantity of water, and the Commonwealth agreed to co-operate with the town in building the system, which was com- pleted in 1876 by Contractor George H. Normon. The Commonwealth built the reservoir on the hill and pays the town annually for the use of water. The water is pumped from Middleton and Swan's ponds to the reser- voirs, and the force was found to be so great that the fire steamer which was purchased by the town four years before was considered needless, and was accordingly sold. A new reservoir on Wills Hill was built in 1895. Danvers State Hospital. — Work on the immense brick building was begun in 1874 and completed four years later. Additions and improvements have been made from time to time, and in 1897 a nurses' home was erected near the main building, a school for trained nurses having been established in 1889. The original cost of the building and land was $1,599,287.49. The hospital is a settlement in itself, the number of inmates in 1923 being about 1,600. Hathorne hill is 240 feet above the sea level. It received its name from the fact DANVERS STATE HOSPITAL INDEPENDENT AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL OF THE COUNTY OF ESSEX, AT HATHORNE DAN VERS SINCE THE DIVISION 193 that its first owner was Major William Hathorne, who was the emigrant ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne. This institution is a noticeable landmark for miles around, commanding a view of ocean and hills that is unsurpassed. Introduction of the Tet-ephone. — Danvers was one of the first towns to experiment with the new inven- tion, the telephone, very soon after the successful trials at Salem in the autumn of 1877, bj^ Prof. Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson had astonished the country. It was exhibited at a fair held by the Univer- salist Society in Gothic Hall in December, 1877, as an attraction advertised for afternoons and evenings, "with one end at the hall and the other at H. H. Pillsbury's new building on Maple street" — next to the present Wheelright building. The Mirror account states that "the Bell telephone worked perfectly and was a source of much wonder and interest to a large number. This wonderful instrument was first shown to the public at Salem, some six months ago, and since that time has attained a world-wide fame, the demand for them being so great in this country that it cannot be readily sup- plied." A local sheet, The Meteor, published in con- nection with the fair, gives the following information : "Messrs. Stearns & George of Boston, agents of the Bell Telephone Company, on Monday ran a wire from the hall of the north entrance of this church, over the Danvers Hotel, across the square to J. F. Porter's fur- niture store, thence to Deacon F. Howe's dwelling, over Mr. Stimpson's house and into the second story of Mr. H. H. Pillsbury's harness shop, between his dwelling and W. M. Currier's store. The telephone was ready for action at 3 o'clock, when for half an hour the writer and several gentlemen indulged in a conversation over the wire, an eighth of a mile in length, which was most 194 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS pleasing and satisfactory. Talking, laughing, whistling and singing was correctly and distinctly transmitted, as rapidly as could be uttered. We anticipate much pleas- ure and considerable money from the use of the newly discovered electrical wonder, during this three-days' Fair. People who may wish to observe its working with- out visiting the Hall, can do so at jNIr. Pillsbury's build- ing any afternoon and evening, for which ten cents admission will be charged." After these experiments at Gothic Hall, the Danvers Miri'or records, on Feb. 23, 1878, that Powers' drug store and Dr. Lewis Foss' dentist office, on opposite sides of Maple street, had connected their establish- ments by a linen string terminating in tin dippers, "into which they can speak and be distinctly heard by one another. It works perfectly, although the distance is some 200 feet, and delivers its messages as clearly as did the Bell telephone on exhibition." This line was in- stalled by Fred Couch, a clerk in Powers' drug store, whose brother, Perley Couch, had already connected his father's house and carpenter's shop on Oak street. The next month this paper further records that "The tele- phone is becoming a mania. The latest is between the stores of Andrew Elwell and Henry Newhall." These were probably experimental private lines. Editor Charles H. Shepard, in the Danvers Mirror of July 26, 1880, describes the introduction of the wires of the telephone company into Danvers as follows: "The telephone reached Danvers from Salem, and established an office at the clothing store of Mr. Andrew Elwell, corner of Maple and Elm streets, last Monday after- noon. For a few days our citizens are invited to call and examine its working. We gave it a trial Tuesdaj^ calling for Mr. N. A. Horton of the Salem Ga:2ette, whose office is connected with the wires in Salem. Mr. Elwell gave us a few points on the management of the DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 195 thing, after which we turned a little crank and placing the receiver to our ear heard a quick response of 'Hello'; to which we answered to the little box on the wall 'Hello/ and then said we would like to speak with Mr. Horton. This was speaking with the Central office at Salem, and keeping the bell at our ear were soon greeted with a sweet and tuneful 'Hello,' to which we said again, in our most pleasing accents, 'Hello,' and then the sweet voice replied, 'You can now speak with Mr. Horton,' — and that was the last we heard of it. But before those musical tones had ceased to flutter in our ear, they were driven away by a gruff, 'Who speaks?' and we replied to the little box, "Shepard — good morning, Mr. Hor- ton.' Then followed a pleasant conversation in which we were able to communicate a report just heard of the drowning of a Mr. Symonds and his son in Topsfield the day before, and which furnished an item of Tops- field news in the 3Iercury printed that day." He fur- ther says that he was instructed to stand back some two feet from the transmitter when speaking, which he said made the voice sound much clearer. The line was then completed between Danvers and Boston, and was to be extended to Haverhill and Newburyport, and from there back to Salem. The rate for messages had not been announced. By September, it was connected with Boston, Lynn, Swampscott, Nahant, Danvers, Topsfield, Peabody, LaAvrence, Lowell, Haverhill and Newburyport. In October a telephone office was established at Danvers- port, at the old store of Mead & Webb. In November, the line was extended through Elm and Holten streets to N. P. Merriam's store, where an office was opened at Taple\wille. In July, 1881, the office was moved from Elweli's to Powers' drug store, now the Ropes Drug Company, the former not caring to keep it at the price allowed by the company, and the next year the "Asylum 196 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS line" at the Plains was moved from the postoffice to Powers' store also. On April 29, 1882, communication with Portland, Me., was first opened, the line from Salem having been completed. In 1882 there was ap- parently an exchange in town, as there is an item to the effect that the exchange was to be removed to Peabody, there not being a sufficient number of subscribers to warrant the expense. The public office was still main- tained at Powers' drug store, where a telegraph office was also located. In 1882, the company was known as the Boston and Northern, and in 1886 it became the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company. The Danvers exchange was opened in Perry's block in 1899, and in 1912 it was removed to its present building on Page street. Street Railway. — During the year 1884, the streets of Danvers were treated to an unfamiliar process of digging and laying rails for the new street railway from Salem. Trips were first made with horse-cars to the Square, and as soon as possible thereafter, the Hathorne (1888), Putnamville and Highlands routes were con- structed. The fare was established at ten cents, and as soon as the new road was in active operation the old coach line to Salem was forced out of existence. The horse-car was succeeded by the trollej^-car in 1892. In 1889, the first cars between Beverly and Danvers were put in operation, and in 1885 the Salem line from Dan- vers connecting with Peabody was opened. Danvers Women's Association. — In 1882, a call was sent to many women of the town to meet at the home of Miss Anne L. Page, for the purpose of form- ing an organization for consideration of matters of com- mon interest, furtherance of woman's work, general improvement and social intercourse. Thus, from these smaU beginnings, has developed the important and sue- DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 197 cessfiil woman's club, numbering today 440 members. The first meetings were held at private houses, but soon Grand Army Hall was secured until 1884, when rooms were fitted up in the Ropes building especially for their use. Later they occupied the two upper floors of the C. N. Perley building, known then as the Postofiice building, and during recent years the large membership has necessitated the use of Town Hall. This organiza- tion has been a main factor in breaking down sectional and religious barriers and in promoting good fellowship among all the women of the tovni. The Presidents of the Danvers Women's Association have been: Harriet L. Wentworth, 1882-89; Ellen A. Spofford, 1889-91; Evelyn F. Masury, 1891-96; Sarah E. Hunt, 1896-99; Mary W. Nichols, 1899-1902; Isa- dora E. Kenney, 1902-04; Kate R. Crowley, 1904-07 Ella J. Porter, 1907-08 ;Evelyn F. Masury, 1908-11 Sarah E. Hunt, 1911-14; Ehzabeth F. Hood, 1914-17 Minerva H. Strong, 1917-18; Nellie C. Preston, 1918- 20; Maria Grey Kimball, 1920. Danvers Improvement Society. — The desire of several citizens of Danvers to form a society for the improvement of the general appearance of the town, resulted in 1886 in the organization of the Danvers Im- provement Society, which was instrumental in having fences taken away, lawns kept in good order, unsightly obstacles removed, and in the observation of Arbor Day for the planting of trees. In 1894, at the instigation of members of the society, the town appointed a Forester, which has helped to make Danvers one of the most beau- tiful towns in the State, on account of the care taken of the wonderful trees on its streets. These natural attractions invariably elicit the admiration of the stranger. The dense and beautiful foliage in summer and autumn is a delight to the artistic eye, while there 198 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS is hardly a street in town, no matter how obscure, that cannot boast of a wealth of trees. This society has proved a stimulus for the improvement of estates, as well as public property, and has successfully urged the advice of the old Scotch laird to his son, "Be always sticking out a tree, for that grows while you are asleep." The public park on Conant street, which had been laid out as a trotting park and used as such for many years, was purchased from the estate of Eben G. Berry with funds raised by the society, and presented to the town in 1913. Here trees and shrubs have been planted and an athletic field laid out, which, with playgrounds for the children, will be more and more appreciated as time goes on. With more funds available, this plot of ground, bordering on a pretty stream of water, will be developed into one of the town's beauty spots. A Park Commission, which was first chosen in 1913, has charge of this and other parks of the town. The Presidents of the Society have been: Dudley A. Massey, 1886-1893; Dr. W. "W. Eaton, 1893-1910; Hon. J. Frank Porter, 1910-1913; Hon. George B. Sears, 1913-1923. Danvers Historical Society. — This society was organized in 1889 at the instigation of Rev. Alfred P. Putnam, D. D., who was its President for many years. He was the son of Hon. Elias Putnam, and was born in Danvers, January 10, 1827. At the age of 15 he entered the Village Bank, of which his father was Presi- dent, and later worked for a short time as a bookkeeper in Boston. He decided to attend college, and having fitted at Pembroke, N. H., he entered Dartmouth, re- maining a year. The subsequent three years were spent at Brown University, from which he graduated in 1852, and Avhich conferred the degree of D. D. upon him in 1871. After teaching in his native town three months. f^ ^^^^^^^^Hf --s!^' ^/ttSsM ^^^H 4H| kI^ ^19^^^^^^^^! ^^^^^^^^^K ^'""'^'imH Hkyj ^^^^^H|^ * jf »PI^4|P THE REV. ALFRED PORTER PUTNAM, D. D. rs DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 199 he entered the Harvard Divinity School, graduating in 1855, and settHng in Roxbiuy as pastor of a Unitarian church. The next year he was married to Louisa P. Preston of Danvers, who died in 1860. Two years later he made an extensive tour of Europe and the Holy Land, remaining abroad over a year, and gathering information which he later incorporated in a series of lectures. In 1864, he received a call to the wealthy and influential First Unitarian Society of Brooklyn, N. Y., where he continued to labor for more than 22 years. In 1865, he married Eliza K. Buttrick of Concord, Mass., who passed awaj^ in 1922. His work in Brook- lyn, not only in his own parish, but in the city at large, was recognized by electing him to positions of honor and trust in many charitable enterprises. He was instru- mental in forming the Third Unitarian Church in Brooklyn. So greatly did he endear himself to the people of his parish that in 1883, when his health began to fail under his accumulating labors, they sent him abroad for six months at the expense of the parish. He returned to his post, but his health did not prove equal to the demands and he resigned, to the great regret of the church and the city with which he had been identi- fied for nearly a quarter of a century. His parish ten- dered him a substantial testimonial of their love and respect when he departed. The books which he pub- lished are numbered by the hundred. In the lecture field he was a notable success, his rich and musical voice, pure and well chosen English, and the personal charms of the finished speaker, made his words a delight to the listener. Dr. Putnam's interest in local history and especially in the work of the Danvers Historical Society was un- tiring. His love for his native town strengthened with the years, and his return, after a long life of distin- guished service, to spend his last years near his ancestral 200 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS home was a source of much gratification to him. He died in Salem, May 15, 1906, a memorial service being held in the Unitarian Church, Danvers, on June 3, fol- lowing. Other Presidents have been Judge Alden P. White, 1906-1913; William B. Sullivan, 1913-1915; and Charles H. Preston, 1915. The Historical Society has in its possession many valuable books, pictures, manuscripts and museum ob- jects of especial interest to Danvers. In 1914 the society purchased the historic Page house and moved it to its present location on Page street, as its headquarters. The last occupant, Anne L. Page, who died in 1913, was a pioneer in the kindergarten movement in this state, conducting a school at the North End in Boston for many years, and later a normal kindergarten train- ing school at the Page house. Gen. Israel Putnam Chapter. — This local Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized in 1895. Through the activities of the mem- bers, a bronze tablet was placed on General Putnam's birthplace in 1897, and in 1900, a memorial tablet to Judge Holten was placed in the assembly hall of the Holten High School. In 1915, a drinking fountain was placed in Danvers Square, in memory of soldiers and sailors from Danvers who served in the American Revo- lution. In 1921, the Judge Samuel Holten house, at Holten Square, was purchased and is being restored as a memorial to that distinguished Danvers patriot. The eastern end is the original house, which was built about 1670 by Benjamin Holten, in whose family it remained until the middle of the eighteenth century, when Judge Holten's father purchased it and made extensive alter- ations and additions. In 1777, upon the marriage of a dauo-hter of Samuel Holten, another addition was made <; ^ •-' o r ^ X Ji DAN VERS SINCE THE DIVISION 201 to the western side, converting it into a two-family house, as the double porch suggests. The room on the back at the eastern end, called the "garden room," was built at a later date, probably about 1825, as indicated by the Grecian design used in the finish. Descendants of Judge Holten continued in possession of this prop- erty until about the time of the Civil War, when it was sold to Thomas Palmer, from whom the Chapter pur- chased it. The Regents have been: Mrs. Evelyn F. Masury, 1895; Harriet S. Tapley, 1895-96; Mrs. Ellen M. Gould, 1896-97; Mrs. Evelyn F. Masury, 1897-1902; Mrs. Elizabeth F. Hood, 1902-1914; Mrs. Carrie F. B. Wilkins, 1914-18; Mrs. Helen Robinson, 1918-21; Mrs. W. G. Sticknev, 1921-22; Mrs. S. Mabel Emerson, 1923. St. John's School. — This Roman Catholic institu- tion was opened under direction of the Xaverian Broth- ers in 1891, as a Normal College for the preparation of young men for the Brotherhood. The building pur- chased was the mansion of Jacob E. Spring, built about 1880, and known as "Porphory Hall." In 1907 it was organized as a boys' preparatory school for college. It has added several buildings, including a chapel, g^^mna- sium and dormitories, and has an attendance of 400 or more. Danvers liTGHT Infantry, Company K, 8th Regi- ment, M. V. M. — Upon the disbandment of Company K, 8th Regiment, of Salem, which had been in existence 82 years, in 1889, the place made vacant in the Regi- ment was given to Danvers in 1891, upon petition to Gov. William E. Russell. Adj.-Gen. Samuel Dalton inspected the prospective company, and on March 25, the company of 51 men was mustered in at Old Berry Tavern, where the old-time militia men were accustomed 202 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS to assemble years ago. The town leased the old skating rink building on Maple street, which was subsequently remodeled and fitted up as an armory. The company continued until after the Spanish War, being disbanded in 1900. The first officers were: Frank C. Damon, Captain; F. Pierce Tebbetts, 1st Lieutenant; Fred U. French, 2d Lieutenant. School and Town Improvements. — In 1885, the town inaugurated the text-book supply system, fur- nishing text-books and other necessaries which had hitherto been bought at the expense of each pupil. The following year (1886) out-of-town pupils were first admitted to the High School upon the payment of a tuition fee. In 1891, a modern system of ventilation was introduced into all the school buildings, as required by law. In 1893, the High School course was changed from a three to a four years' course. In 1894, a Super- intendent of Schools was appointed. In 1893, a new eight-room building was erected at Danversport on the site of the old one, at a cost of $15,500. The following year (1895) the Tapley school was erected on the site of the old building at a cost of $18,500. In 1897, the Wadsworth building at the High- lands Avas erected at a cost of $10,000. In 1898, the town voted to erect an eight-room building on the front of the IMaple Street School lot, moving the old building to a position in the rear, at a cost of about $23,000. In 1895, the old Town Hall and High School was remodelled at a cost of about $32,000, presenting the same appearance as it does today (1923). During the process of remodeling, the town officials had quarters in the J. A. Putnam building, now the Ideal Baby Shoe Company, and the High School used the new school- house at Tapleyville. The electric tower clock was the gift of George Augustus Peabody. DANA^ERS SINCE THE DIVISION 203 Darners was the first town in the Commonwealth to establish municipal lighting (1888), which continued until 1919, when it was found more economical to buy power from the Tenney Service. Gas had been used for lighting since 1860. In 1895, the electric fire alarm was introduced. In 1897, the electric lighting plant was increased in capacity and incandescent electric lighting introduced. In 1899, the town began to furnish power for factories. In 1888. INIassachusetts adopted the Australian ballot sj^stem, being the first State in the country to use it. Danvers adopted it in 1891. In 1892, after various attempts by different commit- tees, the design of the present town seal was accepted: "The Town Meeting: The Purest of all Democracies; The Strongest of all Citadels of Civil Liberty." In 1900, postal free delivery was established, with sub-stations at Danversport and Tapleyville, under direction of Charles Newhall, postmaster. The Spanish War. — War against Spain was de- clared by the United States on April 15, 1898, and the volunteer militia was subject to call. Captain A. Pres- ton Chase of Company K, began to receive enlistments of recruits on April 23, and on the 5th of the next month a full company left Danvers to join the Eighth Regi- ment at tlie camp at Framingham. Their departure was the signal for great enthusiasm, the decorations along the line of march being profuse and handsome. They were escorted by Ward Post 90, G. A. R., who carried the banners presented to the old volunteer com- panies when they marched away to the Civil War. At the Eastern Railroad station there was a large assembly to bid them "God speed." Company K was the first company of the Eighth Regiment to reach Boston. Six days later (May 11) its 174 men and three officers were 204 CHRONICLES OF DAN\^RS mustered into the United States service, and the Regi- ment was assigned to the Second Brigade, Third Di- vision, First Army Corps. On May 23, they were assigned to duty at Chickamauga, Ga., where in a dense grove, they remained during the warm summer months. The second week in June each company was ordered recruited to 106 men, and three officers and a detach- ment from Company K came north to obtain the re- quired number, returning to Chickamauga in about two weeks. Camp Thomas, Chickamauga, proved a mala- rial district, and the company, both here and in other Southern camps, suffered to a great extent from typhoid and other malarial fevers. Many were sent home on furloughs, and there was hardly a man who did not spend some time in the hospital. The only death in Company K was that of Bugler Spencer S. Hobbs of Danvers, which occurred at Chickamauga, August 19, 1898. He was given a military funeral in Danvers, a detachment from the Salem Cadets performing escort duty. With the mustering of the company into the United States service, the existence of Company K, as an organization, ceased. The citizens responded generously toward supplying clothing and other necessaries for the company before it went to camp at Framingham, and private individuals and organizations were liberal in donations of money to Company K during the war. The Avomen of Danvers organized the Danvers Volunteer Aid Association, meet- ing in Unity Chapel, to make supplies for the hospital ship "Bay State," which was fitted out in Boston. Dan^ters' 150th Anniversary. — The celebration of the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the town was held on June 15, 16 and 17, 1902, and eclipsed any- thing ever before attempted. It began on Sunday with appropriate historical sermons by the pastors of the DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 205 various churches, followed on Monday by a banquet in Town Hall, an historical address by Ezra D. Hines, Esq., and a ball in the evening. On Tuesday, a monster parade was the feature, and it is safe to say that the old town never before witnessed such a spectacle. Every street-car and every railroad train brought its quota of visitors, and it is estimated that seventy-five thousand persons viewed the procession, which was six miles in length and took two hours to pass a given point, of which number it was reported that "7,500 came in private carriages, 5,000 on bicycles, and the remainder by steam and trolley cars." One of the features was the mounted escort to the chief marshal, William Penn Hussey, over one thousand horsemen taking part. The floats entered by the schools, societies and business firms, many of an historic nature, were ingeniously arranged and attrac- tively presented. The citizens vied with one another in the decoration of their homes and places of business, and the town was one blaze of color, in which "Old Glory" predominated, the center of the town presenting one of the handsomest sights ever seen in the state. With sports at the park, a bonfire, band concerts and enter- tainment for children, the three days' observance was brought to a close with a display of fireworks which far surpassed anything ever seen in this vicinity. The ap- propriation of $2,125 by the town was augmented by contributions from private sources. The proceedings of the celebration were afterwards ordered to be published under the direction of Rev. Charles B. Rice, William B. Sulhvan, Esq., Charles H. Preston and Ezra D. Hines. Danvers Home for the Aged. — This home, which was opened in 1906, was made possible by a bequest of Harvey H. Pillsbury. The charter was granted in 1901. It is open to both sexes, upon approval by the Board of Directors, and payment of a fixed fee. It provides a splendid home, under the management of a compe- 206 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS tent matron. The house was the home of Mr. Pillsbury, and was built by Hon. EHas Putnam about 1843. The Presidents have been: Mrs. E. A. Spofford, 1906; Mrs. William A. Gorton, 1907; Mrs. Andrew C. Watts, 1908-1912; Mrs. Andrew Nichols, 1913; Mrs. William H. Creese, 1914; John S. Learoyd, 1915. Danvers Visiting Nurse Association. — This most worthy charity was organized in 1908, and has been conducted under the direction of a Board of Managers representing the various parts of the town. It is non- sectarian and ministers to the needs of all classes. The Presidents have been: Miss Emily Fowler, 1909-10; Mrs. George W. Towne, 1911. Independent Agricultural School of the County of Essex. — In 1913, the County of Essex pur- chased the estate at Hathorne, known for many years as "Maplewood," for an agricultural school. At first the old mansion house was used for school purposes, but fire destroyed it on January 1, 1918, after which modern buildings were erected on the land. The classes are open to boys and girls of this county, and include agriculture in its many branches, stock raising, domestic science and fruit raising. The Putnam Home. — This house, which was built in 1856 by Simeon Putnam, was the residence of his granddaughter. Miss Bessie Putnam, upon whose death in 1914, it was given to a Board of Trustees to be con- ducted as a rest house for women. It was opened in 1917. Here, at small expense, such persons as are approved by the trustees are privileged to spend short vacations for recuperation. Miss Margaret Howe has been President of the organization since its incorpora- tion. THE COL. JESSE PUTNAM HOUSE, MAPLE STREET RESIDENCE OF HON. ELIAS PUTNAM. PARK STREET Puilt in 1843. Now the "Home for the Aged. ' ' m] f DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 207 THE WORLD WAR. A history of Danvers in the World War is yet to be written/ but a few of the most important events will be given here as a matter of record. Soon after war was declared in Europe in 1914, volunteers from this town enlisted in the Canadian and French service, but it was not until the spring of 1917, when the entrance of this country into the struggle was a foregone conclusion, that preparations for the inevitable were made, both in civil and military life. War with Germany was declared by the United States on April 6, 1917. Many Danvers men had been connected with the two military organ- izations in Salem, the Salem Cadets and Company H of the Eighth Regiment, both of Avhich had been recruited to full complement, the Cadets having been changed, a year or two before, from an infantry to an artillery outfit. However, what was anxiously awaited by the men of the country and their families was the now historic draft, which took place at Washington, beginning at 9.45 A. M. on July 20th, and being completed the following day at 2.18 A. M., by which every man between the ages of 21 and 31 was assigned a number, subject to call. Early in April the Cadets as Batterys D, E and F of the First Massachusetts Field Artillery, together with Company H, were ready for duty. On July 26th, the first outfit left Salem, it being Battery E, followed in short order by D and F, bound for camp at Boxford. The next dav Company H also left Salem for camp at Lvnnfield, later being transferred, on August 21st, to Westfield. The artillery left Boxford on September 7th, for "somewhere in France," and was henceforth known as the 101st Regiment, U. S. Field Artillery. 1 See "Danvers in the World War," 3 vols., clippings from newspapers, at the Danvers Historical Society. 208 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS The 102d Regiment, U. S. Field Artillery, of which the Hospital Corps from Danvers formed a part, also left on September 21st. Company H of the Eighth Regiment was divided, some of its members being trans- ferred to camp at Charlotte, N. C., and helping to make up the Fifth Pioneer Regiment of U. S. Infantry, while others joined the 104th Regiment of U. S. Infantry. Thus both organizations were included in the 26th Divi- sion, the famous "Yankee Division," commanded by Gen. Clarence G. Edwards, which arrived in France in the latter part of September. The departure of the first quota of draft men on October 5th, was the occa- sion of a parade and public demonstration by the towns- people generally. Then followed manj^ months of hard work on the part of the men and women at home. The Committee of Public Safety, which had charge of the various war activities, consisted of Walter T. Creese, Benjamin S. Newhall, Walter A. Tapley, Wallace P. Hood, George O. Stimpson, Harry E. Jackson, J. Frederick Hussey, Walter J. Budgell, George A. Pea- body, Charles A. Cook, Frank A. Poor, George D. Morse and Peter J. Widen. Timothy J. Lynch also was the leader in many of the public demonstrations. The financial men of the town put through the drives for the sale of Liberty bonds, for the Red Cross to pro- vide hospital and other supplies, and also for Y. M. C. A. work. The Liberty Loan Committee was com- posed of George O. Stimpson, Walter A. Tapley, Jas- per Marsh, Charles H. Preston, M. J. Cashman, Leland J. Ross, Edward F. Strong, Henry W. Cook, Ralph TYlieelright, Albert G. Allen, J. Ellis Nightingale, Carl F. A. Morse, I^oring B. Goodale, James J. Gaff- ney, Winsor C. Nickerson, W. Arthur Donnell, Peter J. Widen, Thurman Leslie, Adam D. Smith, C. RalpH Tapley, Frank A. Poor, Sanford E. Gillette, Albert T. Armitage, George H. Parker. DANVERS SINCE THE DIVISION 209 The churches flung service flags to the breeze, with a star for every boy enhsted in the army or navy or air service, and many a home paid similar tribute to the son across the sea. An ambulance, purchased by pop- ular subscription, was presented to the Hospital Corps of the 102d Regiment, to which several Danvers boys belonged. In June, 1917, a Home Guard was organized, with Fred H. Nowers as Captain, composed of the older military and other citizens, which held drills twice a week in Town Hall. They were provided with uniforms with money raised by popular subscription. The women of Danvers were untiring in their work throughout the war. As early as January, 1916, work was commenced by the Civics Committee of the Danvers Women's Association, Mrs. Susan E. Hale, Mrs. L. Grace Creese, Mrs. Marion B. Crehore, Mrs. Clara T. Spoff^ord and Mrs. Claire H. Tapley, for the American Fund for the French Wounded, and continued until April, 1918, with the additional assistance of Miss Janet L. Gorton, Mrs. Alice P. Leach, Mrs. Annie L. Mar- ston, Mrs. Edith C. Merrow, Mrs. Mary E. Smith and Miss Ruth Winkley. In April, the Danvers Branch, American Fund for the French Wounded was formed, whose officers were Mrs. S. E. Hale, Mrs. C. H. Tapley, Mrs. L. Grace Creese, Mrs. Grace Harvey and Mrs. Grace Towne. Work was at first distributed and fin- ished articles received at the D. W. A. meetings, but later, use was made of G. A. R. Hall and Town Hall, and, in the fall of 1917, Fossa's Hall, where this organ- ization continued until March, 1919. There were more than 500 enrolled members, and they produced a total of 143,377 articles, including surgical dressings, knitted goods, hospital garments and supplies and refugee gar- ments, being one of the leading contributors of the State to the New England branch. 210 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS The Danvers Branch of the Special Aid Society for American Preparedness was organized in G. A. R. Hall in March, 1917, through the interest and influence of Mrs. Wilhs H. Ropes, with Mrs. Fred E. Wilkins, Miss Sarah W. Mudge, Mrs. George O. Stimpson as officers, others in charge being, Mrs. Lawrence W. Jenkins, Mrs. Thomas Perkins, Mrs. George W. Towne, Mrs. Harriot P. Neal, Mrs. Andrew H. Paton, Mrs. Lyman Gould, Mrs. Charles E. Perkins, Mrs. Osborne Leach, Mrs. Charles H. Preston, ]Mrs. Arthur W. Beckford, Mrs. Helen (Cook) Danforth, Mrs. Eleanor (Couch) Cook, Miss Nettie M. Pratt and Mrs. Herbert M. Flint. Outfits valued at $5 each were given every Danvers boy when he entered the service. The Special Aid Society at first filled all the quotas required in Red Cross work, raising over two-thirds of the money in various ways; later a percentage of each Red Cross drive was given for war work. As soon as our men were called into service, the need of a Red Cross home service depart- ment was found necessary, and in Juty, 1918, the chair- man was Osborne Leach, followed by Miss Elizabeth Campbell, and in October, 1918, Miss Nettie M. Pratt took charge of this work, which she still (1923) con- tinues. A branch of the Red Cross was organized in the spring of 1918, with John Frederick Hussey, Mrs. Fred E. Wilkins, Mrs. John H. Kimball and Charles O. Merrill as officers, assisted by Miss Katherine Carr in charge of garments; Mrs. Helen (Cook) Danforth and Mrs. Eleanor (Couch) Cook, knitting; Miss Margaret Howe, Mrs. George P. Bell, Mrs. S. Fred Low, Mrs. Arthur W. Beckford, surgical dressings. Work on surgical dressings ended in November, 1918, but sewing and knitting for our own soldiers and French orphans was continued into 1919. The first Danvers boy to die in the service was Private Arthur Drapeau, of Battery E, 101st Regiment, whose DAN^TRS SINCE THE DIVISION 211 death occurred in N^ew York on December 21, 1917. He was given a military funeral at Annunciation Church. The 101st Field Artillery, to which so many Danvers boys belonged, saw hard service in France, being officially credited with being at the front five dif- ferent times, 238 days in all, and taking part in all of the great battles, to the number of fourteen. The 104th Regiment also took part in practically the same engage- ments and had the distinction of being the only regi- ment in this vicinity to have its colors decorated by the French. After the armistice on November 11, 1918, which was a day long to be remembered in Danvers, the event being celebrated by a monster parade in the even- ing, it was only a question of how long the Americans would have to remain in France. The 301st Artillery, in which were a great number of the draft men from this locality, arrived home on January 6, 1919. The 104th Regiment of Infantry reached home in April fol- lowing, and the old Cadet outfit, or the 101st Field Ai'tillery, arrived in June, in time for the enthusiastic reception given by the town to all returning service men in Town Hall on June 28th, when a patriotic address was given by William B. Sullivan, Esq. According to a private record kept by the Danvers Historical Society, and now deposited at Town Hall, there were about 730 Danvers men in the service. Fifteen Danvers men lost their lives in the service. They were: Ensign Merritt H. Barnes, Lieut. Ralph W. I.ane, Sergt. Hadley M. McPhetres, John Braca- montes, Ludwig Carmichael, Lawrence Crane, Arthur F. Drapeau, Ralph Q. Hall, Marcus A. Jordan, Ray- mond Knowlton, Harry E. Little, Robert B. Nangle, Ernest J. St. Hilare, Francis J. Small, Herbert W. Staples, 212 CHRONICLES OF BANTERS The following were cited for bravery: William T. Gorton, Paul H. Moore, William H. MuUins, Esmond A. Farmer, Webster Blanchard, George Ferguson, David Stambler. The local post of the American Legion was named Drapeau-MacPhetres Post. IV. OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES. General Israel Putnam's Birthplace. — This an- cient gambrel-roofed homestead, at the junction of Maple street and the Newburyport turnpike, is unique among the historic houses of Danvers and perhaps of the country, in that it has sheltered successive genera- tions of one family for more than two hundred and seventy-five years, never having passed out of the Put- nam family. The oldest part of this house, originally of four or five rooms, was built by Lieut. Thomas Put- nam, son of the emigrant John, in the sixteen-forties. He probably used this place as a summer farmstead, retaining a home in Salem town. Upon his death in 1686, he bequeathed the house with 120 acres of land to his second wife, Mary (Veren) Putnam, an d their only son, Joseph Putnam. The latter is especially re- membered and revered as an opponent of the witchcraft delusion, upon whose death in 1723, the place descended to his sons, David and Israel, the latter the Revolution- ary hero. General Putnam was born here in 1718, in a room in the second story of the back part of the pres- ent house, which room is still preserved in its original condition, with its oak beams uncased. Here, many of the furnishings used by various generations of the family are collected, among them a hooded cradle which has rocked all generations since 1774, including the present tenth generation, and an old wooden mortar found on the place when the house was built. The wall-paper now in the General's chamber was originally in the library below, having been put on in 1804, and fifty years later was soaked off and applied to the walls of the historic room. When the General married he built (213) 214 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS a house in the "upper field," so called, the cellar hole of which is still to be seen, where he lived until after his first child was born. Upon his removal to Pomfret, Conn., he conveyed all interest in this property to his brother, Col. David Putnam, who built the gambrel- roof addition to the front of the house in 1744. In connection with the history of this house, it may not be uninteresting to include two other houses in this locality owned and occupied by other descendants of Colonel David, — the Putnam-Clark house, so called, on Summer street, recently taken down, and the Col. Jesse Putnam house on Maple street, across the street a short distance from the General Israel birthplace. Mrs. Julia A. Philbrick, a descendant, has written concerning these Putnam houses : "Lieut. David Putnam, the owner of them all, gave them by will to three of his sons, — William, Joseph and Israel. To William, the eldest, he gave the one known as the Clark house, on Summer street, with its surround- ing lands ; he gave much of his other property to Joseph and Israel, to be equally divided, they to furnish their young brother, Jesse, with money requisite to carry him through college. This they did and he graduated from Harvard in 1775. The property given to Joseph and Israel included the two houses known to this generation as the Gen. Israel Putnam house and the Col. Jesse Putnam house and land. This land comprised some fifty or more acres, part of which now belongs to the State Hospital; also all that included in the farms of Miss Susan Putnam, Mrs. Francis P. Putnam, John M. Putnam, and the land on which are now the houses of Mrs. Daniel Verry, Eben S. FHnt, Eben Jackson and Mrs. Julia A. Philbrick; also the schoolhouse land, which was given to the town by Daniel Putnam for THE GEN. ISRAEL PUTNAM HOUSE MAPLEWOOD," NKWHALL-MASSEY RESIDENCE ENTRANCE TO "LOCUST LAWN," NICHOLS STREET OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 215 school purposes, and on which the present building stands. "After the death of Colonel David in 1769, these kind, loving brothers, Joseph and Israel, divided this estate. Tradition says that each selected the house he preferred, and upon comparing their selections each found he had the one he wished, that is, Joseph had the present Col. Jesse house and Israel the Gen. Putnam house. Then they went over the farm, each naming the field, pasture or meadow he would like, until all was divided ; and here they lived in peace and harmony until 1818, when Joseph died and his estate became the property of his son Jesse. In 1825, Israel died, and his house came to his son Daniel. Jesse and Daniel never had other homes, but lived all their long lives in these houses, rearing large families, each having twelve children, and like their fathers, they too dwelt side by side harmoniously, un- like though they were in some respects. To really knov/ these homes one must have in childhood played in and explored every nook and cranny, from the dark arches supporting the ponderous chimneys to the cubby-holes made by the joining together of the several additions to the original house; and the dark cavernous place by the side of one of the chimneys which we had to pass in going to the attic, our favorite play-room. This hole the sailor-boy of the family called the 'Black Hole of Calcutta,' after his return from a voj^age to that place, and we did not like to pass it any better after it received that name. "In 1812, when it was feared the British might land in Salem, some of our wealthy friends and relatives in that town brought their silver dollars, family plate and jewels up to the General Putnam house for safe-keep- ing, to the care of my father. He placed them in earthen 216 CPIRONICLES OF DAN VERS pots or kegs, and deposited them in the long, dark arch under the chimnej^ and there they remained safely until the danger was over. Every old house had a barn near it which was the delight of every child, and around which cluster so many pleasant associations, with higli beams and rafters for us to climb. The barn on the Colonel Jesse farm was built from timber cut in Middle- ton by Moses Wilson of New Mills in 1831. Between the General Putnam house and barn was a brook where we sailed our shingle boats, and Turtle pond, where, with our brothers, we could sail on a raft, which was also Colonel Jesse's ice pond, where all the boys of the neighborhood went to skate. There was an old legend, told by Calvin Putnam, son of Colonel Jesse, that dogs without heads had been seen in Turtle pond, and it was, therefore, an unsafe place for small boys to go alone, which had the desired effect upon one small boy at least, who did not stop to consider whether it might not be important for a dog to have a head to make him dan- gerous." From Daniel Putnam, who further enlarged the house and raised it to two stories, with an attic on the west side, in 1831, the General Putnam house descended to his son, William R. Putnam, in 1854, and in 1855 he conveyed it to Mrs. Emma P. Kettelle and Miss Susan Putnam, the latter coming into possession of the whole upon Mrs. Kettelle's death in 1867. Connected with this house were two well-known educators. John D. Philbrick, who was a student teacher in this district winters, while attending Dartmouth College, married a daughter of this house and became Superintendent of Schools in Boston, and an educator of international rep- utation, being decorated by the French government. Hon. Mellen Chamberlain, also a teacher there, and afterwards the distinguished librarian of the Boston Public Library, took his bride also from this Putnam OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 217 familj\ At the northern end of this farm is a burial place, in which is the Thomas Putnam tomb, now over- ^Town, where is said to h'e the remains of Ann Putnam, the girl who was one of the leaders in the witchcraft accusations. She died in 1716, at the age of thirty-six, and was the last person buried in the tomb. In the rear of the house is a building which is doubtless the oldest shoe factory in the United States now standing, having been used as such in the eighteenth century. Here were manufactured southern brogans, the account of which transactions are still extant. In 1900, Miss Susan Put- nam died, having bequeathed the ancient house and farm to her grand-neice, Susan Mabel Hood, now the wife of George W. Emerson. Here still under this old roof- tree hospitality is dispensed by the present owners, and the future of this historic landmark promises to be as full of interest as the past. Phiixips-Lawrence- Sanders House. — This fine old residence on Spring street, owned by Mrs. Nathaniel S. H. Sanders, was built on one of the most ancient and historic farms of Danvers. The farm was originally the eastern part of a one-hundred fifty acre lot granted by the town of Salem to William Pester in 1638. In 1655 it came into the possession of the Prince family, in which family it remained for about one hundred fifty years, the old farmhouse having been the home of Sarah (Prince) Osborne, who was convicted of witchcraft. In 1800, the Princes sold the farm to Nathan Peirce of Salem, a prosperous merchant, who dying in 1812, be- queathed this estate to a son, but in 1826 it was pur- chased by Capt. Stephen Phillips of Salem, whose wife was a daughter of Mr. Peirce. In 1836, just previous to Captain Phillips' death, he conveyed the estate to the Lawrences, and for many years it continued as the resi- dence of Charles Lawrence and his sisters, and later of his neices, Miss Caroline Lawrence being especially re- 218 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS membered in Danvers by the older generation for her benevolence and friendliness. Charles Lawrence was the son of Abel Lawrence of Salem, and was born in 1795, one of thirteen children. He was graduated from Harvard in 1815, and married Lucy A., daughter of Thomas Ward, the Boston banker. Delicate health prevented him from entering upon a business or professional career. For thirty years or more on his farm in Danvers he indulged in his favor- ite occupation of gardening, and his passion for flowers seemed to be responded to by the plants themselves, for they flourished wonderfully under his care. Combined with these pursuits was a love of literature which did not fail him while life lasted. The unlimited hospitality of this beautiful home through many years was never forgotten by those who shared it. Mr. Lawrence made alterations and built an addition to the old Phillips house and laid out gardens which were most attractive. In 1869, in order to be nearer his friends as failing health came, he removed to Ash street, where he had erected the house now owned by J. Anderson Lord. Here he resided until his death in 1879, laying out the grounds with much taste and planting trees and shrubs which in a few years transformed the place into one of the most attrac- tive in town; and here his neice. Miss Caroline Law- rence, continued his interest in horticulture until her death in 1899. Charles Lawrence was beloved and re- spected by all, his kindness toward the unfortunate was known only to the recipients of his benevolences, and his life may be said to have been one of unostentatious virtues. He had no cliildren. His family was one long honored in Salem and Danvers for the old puritan attri- butes of integrity and piety. Upon his removal from Spring street, he sold the farm to John Horswell, of Pawtucket, R. I., whose daughter, Mrs. Underwood, was then living in the OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 219 Driver house, and upon Mr. Underwood's disposing of his house to Mr. Spring, the Underwoods took up their residence with the Hors wells. A portion of this farm was sold in 1879 to Mrs. Sylvia C. Pitcher of Boston, who built a house which is today the residence of her granddaughter, Mrs. Joshua Nichols. Miss Jennie Horswell, a daughter, inherited this property, who sold it in 1889 to Mrs. Harriet P. Pray of Lynn. She, in 1896, conveyed the property to Mrs. Sanders. Stephen W. Phillips, Esq., of Salem, great-grandson of Captain Phillips, in some reminiscences of this old estate, writes: "I know a good deal about the Beaver Brook Farm, as I spent a large part of my childhood there, partly in the house that Mr. Joshua Nichols occupies and partly in the so-called Sanders house. This latter belonged, in the early nineteenth century, to my great-grandfather, and my father, as a boy, passed much time there. I have often walked about the place with him and heard him describe how it looked in his childhood in the early thirties. The Beaver Brook Farm, when Captain Phil- lips owned it, was bounded, roughly, by the railroad track, then following the road behind the Gilford house to the present Fishes Brook, up along the brook by the Wentworth place, then across to the upper road or Summer street near the ancient Clark house, recently destroyed, down Summer street to the Woodman place, and then along the Woodman place and across the marsh to about where the railroad track is. It included about all the property afterwards owned by the Horswell estate and Mr. Spring. There was, of course, no Spring street; that was merely a private avenue running in from near Gilford's up as far as the old Prince house above the stone barn. There was nothing but a cart- track above that through to the upper road. 220 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS "The private road to this house at that time did not follow the line of Spring street, but went around the edge of the marsh and came up a hollow, afterwards largely filled in when the stone barn was built. On the edge of the marsh at the depot end of this road was an ancient burial ground of the Prince family. When I was a boy many of the stones were still there, and one of the Princes had put up two new slate stones to mark the site of the little cemetery. There was another house on the site of the present Sanders house. I always un- derstood from my father that the kitchen at the north end of the Sanders house was part of this old building, and that the present two front rooms and front door of the Sanders house were built by Mr. Nathan Peirce some time between 1800 and 1826, of whom more later. "By deed dated January 6, 1800, John Prince sold the farm, at that time embracing one hundred thirty acres, to Nathan Peirce of Salem. Nathan Peirce was a wealthy man, whose town house was the fine brick mansion on Charter street used for many years by the Salem Hospital. He left the place to his son, George Peirce, and the latter to his children. Their guardian, by deed dated July 7, 1826, sold it to Capt. Stephen Phillips for $4,000. Captain Phillips was a retired merchant of Salem. He had been in early life one of Mr. Derby's favorite captains, and after 1800 had estab- lished himself as a merchant and become a wealthy man. He had married, as his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Nathan Peirce, and so was already connected with this farm. About 1825 he turned over the active man- agement of his business to his only son, and spent a great part of the rest of his life on this farm in Danvers, amusing himself by trying to improve it. Like many another country gentleman, it probably cost him a pretty penny. There is a tradition in the family that before he died he carefully destroyed all the bills and accounts, OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 221 as he didn't wish anybody to know how much he had spent. It was then a favorite hobbj^ of old Salem mer- chants to have a country place and indulge in farming. Danvers is full of farms which once belonged to retired Salem captains. "When Mr. Phillips bought the place in 1826, he found the house built by Mr. Nathan Peirce three stories high, door in the middle, and only one room thick; windows both back and front, with what remained of the ancient Prince house as an ell on the north, where the kitchen and servants' room was. Adjoining was a chaise-house connected with the beautiful archway to the kitchen chamber. It was only intended as a summer house, and probably could not have been heated in win- ter. Mr. Phillips in winter lived in his town house, still standing. No. 17 Chestnut street, which he had built in 1805. Above the site of the stone barn was the still older Prince house, which was used as a farmhouse, where the caretakers lived all the year round. What farm buildings there may have been I do not know, but soon after he bought the place, Mr. Phillips set to work to build the stone barn and lay out an avenue, the present Spring street, from Gilford's up to his house. Great walls were built on both sides and elms planted. An immense amount of grading and hauling was neces- sary. The late Andrew Verry used to often talk with my father about the enormous amount of work that was done in hauling rocks for the walls and the stone barn. His father was a sort of teamster or foreman for Mr. Phillips, and the older Verry boys had all worked on the place. One of Mr. Phillips' pet plans was reducing the rolling pasture back of his house to a great flat field. This was at last accomplished, but rains and frost have gradually been undoing the work, and the level field is each year, I find, growing more uneven. Another plan was draining the swamp in the rear of this field. Some 222 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS rather peculiar hollows in what was afterwards the Hors- well woods used to be pointed out to me by my father as sites of gravel pits from which filling had been brought. "Mr. Phillips from time to time added small tracts to the farm, as on September 4, 1828, he bought a little piece from Dwinnell, near the present depot, but the general size of the place was not altered. On July 26, 1836, Mr. Phillips sold the whole place, then described as one hundred fifty acres, to Charles Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence intended to use the house all the year round, and added the back rooms and the large western ell, more than doubling its size, and planted evergreens extensively on the place, as he was very much interested in horticulture. My father said there were practically no pines or spruces on the place in his boyhood. All of the so-called Tlorswell Woods were open pastures, and the trees dated from Mr. Lawrence's time. After living on the place a few years, Mr. Lawrence evidently not caring for farming, cut the place in halves, selling all the place north of his house and east of Spring street, including the stone barn and old farm house. This passed through various hands, Mr. Driver, Mr. Under- wood, and perhaps others whom I do not now recall, to Mr. J. C. Spring. Driver, I think, had built the modern frame house on the east side of the road, opposite and above the stone barn. Spring lived there during the construction of his great stone mansion in the early eighties. "Mr. Lawrence retained the western portion and it was finally sold to Mr. Horswell, the father of the late Miss Jennie Horswell, whom many people in Danvers remember. They lived there for many years, and the place was little altered from what it had been in Mr. Lawrence's time. The woods grew up and were, in my childhood, a very beautiful tract of pine, where were two OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 223 driveways which were kept clear and made walking easy. As they were covered with fallen needles, that made a most attractive playground for us children. The so- called gravel meadow which Mr. Phillips had drained, was a hay-field, and the large field back of the house was a garden. All the rest was pine woods and a little pasture along Spring street. The house where Mr. Joshua Nichols lives, and the square field below it, where ]Mr. Benson of Salem afterwards built a bungalow, had been sold by Mr. Horswell to Mrs. Pitcher, grand- mother of Mrs. Joshua Nichols, on which Mrs. Pitcher, about 1880, built the present house. The main Horswell estate passed after several changes to Mrs. Nathaniel S. H. Sanders, who extensively built over and altered the house and cut down much of the woods." "Locust Lawn." — This large and beautiful estate of about one hundred acres, on Nichols street, now owned by Dr. and Mrs. John H. Nichols, has an inter- esting history. It was originally the western half of a 165 acre lot granted to William Pester by the town in 1638, and in 1655 it came into possession of the Prince family. It remained in this family over a hundred years, until 1761, when it was purchased by John Nichols, who built a house there. From him it descended to Abel Nichols, the artist, who, while residing in Rome, Italy, conveyed the whole property in 1855 to Edward D. Kimball of Salem, prominent merchant and ship owner. Upon this beautiful tract of land, the following year, Mr. Kimball erected a fine residence, the equal of any in the town, especially in its setting, which was upon the side of Dale hill, overlooking a broad stretch of grass and trees. Upon the summit of this hill there is a wonderful view of all the country round about, it is believed unexcelled in the glory of autumn foliage and in the verdure of spring-time. Mr. Kimball demolished the old Nichols house, which stood on the main highway 224 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS north of his new house. He did not live long to enjoy the home, for he died in Paris in 1867. Philip H. Wentworth, who came here from Boston with his family about 1865, was the next owner. He was at the time engaged in a successful mercantile busi- ness in Boston, which he conducted until 1872, when the great Boston fire swept away in a few hours the fortune which he had accumulated. He never quite re- covered from the effects of this calamity, but with char- acteristic courage he bore his heavy reverses, and having the confidence of the business world was able to continue for a few years longer. He and his wife were instru- mental in forming a Unitarian church in Danvers, the latter also being the organizer and first president of the Danvers Women's Association. The Wentworths named the estate "Locust Lawn," and here the family entertained generously, the young people extending their hospitality to friends from far and near. He greatly improved the grounds, making avenues through the wooded places, planting trees and shrubs and culti- vating several acres of farm land. The view from the front veranda of a broad expanse of lawn, with woods in the distance and flowers in abundance, was and still is unsurpassed in this vicinity. The elm tree which stands at the entrance gates is one of the largest in Essex County, and was planted there by one of the Princes in 1760. Mr. Wentworth died in 1886, and for a while the family continued their residence here, but ultimately returned to Boston. About 1893, the heirs sold the estate to Mrs. Leopold Morse of Boston, who made many changes in the mansion house and rebuilt the barns and other farm buildings. She, with her two sons, Tjder and Isadore, resided here summers for many years. After another short-term ownership, in 1917 the estate was purchased by Mrs. Oda (Howe) Nichols, wife of Dr. Nichols, superintendent of the State Infirmary at "LOCUST LAWN" The estate of Dr. and Mrs. John Holyoke Nichols THE HOWE RESIDENCE, PEABODY AVENUE "MAPLEBANK" The Driver — Spring — De Normandie House, Spring Street THE PHTLTJPS - LAWRENCE — SANPERS HOUSE Simiiy .street From a photograpli in the i86o's OLD AXD HISTORIC ESTATES 225 Tewksbuiy, M^ho intend to make it their permanent resi- dence. Thus the old place has returned to the possession of the family that owned it and built the ancient house more than one hundred and fifty years ago. On another part of this original farm, Dr. Nichols' father, Andrew Nichols, built his large residence at the corner of New- bury and Preston streets in 1881. "Maplewood." — This beautiful estate, which was the residence of Stephen D. Massey and his family from 1864 to 1892, dates back to the earliest settlement of Danvers, when the land was owned by John Putnam, son of the emigrant. The next owner was Captain Thomas Lothrop, the commander of "The Flower of Essex" company at Bloody Brook, after whose death it came into possession of the Cheever family. The old house which stood here for so many years was built about 1697 by Ezekiel Cheever, and it continued in this family until about 1750, when it was purchased by John Nichols. Later it was the home of Levi Preston, who, in 1779, married Mehitable, a daughter of John Nichols, and thus it descended to William Preston, re- maining in that family about a hundred years. In 1852 Benjamin S. Newhall of Salem bought the farm and erected a fine mansion on a high elevation directly across the street from the old house. Here, with his wife, who belonged to the Grays and Endicotts of Salem and Danvers, and three sons, Benjamin E., Charles and Heniy, and a daughter, he carried on the farm until 1864, when it was purchased by Stephen D. JNIassey, a merchant of Boston. During Mr. Massey's ownership the old house was torn down. The mansion house stood about a hundred feet back from the street and was surrounded by a grove of maple, pine and other trees, while directly in front, dividing the avenues of approach and departure, w^as a triangular plot with a large and beautiful pine, flanked by two 226 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS immense maples. The house was forty feet square, with an ell which was added by Mr. Massey. The farm com- prised one hundred acres and the buildings connected therewith were across the street, near the site of the old Preston house, with a convenient "lodge" or farmhouse occupied by the caretaker. The appointments were the best that could be obtained and the stock was of the highest grade, it being considered for years one of the finest estates in the county. Upon the death of Mr. Massey, the family continued to live there until 1892, when Mrs. Lucretia (Derby) Massey and her son, Dudley A. Massey, having erected the fine residence on Holten street, now owned by William B. Sullivan, Esq., removed, after a residence here of nearly thirty years, and the estate was purchased by Richard B. Harris of Marblehead. Then followed various ownerships of short duration, including Dr. W. A. Hitchcock, Mrs. Helen J. Butler, F. W. Webb of Boston, and a Roman Cath- olic school for boys, the "House of the Angel Guardian," until in 1913 the County of Essex purchased it and established there the Essex Agricultural School. The mansion house was burned January 1, 1918, and on its site has been planted a memorial grove in memory of the service men from this school who were killed in the World War. John Greenleaf Whittier and "Oak Knoll." — One day in the early eighteen-forties, a Salem gentle- man who was enjoying his favorite recreation, riding horseback through the country, passed along the road which is now known as Summer street. His eye rested on a beautiful stretch of land, well wooded and some- what neglected, but in which this lover of nature saw great possibilities. He stopped and talked with the owner, and before many months elapsed had negotiated for the purchase of this property of over one hundred OI>D AND HISTORIC ESTATES 227 acres. And so it happened that William A. Lander, Esq., with his wife, the daughter of the famous Salem merchant, Pickering Dodge, came to Danvers in 1842 and erected the residence which is now known as "Oak Knoll." At that time the old Putnam house, the home of the emigrant John Putnam, was standing near the old well, which is still to be seen, and Mr. Lander's farmer occupied the James A. Putnam house next be- low, which a half-century before had sheltered Mrs. Lander's great-uncle. Col. Timothy Pickering. Of the emigrant John Putnam's house, which was de- molished by the new owner, one who remembered it in her youth, INIrs. Julia A. Philbrick, writes: "It was an old unpainted house, with two front rooms and a long kitchen in the rear, and it was in this kitchen, with its capacious fireplace, its settle, its dressers with pewter and crockery ware, with dried apples and squashes, crooked-necked, and herbs adorning the walls or sus- pended from the ceiling, we girls did have such nice times, playing 'blind-man's buff' and other games; and then, when hungry, we could pop corn or open a cup- board under the dressers, where we were sure to find doughnuts or pancakes." IMr. Lander's estate was always known by the unpre- tentious name of "The Farm." With a great love for nature and art, cultivated by careful and extensive read- ing and foreign travel, the owner devoted himself to books rather than to business. He laid out and planted the grounds most attractivelj^ and succeeded in plan- ning, with the aid of nature, to produce an harmonious effect, long before landscape gardening was practised as a profession to any extent in this country. He pro- duced a home at once beautiful, retired and cheerful, and which, in the hands of its present owners, has been more prominently brought to public notice. Colonel Edmund Johnson of Boston, looking for a 228 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS quiet country residence in the early seventies, purchased this estate of Mr. Lander and, with his daughters, in- vited his cousin, John Greenleaf Whittier, to make his home with them. Accordingly, in the spring of 1875, Mr. Whittier gave up his home in Amesbury and, with many of his most cherished personal effects, removed to "Oak Knoll," as the poet named it.^ Although the next year Mr. Whittier was offered by a friend and admirer the gift of the beautiful estate of "Kernwood," in Salem, yet he chose to remain in Danvers. Here he cast aside the cares of domestic life. Once asked about his residence in Danvers, Mr. Whittier replied, "Say it is my home. I retain my legal residence in Amesbury, and I go there to vote, but my home is at 'Oak Knoll.' " He loved its beautiful groves, its broad lawns, and its quaint old gardens, with winding walks and fragrant borders of box. He took much pleasure in driving along the country roads and secluded byways of the town, until he had become familiar with the surrounding scenery. The mossy nooks, where wild flowers grew and song-birds had their haunts, renewed their grace for him with every fresh baptism of the morning. The last time his footsteps wandered in the familiar paths, he returned with his hands filled with wild flowers, remarking, as he came, "I think I have never heard the birds sing so loudly or so sweetly before." The oak tree, from its position upon the knoll in front of the house, gave to his mind the suggestion of naming the estate "Oak Knoll." This tree retains its foliage long after the elms and many other trees are bare. Its leaves become like disks of gold, and when they are fully ripened they fall in a day, like the dropping of a great curtain. Mr. Whittier's birthdays were always observed as holidays, and here, during the last sixteen years of his 1 From "Reminiscences of John Greenleaf Whittier's Life at Oak Knoll," by Mrs. Abby J. Woodman, published by the Essex Institute in 1908. JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER 'OAK KNOLL OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 229 life, he received his friends. Large parties came to greet him, bringing fruits and flowers and many other appreciative tokens of love and esteem, which cheered and warmed his heart and lightened the burdens of his age. Letters of congratulation were received from all parts of the country and from foreign lands. At other times visitors came to "Oak Knoll" as pilgrims to a shrine. They came as strangers to grasp his hand and, departing, bore witli them the impress of a sympathetic and abiding friendship. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes was a frequent visitor, and on one occasion, while thej^ sat before a glowing fire on a chilly autumn day, Mr. Whittier referred to the then recent publication of Dr. Holmes' poem, "The Broomstick Train." Dr. Holmes turned toward Mr. Whittier, with his most genial smile, exclaiming, "Good, isn't it?" "Capital," replied Mr. Whittier, "but thee forgot one thing." "Did I? What is it?" said the Doctor. "Why," replied Whittier, "thee gave Beverly her beans all right, but thee defrauded Danvers of her onions." After Mr. Whittier passed his seventieth anniversary, he published more than one hundred poems, nearly all of which were written in the retirement of his home at "Oak Knoll." He wrote the ballad, "The Witch of Wenham," in the winter of 1877. The previous sum- mer, with the little "Red Riding Hood" of his poem, he rode over the rolling slopes of Cherry Hill, once known as "Alford's Hill," and around the borders of Wenham Lake, which lay embosomed in wild shrubbery at its base. During the drive he improvised for his child companion a marvellous tale of the sad days of witch- craft in old Salem Village. From this httle romance there came the happy conception of this beautiful ballad. Near to "Oak Knoll" still stands "the farmhouse old," in which, according to tradition, an unfortunate victim 230 CHRONICLES OF DAN\^RS of the "dreadful horror" was confined in its garret, whence she escaped by shding down its roof to the arms of one who had come to her rescue. The desk, "deep scarred by raps official," used in the Haverhill schoolhouse, which the poet attended, and immortalized by him in the poem, "In School Days," is now in the possession of the Danvers Historical Society. Mr. Whittier died on September 7, 1892, while on a visit with friends in Hampton, N. H. Stephen Dbivek House. — About 1854, another Sa- lem business man, Stephen Driver, purchased of George Nichols, Jr., of Salem, the Prince estate on the lane now known as Spring street, and on land directly op- posite the old house, erected a fine residence. He used the old house as a farmhouse, and it was during his ownership that the first story was built out even with the second story, it being originally constructed with an overhanging second story. Mr. Driver, who had been a well-known and successful shoe manufacturer in Salem, was quite advanced in j^ears v/hen he took up his resi- dence in Danvers. At one time his partner in business was Abel Lawrence, and his sons were also associated with him. The grounds around the house were attrac- tively laid out, the natural beauties of the locality, with a deep ravine on one side, adding to its picturesque set- ting. Mr. Driver died here in 1868, and the next owner was George M. Underwood of Pawtucket, R. I., who resided here until 1872. Mr. Underwood sold the place to Jacob E. Spring, a wealthy wool merchant, who had had extensive interests in South America, and who con- tinued his residence here until 1880, when he built the large stone mansion near by, now owned by St. John's College. During the next ten years, short-term tenants occupied the place. In 1890, the Rev. Eugene De Normandie, having been called to the pastorate of the Unitarian church, purchased it, naming it "Maplebank,** OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 231 and resided here until his death. The estate was sub- sequently sold to Louis F. Gavet of Salem, and later, about 1912, became the property of St. John's College. "PoRPHORY Hall." — This pretentious residence, which was erected in 1880 by Jacob E. Spring, at what was then known as "Beaver Brook," was considered one of the show places of the town during his ownership. Mr. Spring was a native of Brownfield, Me., born in 1833, and in 1845 he went to Buenos Ayres, where he passed the next twenty years engaged in the wool busi- ness. In 1872 he bought the Stephen Driver farm and immediately occupied it with his family, consisting of his wife and seven children, the two eldest daughters being at this time, however, at school in Germany. The farm then included the old Prince house and also the new house built by Mr. Driver across the way. Mr. Spring was busily emploj^ed for several years in having the stones on the land collected and converted into the fine face wall which surrounds the property today, and not only the wall but the cellar and much of the build- ing Avere constructed of rocks found on the premises. The house, which is 54 by 70 feet, is of Gothic architec- ture and is most substantially built, if the description at the time of its erection can be relied upon, which states that "the cellar wall is an immense mass of rock and masonry, upon which is placed split granite underpin- ning from the Lynnfield quarry, 30 inches high and 8 inches thick, and inside that is a lining of brick. On this is a hewn granite belt 9 inches high, setting out some over the underpinning." The door and window sills are of Nova Scotia freestone, and the arches are of face brick. The building was said to have cost $40,000, a large expenditiu-e for the time. There are at least forty different kinds of stone represented and most of them are of flinty hardness. They vary in color from pure white to inky black, all of which were carefully 232 CHRONICLES OF DAN^^ERS dressed and matched. There were twenty-five finished rooms in this beautiful mansion and every modern con- venience and hixury of adornment were provided. Whittier suggested that the place be called "Stone- croft," but "Porphory Hall" was finally selected, on account of the variety of stone. Here the family enter- tained for many years, until the vicissitudes of fortune made it imperative to dispose of the estate, and it was purchased in 1891 by the Xaverian Brotherhood, a Ro- man Catholic institution. Since that time many new buildings have been added, the place having been con- verted into a large preparatory school for boys. Howe Residence. — In 1880, Isaac B. Howe of Clinton, Iowa, purchased of Joshua Silvester the resi- dence on Peabody avenue, now occupied by his daugh- ter. Miss Margaret Howe. Mr. Howe went from Northfield, Vt., to the West in early life, and became successful in his business undertakings. He settled in Clinton in 1859, being one of the many civil engineers whom Eastern capitahsts engaged to laj^ out the new trans-continental line, now the Union Pacific Railroad. Afterward he became superintendent of the Iowa Divi- sion of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, and later was leader in several engineering projects, until his health failed. As both JNIr. and Mrs. Howe's for- bears resided in the vicinity of Boxford and Middleton, Danvers was not unfamiliar to them. Mr. Howe's health did not improve and he passed away within the year, but the family continued their residence here. This house is probably one of the earliest concrete houses in this country. It was built in 1857, on land owned orig- inallj^ by Nathaniel Putnam, son of the emigrant John, this lot being part of the orchard of Judge Samuel Put- nam, from whose heirs it was purchased. This field is historic, as Hanson says, in his history, that it was the common belief during the witchcraft delusion, that here OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 233 was where Satan gathered his company for his midnight riots, and where he appeared well-dressed in a suit of black, "like an ordinary minister." That may be true, but for two hundred and thirty years since those revels took place, peace and quiet have prevailed in that neigh- borhood. There was originally a concrete wall sur- rounding the grounds, with pagoda-like concrete gate- posts at both driveways, which were replaced by the fine face wall which encloses the place today. Other im- provements have been made from time to time, both in- side and outside the house, all contributing to make what is considered one of the finest private residences in this vicinity. Situated in close proximity to the Pea- body Institute grounds, with the pond on one side and surrounded with fine old trees and well-kept lawns, it has an attractive setting. "RivERBANK." — The residence of John Frederick Hussey stands on the site of the house of one of the earliest families of Salem, the Waters family. It was built probabh^ by Robert Cotta, who in 1664 sold it to John Waters, and his descendants continued to own and Occupy it until it was destroyed by fire about 1845. There is a tradition in the Waters family that when Indian wigwams were scattered among the trees and on the banks of Waters river, the redmen were often very friendly and made neighboring calls at the houses of the white people, but on one occasion they were other than friendly. One day a squaw asking for cider, which they were accustomed to give to the Indians, was re- fused, because the housewife was unusually busy with domestic affairs. In the afternoon they left the baby of the family and went across the river to do the daily milking. When they returned, baby Lydia was missing, and it took considerable tact and argument on the part of the mother to get her restored from the Indian who had kidnapped her. This child married Capt. Johnson 234 CHEONICLES OF DANVERS Proctor of South Danvers, and became the ancestor of many of Danvers' best citizens. This place passed from the Waters family into the possession of Matthew Hooper, a grandson of "King" Hooper, who in 1843 had purchased the Danvers Iron Works. He had lived in the house at the corner of South Liberty street, which projected over the river, and which was demolished when Waters river bridge was rebuilt in 1898, and upon the burning of the old Waters house he bought the land and erected the fine brick residence and stone barn now standing there. The bricks and the workmanship were said to have been sec- ond to none in town. Here the Hoopers entertained extensively, the large room on the left of the front door being used for many a dancing party in the old days. They were connected with the Universalist church and were widely known for their generosity and sociability. It was their custom to entertain people of different ages at different times. Thej^ would give a dancing party for the young people, a social for the middle-aged and at other times an old people's party. It is need- less to say that these affairs were enjoyed to the fullest extent. It has been said that on more than one occa- sion Mrs. Hooper was known to have entered into the young people's dances with much vigor, and could show the youngsters some steps when she was seventy or more. Mr. Hooper inherited from his grandfather much of his hospitality and genial disposition. He died in 1858, and the house was sold in 1864 by Polly Hooper, his widow, then the wife of William Lord, to Samuel A. Merrill, for $9,650. Mr. Merrill, after about twenty years' ownership, partly as a residence, disposed of the property about 1883 to William Penn Hussey, who made extensive alterations, and upon w^hose death in 1910, it came into the possession of his son John Fred- erick Hussey. Mr. Hussey has greatly improved the Courtesy " Old-Time New England " ' Copyright frank Cousins Art Co. "THE LINDENS," THE RESIDENCE OF WARD THORON, ESQ. Built about 1754, by Robert Hooper, Esq., of Marblehead Occupied by Gen. Gage, the Royal Governor, as headquarters, in 1774 OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 235 estate and has revived much of the old-time hospitality which the house enjoyed in its early days. "The Lindens." — This historic house was built by Robert Hooper, Esq., of Marblehead, about 1754. It still remains a fine example of eighteenth century archi- tecture, having been altered very little by its successive owners. It is an interesting fact that the land upon which this house is built is part of the "Governor's Plain," a two-hundred-acre tract west of the "Orchard Farm," granted in 1636 by the town of Salem to Gov- ernor Endicott. The account of the occupation of this house by Governor Gage, from June to September, 1774, is related elsewhere in this volume, and we have the curious coincidence of associating with this estate the first Governor of Massachusetts under the Colonial Charter, who was the first private owner of the land, and the last Governor of this Commonwealth under the Provincial Charter, who occupied this house on the same land just previous to the Revolution. This estate is still within the limits of the present town of Danvers. The Revolution found Robert Hooper's affairs much involved, and his loyalty to the King helped little to disentangle them. He was obliged in 1774 to mortgage all of his property in Danvers to his English corres- pondents, to protect large advances made by them ; and eventually, in 1798, this estate passed almost directly from the mortgagees into the possession of Judge Collins. Upon Judge Collins' death, in 1820, a pleasant tra- dition recalls that it occurred in midwinter, and that his body was preserved in the cellar of his mansion until the spring thaw permitted the digging of his grave in the field opposite. The cofhn was filled with peppercorns. There, for many years, an imposing monument marked the spot. Although his widow, Susanna (Tracey) Col- lins, died in 1827, his family continued in possession 236 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS until 1832, when his daughter, Miss Deborah Colhns, sold the property to her brother-in-law, Capt. Jeremiah Briggs, of Salem, who had just previously married her sister Hepsebeth. The famous White murder, which had recently taken place in Salem, made Miss Collins feel she did not want to reside in the country, and was the immediate cause of her disposing of "The Lindens." In a few months, however, Captain Briggs conveyed it to Gideon Barstow, also of Salem, a prominent mer- chant engaged in foreign trade, who, in 1836, conveyed the "great house" and twenty-four acres of land to Gil- bert and Nathan Tapley for $3,000, the latter continu- ing in the ownership until 1844. The next owner was the Rev. Petrus Stuyvesant Ten Broeck, a retired cler- gyman, who opened here a private school which he con- ducted for about five years. On his death his widow disposed of it, and during the next ten years it was successively owned hj John W. Treadwell, William H. Jackson, Joseph Rider, and Charles F. Eaton, mer- chant, of Boston. Mr. Eaton conveyed it in 1860 to Francis Peabody, Esq., son of Col. Francis Peabody of Salem, and de- scended in the eighth generation from Governor Endi- eott, the original owner of the land. The house, which had been much neglected since the days of the Collins', was thoroughly repaired bj^ Mr. Peabody, whose natural good taste and architectural training made it possible for him to tactfully adapt the original house, with slight alterations, to modern ideas of comfort. The result of his work was the conversion of a very dilapidated coun- try estate into a most attractive country residence. The kitchen wing to the north and the sun porch on the south were added bj^ JNIr. Peabody. He also altered three chimney breasts by substituting, in 1860, two mantel- pieces from his grandfather, Joseph Peabody's house in Salem, and one from "Oak Hill." The Joseph Peabody OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 237 mantelpieces are in the room on the right of the entrance door and in the bedroom on the right at the head of the stairs. The one from "Oak Hill," placed there in 1873, is in the northwest bedroom on the second floor. All these were designed by Samuel JNIcIntire. The farmhouse, which was probably built by Samuel Endicott, from whom the portion of the estate on the east side of Sylvan Street was acquired, and the farm buildings were reno- vated by Mr. Peabody. He also constructed a lodge on Collins Street, the stables and sheds near the mansion, and laid out the gardens to the west of it on the site of the old slave quarters of Mr. Hooper's time. In this attractive house INIr. and INIrs. Peabody lived for a full half century, until their respective deaths in 1910 and 1911. Mr. Peabody served for forty-four years as Treasurer of the Peabody Institute of Danvers, having been one of the original Trustees appointed by George Peabody. His death severed the last personal tie with the town's benefactor. The resolutions adopted by the Board of Trustees may be said to truly express the thoughts of all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance: "His inter- est in the Institute has been unfailing; his courtesy, his consideration of others, and his gracious personality have been enjoyed and appreciated by the many trustees with whom he has been associated during these many years." After the death of his mother in 1911, Capt. Jacob Crowninshield Rogers Peabody occupied the Lindens until December, 1914, when it was sold to the present! owner, Ward Thoron, Esq. In regard to the extent of lands forming part of the estate known as "The Lindens," the following notes will be of interest : Mr. Hooper's original purchase, made December, 1753, was of 28 acres, at the northerly end of a 40-acre 238 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS tract belonging to Dr. Amos Putnam and his wife, Hannah PhilHps Putnam. The Putnam land had an easterly frontage of about 90 rods on the Ipswich high- way, extending northerly from Rum Bridge Creek. Mr. Hooper acquired the northerly 60 rods frontage. The "Great House," M^hich was finished in 1754, was located at about the centre of the estate. In 1755 and 1767, Mr. Hooper increased his holdings by the pur- chase of an additional 12 acres to the north, so that his northern boundary coincided with the southern bound- ary of the famous Allen farm. When he mortgaged his Danvers property, in April, 1774, to Messrs. Alexander Champion and Thomas Dickson, merchants of London, to secure "the payment of £24,417/9/1 balance of amount due them by said Hooper as appears by their account rendered December 31, 1772," this estate was one of three then owned by him in Danvers, and was described as follows : — "Containing about 40 acres whereon the Great House stands, bounding easterly on the road leading to Ips- wich, southerly on land of Dr. Amos Putnam, westerly on land of John Felton partly and partly on Tapley's land, northerly partly on Tapley's land and partly on Tarbell's land." These 40 acres were kept intact until 1832, when Jeremiah Briggs, Judge Collins' son-in-law, divided it into three parcels, viz. : Twelve acres on the south, which he sold in 1836 to Daniel Buxton; the house with 24 acres, which he sold in 1832 to Gideon Barstow; four acres on the northeasterly corner, the disposition of which has not been traced. In 1844, Nathan Tapley still further partitioned the property, and the estate conveyed to Petrus Stuyvesant Ten Broeck consisted only of the southernmost portion of the 24 acres, namely 7y2 acres with the dwelling house and other buildings. When Mr. Peabody acquired OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 239 *'The Lindens" in 1860 there were but 7^/^ acres of land. He added 18 acres to the south, besides 20 acres oppo- site on the east side of Colhns Street. After his death the property was again divided into the three parcels he had separately acquired, and the mansion was sold to the present owner with about six acres of land. Since then the twenty-acre tract on the east side of Sylvan Street has been re-acquired and the estate now consists of about twenty-six acres. BuRLEY Farm. — This old estate, known for more than a hundred years as "Burley Farm," is one of Dan- vers' most beautiful spots, situated in the heart of the town, yet so secluded that it seems far remoA-ed from busy traffic. It is the residence of George Augustus Peabody, Esq., and is one of the few, if not the only estate in Danvers, that has retained practically its orig- inal 250 acres for more than two hundred years. Later owners have also added to that number. In the 17th century this locality was known as "Gott's corner," and its owner then. Deacon Charles Gott, with others, conveyed this farm to John Porter, the pioneer owner of Danvers Plains. Porter, in 1673, bequeathed it to his son Benjamin, who, dying unmarried in 1700, in turn bequeathed the farm to his brother Israel Porter. From Israel, through his son William Porter, it was finall}^ purchased in 17o0 by Robert Hooper, Esq., of Marblehead. In 1763, when Hooper conveyed the estate to William Burnet Browne, son of William Browne, of "Folly Hill" fame, there was a dwelling house, with barn and other buildings, upon the land, then in occupation of Samuel Leach, who probably had charge of the farm. In 1773, Squire Browne, then of the County of King William in Virginia, conveyed the estate to Thomas Fairweather of Boston and Abijah Willard of Lancaster. During the Revolution, in 1779, 240 CHRONICLES OF DAN^TERS Fairweather disposed of his share to Richard Derby, Jr., of Salem, and in 1781, Willard, being a loyalist, an "absentee and conspiritor," as the deed states, suf- fered confiscation of his share, which was sold at public vendue to Larkin Thorndike, Esq., a native of Beverb/, then residing in Ipswich. There was apparently upon the estate at that time "a large mansion house, barn and other buildings, together with a landing-place so-called, containing half an acre on Frost Fish brook, on the south side of the road, near the bridge." The next owner was Capt. William Burley, then a resident of Boston, who purchased of Thorndike in 1793, and from whom the name "Burley Farm" has descended to the present time. His holdings also in- cluded the Lindall Hill section of the town, that eleva- tion being known as "Burley Hill" for many years. Captain Burley was a native of Ipswich, the son of Andrew and Hannah (Cogswell) Burley. His father was a graduate of Har^^ard in 1742, and the family had been prominent in Ipswich for generations. The son had taken an active part in the Revolutionary War, and as a prisoner had been confined a year and nine months by the British after the battle of White Plains. He held a commission as Captain in the Continental ser- vice. At the close of the war, in 1786, he married Susanna, daughter of Gen. Michael and Elizabeth (Choate) Farley of Ipswich, and removed to Boston, where he resided until his purchase of this Danvers estate. He died, aged 72 years, at "Burley Farm," in 1822, "at Beverley," as the records state, that portion of the present town of Danvers, east of Frostfish Brook, being at that time included in the town of Beverly. Captain Burley left legacies to the towns of Ipswich and Beverly, to be expended for the instruction of poor children in reading and the principles of the Christian religion. RESIDENCE OF GEORGE AUGUSTU.-? PEAi;OliY, BURLEY FARM EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SUiM.AIER HOUSE ON THE PEABODY FARM CHESTNUT TREES IN BURLEY WOODS OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 241 Upon his death the estate came into the possession of his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Frederick Howes, Esq., of Salem. Mr. Howes was a practising attorney with an office in Salem, and represented Danvers in the Leg- islature of 1817. He served as President of the Essex Agricultural Society and of the Salem Marine Insur- ance Company. Just previous to 1850 he built the present mansion house, now occupied by Mr. Peabody, of which Edward Cabot of Boston was the architect. ]Mr. Howes died in 1855, but the family continued in ownership for many years. The tragic death of Miss Lucy Howes, a daughter, in the summer of 1854, nat- urally resulted in the family giving up their residence in Danvers. Miss Howes was driving with her sister through Hobart Street, when a train on the Essex Rail- road, which was obscured by the high banking on either side of the road passing over the Hobart Street cross- ing, struck the carriage, throwing out both occupants and fatally injuring one. This shocking accident cast a gloom over the whole community. After the removal of the Howes, the house was occupied during the sum- mer by Dr. Upham of Salem, the Cabots, the Bradlees, the Blacks, the Endicotts, and others. Samuel Endicott Peabody, Esq., resided there during the summer of 1878, upon his return to this country from England, where he had been engaged in the banking business with the house of J. S. Morgan & Co., which succeeded the firm of George Peabody & Co. — the philanthropist — the same year in which he purchased "Kernwood," in North Salem for a permanent residence. The farmhouse had been occupied for many years by various families who were either employed by the owners or who worked the farm on their own account. Among these in the eighteen-sixties were the parents of the Hon. William Henry Moody, who became one of the ablest members of the bar of Essex County and 242 CHRONICLES OF DAN^^RS the most distinguished citizen of Danvers. He was born in Newbury, December 23, 1853, the son of Henry L. and Melissa A. (Emerson) Moody. He graduated from the Holten High School in 1869, and from Phil- lips Academy, Andover, Mass., in 1872 ; A. B. Harvard, 1876, and studied law in the office of Richard H. Dana in Boston. Admitted to the Bar in 1878, he began prac- tice at Haverhill. In 1890 he was elected District At- torney of Essex County, serving in that capacity until his election to Congress in 1895, to fill the unexpired term of Gen. William Cogswell, deceased. He served in Congress until 1902, when he was appointed Secre- tary of the Navy by President Roosevelt. In 1904 he was appointed Attorney General of the United States, which position he occupied until his appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, in 1906, serving until ill health forced him to retire. He returned to Haverhill, where he passed away, July 2, 1917. In 1880, "Burley Farm" was purchased from the Howes family, probably for speculation, by Fred Adams, who the following year, sold it to George Au- gustus Peabody, Esq., brother of Mrs. William Crown- inshield Endicott, now the owner of the Joseph Pea- body farm at Danvers Highlands, and cousin of Francis Peabody, Esq., then owner of "The Lindens," making three fine Danvers estates in the possession of members of the Peabody family. In 1882, the new owner brought his wife, Augusta Balch Neilson, daughter of the Rev. Lewis Penn Witherspoon Balch and Anna (Jay), his wife, who was a granddaughter of Chief Justice John Jay, to this house, where she lived until her death in April, 1888. Mr. Peabody is a graduate of Hansard in the class of 1852, being at present (1923) its oldest alumnus. He has been an extensive traveller in his own country, in South America and in Europe, lias been a OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 243 famous sportsman, noted as a wonderful shot, and has lived the last forty years the life ofa country gentleman upon his Danvers estate. He studied law in Salem in the famous office of Nathaniel J. Lord, and was ad- mitted to the Essex County Bar, but never actively practiced his profession. Mr. Peabody served for twenty-four years as a Trustee of the Peabody Insti- tute, Danvers, previous to his retirement in 1916, and has been most generous in his donations to local public institutions, as well as to institutions outside of Danvers. The Peabody Farm. — This estate, which has long been known as one of the town's beauty spots, is the residence of Mrs. William Crowninshield Endicott, and of her son, William Crowninshield Endicott, Esq., and Mrs. Endicott. In the early days this farm was in the possession of the Ingersoll family, and in 1814 was sold by Capt. Jonathan Ingersoll, a Salem shipmaster, to Joseph Peabody, the eminent Salem merchant. It has been related that he removed to Danvers during the War of 1812, when it was feared that Salem would be bom- barded, and established this home as a safe retreat for his family. It is also said that he hired the place at first, during those troublous times, for storage of the valuable cargoes from his ships, for which the barns were used, one of which is now standing. Mr. Peabody continued to reside here until his death in 1844. His widow occupied it as a summer residence, and upon her death in 1854, her son, George Peabody, Esq., who had purchased the place from the estate of his father, con- tinued the ownership. For many years Mr. Peabody and his family were accustomed to pass a few weeks here each season, and when he died in 1892, it came into possession of his daughter, Mrs. Endicott. At the time of the witchcraft delusion in 1692, accord- ing to Upham's map, a house was standing upon the 244 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS site of the present mansion. Originally the house was two stories high, had one room on each side of a porch, with rooms in the second story which faced to the north. When Mr. Peabody purchased the place he made addi- tions, and Mrs. Endicott also has greatly enlarged and improved it. The parlor has the same furniture and the same carpet that it had over one hundred years ago, and in the present library is the old crane which was in the fireplace in that room at the time of the witchcraft delusion. The gray mantelpiece in the dining-room, and a pair of mahogany doors, with carvings by Samuel Mclntire, which now divide the hall and the large draw- ing-room, are heirlooms from some of the old Salem houses. Trees of ancient growth surround the old mansion, the long avenue of approach being most attractive. The gardens are of especial beauty. In the center of one garden is a large tulip tree, one of the most beautiful examples in this part of the country ; and distinguishing features of the place are the oak and elm trees, and the buckthorn and arbor vitae hedges, fine specimens of their kind. At the end of the garden stands a little summer-house with a quaint pineapple on top, which was designed by the late Francis Peabody, Esq., some sixty or more years ago. Beyond is a long walk bor- dered by high hedges, at the end of which is a carved wooden figure, a replica of one at Currymore in Ireland, the estate of the present Marquis of Waterford. This figure, with two others in the garden — the Dancing Girls of Canova — were carved by Ferdinand Demetz St. Ulrich Groden, in the Austrian Tyrol, in 1903. Overlooking a marvellous rose garden there is a unique summer-house, two stories high and about twenty feet square. It was built for Elias Haskett Derby, the famous Salem merchant, at his residence in Dan- vers, now Peabody, from designs made by Mclntire, OLD AND HISTORIC ESTATES 245 and was completed in July, 1793, at a cost of £lOO. The noted architect's exquisite taste is no better illus- trated than in this structure. An arch runs through it, with four doors, two on either side. On the left the doors lead into two small rooms; on the right, a door opens upon a little staircase which ascends to a room about eighteen feet square with eight windows. The summer-house is furnished with Chinese furniture, a Chinese lantern and some Chinese figures. In the spring of 1901 Mrs. Endicott purchased this house and re- moved it to the farm. Although moved a distance of four miles, this century-old building was not damaged in the least, the plaster being not even cracked. At present there is a figure upon the front of the summer- house and four urns, one on each corner; the figure is that of a man whetting his scythe, all of which were designed and carved by Mclntire. Joseph Augustus Peabody, eldest son of Joseph Pea- body, planted, in 1817, the avenue of elms, which add so much to the beauty of the place. Judge Endicott, a lineal descendant of the first settler in Danvers, Governor John Endecott, was a native of Salem and a graduate of Harvard in the class of 1847. He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in 1873, and, in 1885, was ofi'ered by President Cleveland, the position of Secre- tary of War, which he accepted and ably filled for four years. Since the earliest days the Endicott family has been identified with the town of Danvers. This estate, which has been in the Peabody family for more than a century, laid out with extreme care and receiving constant attention, constitutes what is con- ceded to be one of the largest and finest private resi- dences in this vicinity. 246 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS CLERGYMEN. The following natives of Danvers have become clergymen : William P. Page, born 1790; Israel W. Putnam, born 1786, Con- gregationalist ; Hiram B. Putnam, born 1841, Congregationalist ; Allen Putnam, born 1803, Unitarian; Moses K. Cross, born 1812, Congregationalist; Alfred P. Putnam, born 1827, Unitarian; Charles H. Learoyd, born 1834, Episcopalian; William W. Silves- ter, born 1833, Episcopalian; J. Herbert Colcord, born 1851, Con- gregationalist; Francis A. Gray, born 1857, Universalist ; John Daley, C. SS. E., born 1858, Eoman Catholic; Austin Eice, born 1871, Congregationalist; Elliott 0. Foster, born 1883, Congi'ega- tionalist; Thomas Moriarty, born 1883, Eoman Catholic; James McDewell, C. P., born 1889, Eoman Catholic. Others, not natives, who have entered the ministry from Danvers : William Clark, James Eichmond, Charles E. Ewing, George Henry Ewing, Addison A. Ewing, H. William Hook, Leonard Murphy, S.J. PHYSICIANS. William Griggs, 1692-1698; Jonathan Prince, 1729-1753; Amos Putnam, 1744-1803; Ebenezer Putnam, 1745-1788; Jonathan Prince, Jr., 1754-1759; Samuel Holten, 1756-1774; Jonathan Cutler, 1758-1780 ; Caleb Eea, 1747-1760 ; James Phillips Putnam, 1768-1824; Archelaus Putnam, 1765-1800; Caleb Eea, Jr., 1778- 1796; Benjamin Putnam, 1771-1801; Samuel Endieott, 1775- 1800; John Fritz Folkersamb, 1783-1785; Andrew Putnam, 1774- 1782; Joseph Shed, 1805-1853; Ebenezer Dale, 1805-1834; George Osgood, 1814-1863 ; Archelaus Fuller Putnam, 1826-1859 ; Andrew Nichols, 1808-1853; Jeremiah S. Putnam, 1820; Ebenezer Hunt, 1824-1874; John Bush, 1825-1826; Charles Carleton, 1835; John E. Patten, 1840-1846; Humphrey Gould, 1832; David A. Gros- venor, 1839-1889; Samuel P. Fowler, 1872; Jesse W. Snow. 1850- 1867 ; Preston M. Chase, 1858-1887 ; John W. Sawyer, 1867-1881, Butler Hospital; W. Winslow Eaton, 1867-1910; Lewis Whiting, 1868-1895; Woodbury G. Frost, 1878-1915; Daniel H. Batchelder, 1876; Edgar 0. Fowler, 1876-1884; Edward A. Kemp, 1884-1903; Henry F. Batchelder, 1885-1901 ; Charles B. Learoyd, 1890-1895 ; John H. Nichols, from 1903 at Tewksbury Hospital; Edward P. Hale, from 1881 at Lenox; John J. McGuigan, began in 1890 at Lynn; Otis P. Mudge, from 1907 at Amesbury; Anna (Peabody), CI-ERGYMEN, PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS 247 Marsh, 1905-1913, Danvers State Hospital; Harry D. Abbott, 190G-1913; Harry C. Boutelle, 1903-1915; Susan H. Gibbs. Eesident Physicians, 1923. — Frederick W. Baldwin, Edward H. Niles, Edward H. Magee, Charles H. Deering, Herbert L. Mains, John J. Moriarty, Clifton L. Buck, John F. Valentine, Oliver Sartwell, Mrs. Blanche Sartwell, Andrew Nichols. Superintendents op Danvees State Hospital. — Calvin S. May, 1878-1880; Henry E. Steadman, 1880; William B. Gold- smith, 1881-1886; William A. Gorton, 1886-1888; Charles W. Page, 1888-1898; Arthur H. Harrington, 1898-1903; Charles W. Page, 1903-1910; Harry W. Mitchell, 1910-1912; George M. Kline, 1912-1916; John B. McDonald, 1916. LAWYERS. Samuel Holten, Judge of Probate and the Court of Common Pleas for Essex County. James Putnam, Attorney-General of Massachusetts, and Judge of Supreme Court of New Brunswick. Timothy Pickering, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Essex County. Samuel Putnam, Justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. Benajah Collins, Judge of a Court at Liverpool, N. S. Rufus P. Tapley, Justice of the Supreme Court of Maine. Nathan Eead, Special Justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Essex County and Chief Justice for Hancock County, Maine. Arthur A. Putnam, Judge of District Court, Worcester Comity. William C. Endicott, Justice of the Supreme Court of Massa- chusetts. David Cummings, Justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. William H. Moody, Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Horace L. Hadley, Judge of a Court in Washington Court House, Ohio. Alden P. Wliite, Judge of Probate for Essex County. Mellen Chamberlain, Chief Justice of the Municipal Court, Boston. George B. Sears, Judge of District Court, Salem. Israel W. Andrews, Trial Justice, Danvers. David Mead, Trial Justice, Danvers. Harry E. Jackson, Associate Justice of the Ipswich Police Court. Frederick Howes, Stephen H. Phillips, Abner C. Goodell, William Oakes, Joseph W. Howe, Willis E. Flint, John W. Porter, Ernest J. Powers, Edward L. Hill, William C. Endicott, Jr., Daniel N. Crowley, Oscar E. Jackson, William B. Sullivan, 248 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS A. Preston Chase, Edward G. Carr, Elliott Perkins^ Edward N. Eobinson, William E. Clapp, Dennis Lyons, James J. Gaffney, Patrick H. Lyons, Daniel J. O'Eourke, J. Frank Hughes, John H. O'Neil, Benjamin Crowley, William B. Sullivan, Jr., Arthur P. Sullivan, Norman Wilks, Thomas 0. Jenkins, Edward J. Carey, Horace J. H. Sears. V. CIVIL HISTORY. MODEEATORS. Daniel Epes, Esq., 1752, '53. Capt. Thomas Porter, 1754. Daniel Epes, Jr., Esq., 1755-57, '59, '60, '65-67. Samuel Flint, 1758. Thomas Porter, 1761-63, '71, '72. Deacon Malachi Eelton, 1764. Samuel Holten, Jr., 1768, '81, '84, '86, '87, '89, '90, 1796-1812 (24 years). Gideon Putnam, 1769, '79, '83, '85, '93, '94, '95. Archelaus Dale, 1770, '73, '76. Capt. William Shillaber, 1774, '75, '77, '78, '88, '91, '92. Amos Putnam, 1780, '82. Samuel Page, 1813, '14. Dr. Andrew Nichols, 1815-17. Dr. Joseph Shed, 1818. Dr. George Osgood, 1819, '21, '25, '35. Capt. Thomas Putnam, 1820. Nathan Poor, 1822, '23, '24. Robert S. Daniels, 1826. Elias Putnam, 1827, '29, '31. Lewis Allen, 1828, '46, '48, '50, '52, '54. John W. Proctor, Esq., 1830, '32, '34, '36, '38, '40. John Preston, 1833, '43. Abel Nichols, 1841. Daniel P. King, 1842. Jonathan Shove, 1844. Moses Black, Jr., 1845, '47, '51. James D. Black, 1849, '53, '55, '57, '65. Israel W. Andrews, 1856, '70, '77. William Endicott, 1858, '59, '62, '63, '66-69. Arthur A. Putnam, Esq., 1860, '61. Charles P. Preston, 1864. George Tapley, 1871, '72, '74, '78-81. George J. Sanger, 1873, '75, '76, '82-84. (249) 250 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS Daniel N. Crowley, Esq., 1885-86, '91, '93, 1900. Alden P. White, Esq., 1887, '89, '90, '92. Israel W. Andrews, 1888. Addison P. Learoyd, 1894-1900. Frank C. Damon, 1901. A. Preston Chase, 1902-11, '13-21. Jacob C. E. Peabody, 1912. J. Prank Hughes, 1922. TOWN CLERKS. 1752-53.— Daniel Epes, Jr. 1778-86.— Stephen Needham. 1754-56. — James Prince. 1787. — Jonathan Sawyer. 1757.— Benjamin Prescott, Jr. 1788-90.— James Porter. 1758-60.— James Prince. 1791-94.— Gideon Foster. 1761.— Benjamin Prescott, Jr. 1795-1800.— Joseph Osborn, Jr. 1762.— Gideon Putnam. 1801-28.— Nathan Felton. 1763.— Thomas Porter. 1829-34.— Benjamin Jacobs. 1764-66.— Archelaus Dale. 1835-53.— Joseph Shed. 1767.— Thomas Porter. 1854-55.— Nathan H. Poor. 1768-71.— Samuel Holten, Jr. 1856.— Edwin F. Putnam . 1772.— Gideon Putnam. 1857-85.— A. Sumner Howard. 1773-75.— Samuel Holten, Jr. 1886-88.— Joseph E. Hood. 1776.— Stephen Needham. 1889-1921.— Julius Peale. 1777.— Samuel Flint. 1921.— A. Preston Chase. TREASDEERS. 1752-53.— James Prince. 1815-18.— Ward Poole. 1754.— Samuel King. 1819-24.— Edward Southwick. 1755-56.— Joseph Osborn. 1825-31.— Ebenezer Shillaber. 1757-58.— Cornet Sam'l Holten. 1832, '41-48.— Robert S. Daniels. 1759.— Joseph Southwick. 1833-40.— Stephen Upton. 1760-69.— James Smith. 1849.— Abner Sanger. 1770-72.— Thomas Porter. 1850-55.— Francis Baker. 1773-74.— Jeremiah Page. 1856-82.— William L. Weston 1775-83.— Stephen Proctor. (27 years). 1784-88.— Gideon Putnam. 1882-1888.— x\. Frank Welch. 1789-1812.— Dr. Samuel Holten 1889-1905.— Addison P. Learoyd. (24 years). 1905-23.— A. Preston Chase. 1813-14.— Samuel Page. CIVIL HISTORY 251 SELECTMEN. 1752.— Daniel Epes. Capt. Samuel Flint. Deacon Cornelius Tarbell. Stephen Putnam. Samuel King. Daniel Gardner. Joseph Gardner. 1753.— Daniel Epes, Jr. Capt. Thomas Flint. Cornet Samuel Holten. Samuel King. Lieut. David Putnam. Ensign John Procter. Jasper jSTeedham. 1754. — Daniel Epes, Jr. Jasper Needham. Samuel Putnam. James Prince. Ebenezer Goodale. 1755. — Daniel Epes, Jr. Jasper Needham. Capt. John Proctor. James Prince. Capt. Samuel Flint. 1756. — Daniel Epes, Jr. Daniel Marble. Capt. Thomas Flint. Deacon Cornelius Tarble. James Prince. 1757. — ^John Preston. Francis Nurse. Daniel Gardner. Benj. Prescott, Jr. Joseph Southwick. 1758. — James Prince. Nathan Procter. Jasper Needham. Bartholomew Eea. Benjamin Upton. 1759. — James Prince. Capt. Samuel Flint. John Epes. Ezekiel Marsh, Jr. Ebenezer Jacobs. 1760. — James Prince. Jasper Needham. John Epes. John Nichols. John Preston. 1761.— Samuel Holten. Nathaniel Pope. Abel Mackintire. Lieut. Samuel King. Benj. Prescott, Jr. 1762.— Abel Mclntire. Benj. Eussell, Jr. Daniel Purrington. Gideon Putnam. Joseph Putnam. 1763.— Thomas Porter. Samuel Holten. John Epes. John Proctor, Jr. John Preston. 1764.— Benj. Putnam. Archelaus Dale. John Putnam. Stephen Procter. Benj. Moulton. 1765.— Benj. Moulton. John Putnam. Stephen Procter. Jona. Buxton. Arch. Dale. 1766.— Archalaus Dale. Benj. Upton. Jonathan Buxton. John Swinerton. Jonathan Tarble. 252 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS 1767.— Samuel Holten, Jr. John Epes. Jonathan Tarbell. Jonathan Buxton. Ebenezer Groodell. 1768. — Jonathan Buxton. John Epes. Samuel Holten, Jr. Ebenezer Goodell. Gideon Putnam. 1769.— Samuel Holten, Jr. Ebenezer Goodale. Samuel Gardner. William Shillaber. Samuel King. 1770.— Samuel Holten, Jr. Lieut. John Preston. John Putnam. Jonathan Buxton, Capt. Wm. Shillaber. 1771.— Capt. Wm. Shillaber. Jonathan Buxton. Gideon Putnam. Benj. Proctor. Samuel Holten, Jr. 1772.— Samuel Flint. Wm. Shillaber. Gideon Putnam. Jonathan Buxton. Benj. Procter. 1773.— Samuel Holten, Jr. John Putnam. Lieut. Arch. Putnam. Benj. Porter. Stephen Needham. 1774._Samuel Holten, Jr. Lieut. Arch. Putnam. William Poole. Stephen Needham. Jonathan Buxton. 1775.— Dr. Samuel Holten. Capt. Wm. Shillaber. Capt. Wm. Putnam. 1776. 1777. Stephen Needham. Ezra Upton. -John Epes. Wm. Shillaber. Stephen Needham. Ezra Upton. Edmund Putnam, -Capt. John Putnam. Capt. Samuel Flint. Capt. Wm. Shillaber. Stephen Needham. Phineas Putnam. 1778.— Stephen Needham. Capt. Wm. Shillaber. Benj. Procter. Capt. John Putnam. Phineas Putnam. -Col. Enoch Putnam. Ezra Upton. Stephen Needham. Major Samuel Epes. James Prince. -Jona. Sawyer. Daniel Putnam. Capt. Joseph Porter. Ezra Upton. 1781. — Capt. Joseph Porter. Daniel Putnam. Stephen ISTeedliam. Samuel White. Major Samuel Epes. 1782. — Stephen N'eedham. Daniel Putnam. Jonathan Sawyer. Capt. Joseph Porter. Capt. Gideon Foster. . — Capt. Gideon Foster. Daniel Putnam. John Walcott. Aaron Putnam. Stephen Needham. 1779. 1780.- 1783. CIVIL HISTORY 258 1784. — Stephen Needham. Major Caleb Low. Aaron Pntnam, Capt. Gideon Foster. Daniel Putnam. 1785.— David Prince. Jonathan Sawyer. Stephen Needham. Daniel Putnam. Col. Jeremiah Page. 1786.— Stephen Needham. Stephen Putnam. Daniel Putnam. Capt. Jona. Procter. Capt. Gideon Foster. 1787. — Jona. Sawyer. Samuel Gardner. Amos Tapley. David Prince. Timothy Leech. 1788.— David Prince. Capt. Samuel Page. Amos Tapley. James Porter. Stephen Keedham. 1789.— David Prince. Samuel Page. John Kettell. Amos Tapley. James Porter. 1790.— David Prince. Capt. Samuel Page. John Kettell. James Porter. John Brown. 1791. — Stephen Needham. Gideon Foster. John Kettell. David Prince. Amos Tapley. 1792.— Gideon Foster. David Prince. Samuel Page. John Kettell. Stephen Needham. 1793.— Gideon Foster. David Prince. John Kettell. Joseph Putnam. Stephen Needham. 1794.— David Prince. Stephen Needliam. Samuel Page. John Kettell. Gideon Foster. 1795. — Joseph Osborn, Jr. Stephen Needham. David Prince. John Kettell. Zerubbabel Porter. 1796. — Joseph Osborn, Jr. Samuel Page. John Kettell. Stephen Needham. Daniel Putnam. 1797.— Joseph Osborn, Jr. Nathl. Webb. Zerubbabel Porter. Amos Tapley. Elijah Flint. 1798.— Joseph Osborn, Jr. Samuel Page. John Kettell. Daniel Putnam. Nathan Felton. 1799.— Nathan Felton. Daniel Putnam. John Kettell. Amos Tapley. Joseph Osborn, Jr. 1800. — Joseph Osborn, Jr. Daniel Putnam. Samuel Page. John KetteU. • Nathan Felton. 254 CHRONICLES OF DANYERS 1801.— Samuel Page. Joseph Putnam. Nathan Felton. Zerubbabel Porter. Elijah Flint. 1802.— N^athan Felton. Johnson Procter. Sylvester shorn. Jona. Walcut. John Fowler. 1803.— Nathan Felton. Sylvester Osbom. John Preston. Jona. Walcut. John Fowler. 1804.— Nathan Felton. Sylvester Osbom. Jonathan Walcut. Johnson Procter. John Fowler. 1805.— Nathan Felton. Amos Tapley. Sylvester Osbom. Jonathan Walcut. John Fowler. 1806.— Nathan Felton. Sylvester Osbom. Jonathan Walcut. Thomas Putnam. John Fowler. 1807.— Nathan Felton. Sylvester Osbom. Jonathan Walcut. John Fowler. Amos Tapley. 1808. — Thomas Putnam. Nathan Felton. Sylvester Procter. Daniel Putnam. Amos Tapley. 1809.— Nathan Felton. Amos Tapley. Levi Preston. Thos. Putnam. Daniel Putnam. 1810.— Nathan Felton. Nathaniel Putnam. Sylvester Procter. Daniel Putnam. Peter Cross, Jr. 1811.— Nathan Felton. Levi Preston. Jonathan Walcut. Daniel Putnam. Andrew Nichols, Jr. 1812.— Nathan Felton. Jonathan Walcut. Eichard Osborn. Daniel Putnam. Nathaniel Putnam, 1813.— Nathan Felton. Jonathan Walcut. Daniel Putnam. Nathaniel Putnam. Eichard Osborn. 1814.— Nathan Felton. Jonathan Walcut. Nathaniel Putnam. James Brown. Jolin Page. 1815.— Nathan Felton. Nathaniel Putnam. Jonathan Walcut. John Page. Sylvester Procter. 1816.— Nathan Felton. Sylvester Procter. Nathaniel Putnam. Jonathan Walcut. Daniel Putnam, 1817.— Nathan Felton. Jonathan Walcut. Sylvester Procter. Daniel Putnam. Nathaniel Putnam. CIVIL HISTORY 255 1818.— Joseph Shed. Israel Putnam, Jr. Thomas Putnam. Jesse Putnam. Moses Preston, Jr. 1819. — Israel Putnam, Jr. Thomas Putnam. Jesse Putnam. Joseph Shed. Moses Preston, Jr. 1820. — Israel Putnam, Jr. Thomas Putnam. Jesse Putnam. Joseph Shed. Moses Preston, Jr. 1821. — Thomas Putnam. Joseph Shed. Jesse Putnam. Moses Preston, Jr. Elias Putnam. 1822. — Jesse Putnam. Elias Putnam. Nathan Pelton. Moses Preston, Jr. Joseph Stearns. 1823. — Jesse Putnam. Joseph Steams. Elias Putnam. Moses Preston, Jr. Jonathan Shove. 1824. — Jesse Putnam. Joseph Steams. Elias Putnam, Moses Preston. Jonathan Shove. 1825, — Jesse Putnam. Elias Putnam. Joseph Steams. Moses Preston. Jonathan Shove. 1826. — Jesse Putnam. Jonathan Shove. Joseph Steams. Elias Putnam. Moses Preston. 1827. — Jesse Putnam. Elias Putnam. Jonathan Shove. Robert S. Daniels. Nathan Felton. 1828. — Jesse Putnam. Jonathan Shove. Eobert S. Daniels. Nathan Poor. Elias Putnam. 1829. — Jesse Putnam. Elias Putnam. Jonathan Shove. Nathan Poor. Daniel P. King. 1830.— Elias Putnam. Jonathan Shove. Nathan Poor. Jesse Putnam. Benjamin Jacobs. 1831. — John Preston. Benjamin Jacobs. Jacob F. Perry. Eben Putnam, Jr. Joseph Shed. 1832. — Benjamin Jacobs, Kendall shorn. Lewis Allen. John Preston. Jacob F. Perry. 1833. — John Preston. Kendall Osborn. Jacob F. Perry. Benjamin Jacobs. Nathaniel Pope. 1834. — John Preston. Joseph Tufts, Jr. Benjamin Jacobs. Nathaniel Pope. Kendall Osborn. 256 CHRONICLES OF DAN VERS 1835. — Nathaniel Pope. Samuel P. Fowler. Eben Putnam. Lewis Allen. Henry Poor. 1836. — Lewis Allen. Nathaniel Pope. Eben S. Upton. Samuel P. Fowler. Joseph Tufts, Jr. 1837. — Nathaniel Pope. Abel Nichols. Samuel P. Fowler. Joseph Tufts, Jr. Ebenezer Sutton. 1838.— Samuel P. Fowler. Elijah Upton. Joseph Tufts, Jr. Eben Sutton. Nathaniel Pope. 1839.— Elijah Upton. Nathaniel Pope. Samuel P. Fowler. Joseph Tufts, Jr. Abel Nichols. 1840.— Elijah Upton. Nathaniel Pope. Andrew Torr. Andrew Lunt. Samuel P. Fowler. 1841. — Henry Poor. William Black. Nathaniel Pope. Elijah Upton. Joshua Silvester. 1842.— Elijah Upton. Joshua Silvester. William Black. Joseph Poor, Jr. Wingate Merrill. 1843.— Wingate Merrill. Joseph Poor, Jr. Joshua Silvester. WilHam Black. Perley Goodale. 1844.— Wingate Merrill. Joshua Silvester. Joseph Poor, Jr. Henry Fowler. Eben King. 1845.— Wingate Merrill. Lewis Allen. Henry Fowler. Nathaniel Pope. William Dodge, Jr. 1846.— Wingate Merrill. Kendall Osborn. Nathaniel Pope. William Dodge, Jr. Lewis Allen. 1847. — Lewis Allen. Wingate Merrill. Nathaniel Pope. William Dodge, Jr. Moses Black, Jr. 1848. — Nathaniel Pope. Wingate Merrill. Moses Black, Jr. Lewis Allen. Kendall Osborn. 1849.— Otis Mudge. Elias Savage. Abel Preston. William Dodge, Jr. Eben S. Upton. 1850. — Lewis Allen. Eichard Osborn. Samuel Preston. Kendall Osborn. Francis Dodge. 1851. — Kendall Osborn. Francis Dodge. William Endicott. Daniel Emerson. Aaron F. Clark. 1852.— 1853. 1854. 1855.— 1856.— 1857.— 1858.— 1859, I860.— 1861.— 1862.— 1863 CIVIL HISTORY 2 — Kendall Osborn. John A, Putnam. Richard Osborn. 1864.- —Jacob F. Perry. William Endicott. John A. Putnam. Aaron F. Clark. William Dodge, Jr. Edwin Mudge. 1865.- —Jacob F. Periy. — Kendall Osborn. William Dodge, Jr. Leonard Poole. John A. Putnam. Edwin Miidge. 1866.- —Jacob F. Perry. Aaron Putnam. William Dodge, Jr. Elias Savage. John A. Putnam. — Lewis Allen. 1867.- —William Dodge, Jr. Leonard Poole. Simeon Putnam. Joel Putna^m. Henry A. Perkins. Benj. F. Hutchinson. 1868.- —William Dodge, Jr. Nathan H. Poor. Simeon Putnam. — Abel Preston. Henry A. Perkins. William Walcott. 1869.- —William Dodge, Jr. Nathaniel Bodge. Simeon Putnam. Moses J. Currier. Henry A. Perkins. Augustus Fowler. 1870.- —William Dodge, Jr. — William Dodge, Jr. Henry A. Perkins. Augustus Fowler. Josiah Ross. Charles P. Preston. 1871.- —William Dodge, Jr. — Augustus Fowler. Henry A. Perkins. Charles P. Preston. Josiah Ross. William Dodge, Jr. 1872.- —William Dodge, Jr. — Rufus Putnam. Henry A. Perkins. Charles P. Preston. Joshua Bragdon. Otis Mudge. 1873.- —Henry A. Perkins. — ^Eufus Putnam. Joshua Bragdon. Charles P. Preston. Samuel W. Spaulding. William Dodge, Jr. 1874.- —Joshua Bragdon. . — Rufus Putnam. Henry A. Perkins. Charles P. Preston. Otis F. Putnam. James M. Perry. 1875.- —Henry A. Perkins. . — Francis Dodge. Joshua Bragdon. William Dodge, Jr. Otis F. Putnam. Charles Chaplin. 1876.- —Henry A. Perkins. . — William Dodge, Jr. Joshua Bragdon. Charles Chaplin. Otis F. Putnam. Augustus Fowler. 1877.- —Henry A. Perkins. . — James M. Perry. Joshua Bragdon. Jacob F. Perry. Otis F. Putnam. 257 258 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS 1878.— Charles H. Adams. Otis F. Putnam. Josiah Eoss. 1879. — Henry A. Perkins. Josiah Eoss. Harrison 0. Warren. 1880. — Henry A. Perkins. Harrison 0. Warren. Daniel P. Pope. 1881. — Henry A. Perkins. Daniel P. Pope. Josiah Eoss. 1882.— Daniel P. Pope. Otis F. Putnam. Joshua Bragdon. 1883.— Daniel P. Pope. Otis F. Putnam, Joshua Bragdon. 1884.— Daniel P. Pope. Joshua Bragdon. Otis F. Putnam. 1885.— Daniel P. Pope. Joshua Bragdon. Otis F. Putnam. 1886.— Daniel P. Pope. Joshua Bragdon. Otis F. Putnam. 1887.— Daniel P. Pope. Joshua Bragdon, Otis F. Putnam. 1888.— Otis F. Putnam. Daniel P. Pope. Joseph W. Woodman, 1889,— Daniel P. Pope. Joseph W. Woodman. Otis F. Putnam, 1890.— Daniel P. Pope. Chauncey S. Eichards. Otis F. Putnam. 1891.— Daniel P. Pope. Chauncey S. Eichards. Jacob Marston. Otis F. Putnam, 1892.— Daniel P. Pope. Otis F. Putnam. Jacob Marston. 1893,— Daniel P. Pope. Eoswell D. Bates. Charles N. Perley. 1894.— Daniel P. Pope. Charles H. Preston. Frank C. Damon. 1895.— Daniel P. Pope. Albert A. Bates. George W. Baker. 1896.— Daniel P. Pope, Ceorge W, Baker. Albert A. Bates. 1897.— Daniel P. Pope. Albert A. Bates. George W. Baker. 1898.— Daniel P. Pope. Albert A. Bates. George W. Baker. 1899.— Daniel P, Pope. George W, Baker. Walter T, Creese, 1900,— Daniel P, Pope. Albert A. Bates. Eoswell D. Bates. 1901.— Daniel P. Pope. Eoswell D. Bates. Albert A. Bates. 1902.— Daniel P, Pope. Eoswell D. Bates. Charles N. Perley. 1903.— Daniel P. Pope, Eoswell D, Bates. John T. Carroll. 1904.— Daniel P, Pope. Charles IST. Perley. John T. Carroll." 1905.— Daniel P. Pope. Charles H. Preston. John T. Carroll. CIVIL HISTORY 259 190G.— Daniel P. Pope. John T. Carroll. Charles H. Preston. 1907.— Daniel P. Pope. Charles H. Preston. David S. Brown. 1908.— Daniel P. Pope. Charles H. Preston. J. Ellis ISTightingale. 1909.— Daniel P. Pope. Charles H. Preston. J. Ellis Nightingale. 1910.— Daniel P. Pope. J. Ellis Nightingale. Alvah J. Bradstreet. 1911.— Daniel P. Pope. J. Ellis Nightingale. Andrew H. Paton. 1912.— Daniel P. Pope. James 0. Perry. Poland G-. Eaton. 1913.— David S. Brown. J. Ellis Nightingale. Poland G. Eaton. 1914.— David S. Brown. J. Ellis Nightingale. Roland G. Eaton. 1915.— David S. Brown, J. Ellis Nightingale. Roland G. Eaton. 1916.— David S. Brown. J. Ellis Nightingale. Roland C Eaton. 1917.— David S. Brown. W. Arthur Donnell. J. Anderson Lord. 1918.— David S. Brown. Raymond U. Lynch. J. Ellis Nightingale. 1919.— David S. Brown. J. Ellis Nightingale. W. Arthur Webb. 1920.— David S. Brown. W. Arthur Webb. J. Ellis Nightingale. 1921.— David S. Brown. W. Arthur Webb. J. Ellis Nightingale. 1922.— W. Arthur Webb. Harold D. Stone. Albert F. Learoyd. SENATORS. Samuel Holten, 1784, '86, '89-92, Robert S. Daniels, 1851. '95, '96. Samuel Putnam, 1813-14. Rufus Choate, 1829. Elias Putnam, 1831-32. Jonathan Shove, 1834-36. Daniel P. King, 1839-41. Henry Poor, 1846. George Osborn. Alfred A. Abbott, 1853. James D. Black, 1855. Israel W. Andrews, 1863-64. Augustus Mudge, 1882. Samuel L. Sawyer, 1893-94. J. Frank Porter, 1901-03. A. Preston Chase, 1913-14. Walter T. Creese, 1923. REPRESENTATIVES. Daniel Epes, Jr., 1754-57, '65, '67. Daniel Gardner, 1759. Thomas Porter, 1760-63, '65. 260 CHRONICLES OF DANVEES John Preston, 1764. Samuel Holten, Jr., 1768-73, '75, '80, '87. WiUiam Shillaber, 1775. Samuel Epes, 1776. Jeremiah Hutchinson, 1777-83, '85-88. Gideon Putnam, 1784. Col. Israel Hutchmson, 1789, '91-95, '97, '98. Caleb Low, 1790. Gideon Foster, 1796, '99, 1800-02. 1804. — Gideon Foster, Capt. Samuel Page, Dr. Nathan Bead. 1805. — Gideon Foster, Samuel Page, Nathan Felton. 1806. — Gideon Foster, Samuel Page, Nathan Felton. 1807.— Nathan Felton. 1808. — Samuel Page, Nathan Felton, Squiers Shove. 1809. — Samuel Page, Nathan Felton, Squiers Shove. 1810. — Samuel Page, Nathan Felton, Dennison Wallis. 1811. — Samuel Page, Nathan Felton, Dennison Wallis, Daniel Putnam. 1812. — Samuel Page, Nathan Felton, Dennison Wallis, James Foster. 1813. — Samuel Page, Nathan Felton, Dennison Wallis, James Foster. 1814. — Samuel Page, Nathan Felton, Sylvester Osborn, Heze- kiah Flint. 1815. — Nathan Felton, Sylvester Osborn, Hezekiah Flint, Wil- liam P. Page. 1816. — Nathan Felton, William P. Page, Frederick Howes, John Swinnerton, Jr. 1817. — Daniel Putnam, Sylvester Osborn, Frederick Howes, Thomas Putnam. 1818, — Frederick Howes. 1819. — Nathan Felton, Dennison Wallis, Daniel Putnam, Thomas Putnam. 1820-21.— Nathan Felton. 1822.— William Sutton. 1823. — Ebenezer Shillaber, John Page, Nathan Poor, Nathaniel Putnam. 1824.— Nathan Poor. 1825. — John Page, John Endicott. 1826. — Jonathan Shove, Rufus Choate. 1827. — Rufus Choate, Jonathan Shove. 1828. — Jonathan Shove, Nathan Poor, Robert S. Daniels. 1829. — Jonathan Shove, Elias Putnam. CIVIL HISTORY 261 1830. — Elias Putnam, Jonathan Shove, Eobert S. Daniels, Nathan Poor. 1831 (May). — Nathan Poor, John Page, William Sutton, John Preston. 1831 (November). — John Page, John Preston, Nathan Poor, Jonathan Shove. 1832. — John Preston, John Page, Ebenezer Shillaber, Jonathan Shove. 1833. — Jonathan Shove, Henry Cook, John Preston, John Page. 1834. — John Preston, Henry Cook, Andrew Lunt, Eben Putnam, Jacob F. Perry. 1835. — Jacob F. Perry, Andrew Lunt, Daniel P. King, Allen Putnam, Joshua H. Ward. 1836. — Joshua H. Ward, Jacob F. Perry, Andrew Lunt, Caleb L. Frost. 1837. — Caleb L. Frost, Eben Putnam, Samuel P. Fowler, Lewis Allen. 1838. — Lewis Allen, Samuel P. Fowler, Henry Poor, Abel Nichols. 1839. — Joshua H. Ward, Henry Poor, Samuel P. Fowler, Allen Putnam. 1840.— Allen Putnam, Fitch Poole. 1841. — ^Fitch Poole, Samuel Preston. 1842. — Daniel P. King, Samuel Preston. 1843. — Frederick Morrill, Joshua Silvester. 1844. — Eichard Osborn, Henry Fowler. 1845. — Henry Fowler, Eichard Osborn. 1846.— Henry Fowler, Elijah W. Upton. 1847.— Elijah W. Tipton, Joshua Silvester. 1848.— William Walcott, William Dodge. 1849.— A. A. Abbott, John Hines. 1850. — William Walcott, Otis Mudge, Henry A. Hary. 1851. — John Hines, Philemon Putnam, Alfred A. Abbott. 1852.— William Walcott. 1853. — David Daniels, Philemon Putnam, James P. King. 1854. — Joseph Jacobs, Francis Dodge, Israel W. Andrews. 1855. — Israel W. Andrews, Eben S. Poor, Alonzo P. Phillips. 1856. — Arthur A. Putnam, Israel W. Andrews, Eichard Smith. 1857-58.— Francis P. Putnam. 1859.— Arthur A. Putnam. I860.— George Tapley. 1861-62.— James W. Putnam. 1863-64.— Charles P. Preston. 262 CHRONICLES OF DANVERS 1865-66.— Simeon Putnam. 1867-68.— Edwin Mudge. 1870-71.— George H. Peabody. 1872-73.— George J. Sanger. 1875-76.— Charles B. Rice. 1877.— Israel W. Andrews. 1878.— Charles B. Rice. 1880-81.— Gilbert A. Tapley. 1882.— Alonzo J. Stetson. 1883.— Andrew H. Paton. 1885-86.— Malcolm Sillars. 1891-92.— Samuel L. Sawyer. 1894-95.— J. Frank Porter. 1896-97.— Joseph W. Woodman. 1898-99.— Addison P. Learoyd. 1901-02.— Charles H. Preston. 1903.— Thomas E. Dougherty. 1906.— Nathan H. Poor. 1907.— Melvin B. Putnam. 1909-10.— Arthur Preston Chase. 1913-14.— Alvah J. Bradstreet. 1917-18.— George D. Morse. 1920-21.— Walter T. Creese. ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. Page 5, Hue 1, read Francis instead of Richard Weston. Page 36. Since the foregoing pages were printed, the Browne portraits have been purchased and presented to a Baltimore mu- seum. Page 43. Sir Danvers Osborn was born at the family seat of Chicksands Priory, Shefford, County of Bedford, on Nov. 17, 1715, and was thus in the thirty-eighth year of his age when he took charge of the Government of New York. Plunged into incon- solable grief at the death of his wife, this office was secured for him in the hope that entire change of scene, as well as enforced activity, would be beneficial. He arrived in New York on Oct. 6, 1753, and soon after the inaugural ceremonies, Oct. 12, which were attended with much pomp and dignity, he committed suicide in the garden of a member of the Council. Sir Danvers had previ- ously spent some time in Canada with his brother-in-law, the Earl of Halifax. It is said that he was very popular, and his untimely death was greatly lamented. His private secretary was Thomas Pownall, who, four years later, received a commission as Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The remains of the un- fortunate Governor were conveyed across the Atlantic and buried in the churchyard of his native parish. He left two children, and the title has descended to his great-great-great grandson, Sir Alger- non Kerr Butler Osborn (born 1870), who occupies the old family seat of Chicksands Priory. Page 55. Under "Incorporation of Danvers," add that the Council concurred on June 9, and the act was published on June 16. Page 64. Add to note, Samuel Porter, a noted lawyer, born in the Putnam-Dodge-Sears house in Putnamville, in 1743, was also a Tory, and died in London in 1798. Page 175. Joshua Silvester died July 29, instead of July 9, 1887. (263) INDEX Abbey, Thomas, 19, 20. Abbott, Alfred A., 170, 259, 261. Charles F., 161. George, opp. 110. H. D., 247. Abolition, 147-1-51. Adams, Charles Francis, 169. Charles H., 258. Fred, 242. H. C, 18, John, 8, opp. 55, 101. John Quincy, 8, 67, 97, 102. L. W., 191. Samuel, 97. Agan, Patrick, 145. Aiken, Hector A., 189. Alarm companies, 110. Alford, William, 9. Allen, Albert G., 123, 183, 208. Henry F., 189. John, opp. 29. Lewis, opp. 105, 156, 249, 255-257, 261. Allen farm, 238. Alley, William, 1-34, 149. Alliance (frigate), 86. Amity Lodge, 111. Amory, William, 170. Anchor factory, 98. Andrew, , 12, 83. Andrews, Ginger, 45. Israel W., 35, 67, 171, 247, 249, 2.50, 259, 261, 262. John, 45. John D., 149. Joseph, 35. Winthrop, 140, 149. Andros, Edmund, 22. Annunciation Cemetery, 178. Anstis (negro), 62. Antwerp, Belgium, 43. Appleton, Samuel, 19. Armitage, A. T., 208, Joshua, 128. Armory, 202. Arnold, Benedict, 8, 67, 76. Arnold's march to Quebec, 8, 9. Arthur, Prince, 171, 173. Artillery, 110. Aspinwall, Thomas, 169. Australian ballot, 203. Avery, J. Humphrey, 92. Ayres, W. M., 191. Baker, Francis, 162, 177, 250. George W., 258. Balch, Anna, 242. Benjamin, 85, 86, 111. Joseph. 21. Lewis P. W.. 242. Mary, 86. William, 86. Baldwin, F. W., 247. Ballou, , 120. Bancroft, Jonathan, 52. Bank Hall, 179. Banks, 127, 128. Baptist Church, 91, 120, 148. Barker, Lemuel, opp. 110. Barnaby, James, 91. Barnes, Merritt H., 211. Barney, Jacob, 10, 16. Barrett, Jonathan, opp. 110. Barry, James, 86. Michael, opp. 105, Barstow, Gideon, 236, 238. Bartlett, Sidney, 70. Batchelder, Albert W., 161. H. F., 246. Joseph, opp. 105. Bates, Albert A., 258. Roswell D., 258. "Battle of Bunker Hill," painting of, 76. Battle of Lexington, 9, 70-73, 114. Battye, James, 189. Bayley, , 17, 18. Thomas, 21. Bean, Norris S., 134. Beche-de-Mer, 116. Beckford, Mrs. A. W., 210. Edwin, 189. (265) 266 INDEX Beebe, James M., 170. Beekman, Garrett. 191. Belcher, L. & W. S., VA2. Bell, Alexander Graham, 193. Mrs. G. P., 210. Thomas, 19. Bell Tavern, 88, Belvidere Hall, 160. Benjamin, Charles, 150. Benson, , 223. Bentley, , 103. Berry, , 154. Eben G., 55, 149, 198. Ebenezer, 55, opp. 110. Berry, see Barry. Berry Tavern, 45, 47, 55, 111, opp. 125, 201. Betsey (sch.), 115. Beverly annexed, portion of, 179. Bigelow, George T., 169. Jacob, 169. "Birchwood," 5. Bishop, Bridget, opp. 24, 30. John, 21. Townsend, 9, 27, opp. 29. Black, , 241. Archelaus P., 149. James D., 149, 168, 249, 259. Joseph S., 123, 158, 162. Moses, 113, opp. 115, 132, 149, 249, 25G. William, 132, 256. Blake, J. Albert, 124. Blanchard, Webster, 212. Bloody Brook, 20. Boardman, , 132. Israel P., 123. N. Holten, 123. :N'athaniel, 123. Boardman & Gould, 132. Bodge, G. M., 19. Nathaniel, 257. Bodwell, C. S., 18. Isaac, 189. Booth, Elizabeth, 23. Borland, Francis, 33. "Boston," frigate, 86. Boswell, James A., 91. Boundaries, 1. Boutelle, H. C, 247. Bovpditch, Nathaniel, 115. Bowen, Thomas M., 134, 149. Bracamontes, John, 211. Brackett, Josiah, 132. Bradlee, , 241. Francis B. C, 98, 158. Bradstreet, Alvah J., 259, 262. Dudley, opp. 16. Bragdon, Joshua, 257, 258. Braman, , 137, 168. Milton P., 18, 139, 166, 168, 171. Brand, James, 146. Brenan, Edward H., 190. Brick School, 112. Brick manufacturing, 126, 127. Bridges, John H., 189. Briggs, Jeremiah, 236, 238. Brigham, Lincoln F., 170. Brimblecom, Samuel, 120, 149. British soldiers' graves, 66. British troops in Danvers, 65-67. BrovFU, Browne, David S., 259. Edward, opp. 105. James, 254. John, 253. Louis, 55. Oliver O., 150. Parker, 117. Stephen, 117. Sylvester, 189. William, 36, 37, 39, 45, 239, 263. William B., 239. William Burnet, 39. Browne's Folly, 36-41. Buck, C. L., 247. Buckley, Thomas, 21. Budgell, Walter J., 208. Bulkley, S. C, 120. Andrew, 240. Hannah, 240. William, 33, 240. Burley Farm, 10,239. Burley Hill, 240. Burnet, Mary, 37. Burr, Aaron, 108. Burrington, Howard R., 161. Burroughs, , 30. George, 18, 30. Burrows, James H., 189. Bush, John, 246. Butler, John C, 123. O. S., 139. Peter, 170. Stephen, 19. Button, Lewis, 189. Buttrick, Eliza K., 199. Samuel B., 127. Buxton, , 12. Daniel, 238. John, 35. Jonathan, 251, 252. INDEX 267 Cabot, , 241. Edward, 241. Joseph S., 158. Callahan, Abraham, 123. Calvary Episcopal Church, 179. Campbell, Elizabeth, 210. Canright, Elder, 191. Carey, E. J., 248. Carleton, Charles, 246, Loring, 124. Carmichael, Ludwig, 211. Carpet manufacturing, 135, 136, 140, 141. Carr, , 127. Edward G., 248. Katherine, 210. Carrier, Martha, 30. Carroll, , 61. John T., 258, 259. Marcus, 179. Nathaniel, 15. Carruthers, William, 146. Cartmill, Jonathan, 191. Case, S„ 132. Cashman, M. J., 208. Cassell, , 169. Cassidy, William M,, 191. Cate (negro), 52, 61. Celebration, 150th Anniversary, 204. Cemeteries, 143, 144. Centennial celebration, 161. Central fire station, 112. Chaffin, A. W., 92. Chamberlain, Mellen, 216, 247. Champion, Alexander, 238. Channell, William H., 189. Chaplin, Charles, 257. Jeremiah, 85, 91, 103, 124. Chase, A. Preston, 203, 248, 250, 259, 262. Herbert J., 161. Preston M., 246. Robert F., 179. Cheever, Aaron, 66. H. C, 150. Samuel, 73. Thomas, 117. William, 117., Cherry Hill, 9. Chickamauga, Ga., 204. Choate, Rufus, 259, 260. Churchill, Sarah, 23. Civil War, 112, 179, 180. Claflin, , 170. William, 169. Clancy, G. C, 134. Clapp, Granville W., 124. W. E., 248. Clarissa (sch.), 115. Clark, Aaron F., 162, 256, 257. Caleb, 92. Peter, 18, 45, 57, 64, opp. 75. Samuel, opp. 75. William, 64, 246. Clark house, 214. Clergymen, 246. Clerks of the Town, 250. Clifford, John H., 169. Clinton, Iowa, 232. Clock, electric, 202. Clough, Ira P., 150. James, 35. Coard, Francis, 20. Coffin, Simeon, 189. Cogswell, William, 242. Colcord, J. Herbert, 246. Cole, Gideon, 92. Robert, 13. Cole grant, 13, Collins, , 103, 104. Judge, 235. Benajah, 103, 247. Deborah, 104, 236. Hepsebeth, 104, 236, Susanna, 235, Thomas, 189. Triphenia, 104. Collins house, 103. Columbiana (vessel), 131. Combo (negro), 52, 61. Come-outers, 148. Company K, 8th Regt., 201, 203, 204. Conamabsquenooncant River, 5. Conant, Roger, 2. Silas, 123. Connors, , 132. Cook, , 1.50. Benjamin, opp. 110. Charles A., 208. Mrs. Eleanor, 210. George T., opp. 105. Henry, 261. Henry W., 208. Samuel, 71. Corey, Giles, 16, 26, 30. Martha, 26, 30. Corning, Phineas, 123. Corwin, George, opp. 24. Jonathan, 8, 25. Cotta, Robert, 233. Cotton, Edward H., 120, 190. 268 INDEX Couch, Fred, 194. Lester S., 144. Parley, 194. Country stores, 122, 124-126, 141. Cowhouse River, 5. Craddock, Matthew, 3. Crane, Lawrence, 211. Crane River, 9, 43, 44, 46. Crane River bridge, 46. Creese, , 150. Mrs. W. H., 206, 209. Walter T., 208, 258, 259, 262. Creese & Cook, 150. Crehore, Marion B., 209. Croft, William H., 189. Crosby, Joseph, 124. Cross, Jacob, 124, 131. Michael, 73. Moses K., 246. Peter, 254. Crowley, Benjamin, 248. Daniel, 145. D. K, 247, 250. Kate R., 197. Crowninshield, Benjamin, 98. Jacob, 108. John, opp. 121. Cudjo (negro), 51. Cummings, Cyrus, opp. 105. David, 247. Samuel, opp. 110. Currier, Moses J., 124, 125, 257. W. M., 193. Currier's shop, 89, 91. Cuthberton, H., 189. Cutler, John, 149. Jonathan, 246. Daland, Deland, Benjamin, 71. Katherina, 34. Moses, 189. Dale, Archelaus, 73, 249-251. Ebenezer, 246. William C, 189. Daley, John, 246. Damon, , 140. Frank C, 134, 202, 250, 258. Dana, Richard H., 242. Samuel T., 170. Danforth, Mrs. Helen, 210. Daniels, David, 156, 261. Robert S., 156, 162, 166, 177, 249, 250, 255, 259-261. Danvers, Eleanor, 43. Danvers, origin of name of, 42. Danvers, 111., 42. Danvers, Montana, 42. Danvers Carpet Co., 141. Danvers Centennial, 161. Danvers Co-operative Bank, 128. Danvers Courier, 151. Danvers Eagle, 151. Danvers Herald, 151. Danvers Historical Society, 84, 198. Danvers Home for the Aged, 205. Danvers Hotel, 193, Danvers Ice Co., 153. Danvers Improvement Society, 197. Danvers Incorporated, 42, 54, 263. Danvers Iron Works, 98, 234. Danvers Light Infantry, 112, 180, 181, 183, 201. Danvers Mirror, 151. Danvers Monitor, 151. Danvers Moral Society, 111. Danvers National Bank, 127. Danvers Plains, 13, 122-135. Danvers Railroad Co., 158. Danvers River, 5. Danvers Savings Bank, 128. Danvers State Hospital, 192. Danvers Social Library, 102. Danvers Whig, 151. Danvers Women's Association, 197. Danversport, 9, 42-49, 113-119, 143, 157. Danvers Visiting Nurse Associa- tion, 206. Danvers Volunteer Aid Assoc, 204. Darling, John, opp. 65. Jonathan, 35. Davenport, , 19. Richard, 10. Davis, A. A., 120. Day, , 127. Dearborn, Henry, 8. Deering, C. H., 247. Dehly, Gerhardt, 120. Deliverance (negro), 52, 61. DeLong, H. C, 120. Demsey, Alden, 123. Dennison, , 14. De Normandie, Eugene, 190. Derby, Elias Haskett, 103, 244. Richard, 37, 39, 240. Dickinson, E. W., 91. Dickson, Thomas, 238. Dill (negro), 52, 61, 62. Dillingham, F. A., 120. Dinah (negro), 52, District school system, 105. Division of Danvers, 176, 177. INDEX 269 Dodge, Charles W., 189. Francis, 177, opp. 1S4, 187, 256, 257, 261. Granville M., opp. 185, 186, 190. John, 20. Josiah, 21. Mary W., opp. 12. Rebecca, 187. Uzziel, opp. 110. William, 20, 177, 256, 257, 261. William B., opp. 105. Dolphin (sch.), 115. Donnell, W. Arthur, 2C8, 259. Dougherty, Thomas E., 262. Douty, Jacob, opp. 105. Downing, , 141. Emanuel, 13, opp. 16. George, 13. Downing grant, 13. Drapeau, Arthur, 210, 211. Drapeau-MacPhetres Post, 212. Drinkwater, Arthur, 91. Driver, Stephen, 231. Drury, Lucien, 92. Dudley, G. W., 134. Dwinnell, , 178. Dwinell, George H., 189. Eagle Carpet Co., 141. Earl, George W., 159. Earthen ware, 126. Earthquake, 37. Eastern Railroad Co., 155, 158. Eastman, Bishop, 179. Easty, Mary, 30. Eaton, Charles F., 236. E. Everett, 123. George N., 170. Joseph W., 92. Roland G., 259. W. W., 143, 198, 246. Electric lighting, 203. Eliza (sch.), 115, 116. Elliott, , 117. Charles L., 124. George A., 189. Ellis, Reuben, 189. Elmere, Magdalene D., 151. Elwell, Andrew, 194. Emerson, Daniel, 134, 256. George W,, 217. Mrs. S. Mabel, 201, 217. Endecott pear tree, 6. Endecott Tavern, 101. Endicott, Endecott, ,5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 27, 144, 157, 241. Charles M., 6. Elias, 123. Israel, 117. John, 1, 2, opp, 29, opp. 32, 117, 235, 245, 260. Lewis, 117. Moses, 117. Samuel, 101, 117, 237, 245, 246. William, 116, opp. 121, 149, 249, 256, 257. William C, 5, 6, 170, 242, 243, 245, 247. Eppes, Eps, — , 69. Daniel, 41, 43, 51, 249-251, 259. John, 251, 252. Samuel, 68, 70, 86, 252, 260. Essex (frigate), 98. , Essex bridge, 46. Essex bridge controversy, 95-97. Essex County Agricultural School, 206. Essex Institute, 128. Essex Railroad Co., 158. Evans, Kenneth E., 190. S. J., 179. William S., 189, Eveleth, Jonathan, 150. Ewell, George A., 189. Ewing, Addison A., 246. Charles E., 246. E. C, 146. George H., 246. Fairfield, , 117. Samuel, 111. William, opp. 121. Fairweather, Thomas, 239. Faneuil Hall Convention, 56. Farley, Elizabeth, 240. Michael, 240. Susanna, 240. Farmer, E. A., 212. Farrar, J. E., 123. Farwell, C. C, 123. Fellows, , 132. Alfred, 123, 150. Felton, , 12. Daniel, opp. 105. J. S., opp. 110. John, 238. Malachi, 41, 249. Nathan, 250, 253-255, 260. Fennessey, R. T., 134. Ferguson, George, 212. Fires, 151. 270 INDEX First Church, 17, 18, 21, 22, 30, 31. Fire department, 105, First Mass. Heavy Artillery, 182. Fish, Nathaniel P., 189. Fiske, George W., 33, 144. Fisk, N. B., 191. Five Sisters (sch.), 11.5. Fletcher, .James, 146, 160. Flint, , 12. Eben S., 214. Elijah, 253, 2.54. Hezekiah, 260. Mrs. H. M., 210. Samuel, 41, 43, 68, 70, 86, 249-252. Thomas, 16, 19, 31, 251. W. E., 247. William, 133. •'Flower of Essex," 20. Folger, Abiah, 99. Bethseda, 99. Peter, 99. Folkersamb, John F., 246. Folly Hill, 36-41. Forbes, H. P., 120. Fort at Waters River, 110. Forty-niners, 159. Foss, LevFis, 194. Foster, Benjamin, 91. Elliott, 246. Gideon, 70, 79, 80, 133, 250, 252, 253, 260. James, 260. Samuel, 35. Fountain, 200. Fourteenth Infantry, 182. Fow^le, Samuel, 121. Fowler, , opp. 48, 88. Augustus, 257. E. O., 246. Emily, opp. 199, 206. Harriet, 146. Henry, 116, opp. 121, 177, 256, 261. John, opp. 110, J27, 254. John P., opp. 105. Samuel, jr., 117. Samuel P., opp. 105, 113, 143, 141, 150, 162, 169, 171, 246, 256, 266. Sara, opp. 114. Fox Hill, 44. Francis, William, 149. Franklin, Benjamin, 99. John, 165. Joseph, 99. Franklin Hall, 178. Freemasonry, 102,110, 111. French, Fred U., 124, 202. George W., 124, 134. Mary, 37. Philip, 37. French and Indian War, Danvers Men in, 31, 32, 49. French neutrals, 50. Frost, Caleb L.,132, 261. George W., opp. 105. John, opp. 110. Frostfish River, 10, 13. Fuller, , 112. Benjamin M., 189. Daniel, 134. Nehemiah, 113. Nehemiah P., ISO, 183. Thomas, 16. Fulton, , 97. Robert, 97. Gaffney, James J., 208, 248. Gage.Thomas, 8, 63, 66, opp. 68, 84, 101, 235. Gallivan, , 127. T. J., 134. Gallows hill, 27, 28. "The Gambrel Roof," 61. Gardner, Daniel, 43, 251, 259. Joseph, 19, 251. Samuel, 252, 253. Thomas, 10. Gas, 203. Gavet, L. F., 231. Geer, C. M., 18. Gen. Israel Putnam Chapter, D. A. R., 57, 77, 200. •'General Putnam" (engine), 106. Georgetown and Danvers Railroad, 156, 158. Getchell, Ephraim, 189. Gibbs, Susan H.,247. Giddings, Solomon, 117. Gifford, , 219. William F., 189. Gillette, S. E., 208. Gingill, John, 16. Glide (ship), 116. Gold fever, 159. Goldsmith, VV. B., 247. Goldthwait, Eben, 71. Good, Sarah, 25, 30. Goodale, Goodell, , 12, 144. A. C, 247. Asa, 135. Ebenezer, 251, 252. Isaac, 15. INDEX 271 Goodale, James, 123, 135. Joshua, 117. Loring B., 208. Perley, 256. Robert, 10, 15, 16. Zachery, 15. Goodhue, J. A., 92. Goodridge, Benjamin, 132. Goodwin, John, 189. Gorton, Janet L., 209. W. A., 247. Mrs. William A., 206. William T., 212. Gothic Hall, 183, 193, 194. Gott, Charles, 10, 239. Goudy, C. W. C, 189. Gould, , 132. Andrew, opp. 110. Charles H., 123. Daniel H., 189. Ellen M., 201. Humphrey, 246. Mrs. Lyman, 210. Gould's Tavern, 106. Gove, John G., 131. Grand Army, 189. Grand Banks, 115. Grand Turk (privateer), 88. Grant, Eugene M., 120. Orville B., 160. Grants, 2, 5, 9. Gray, , 127. Alonzo, 189. Francis A., 246. William, 169. Green, Joseph, 18, 32, 34. Thomas, 91. Griffin, A. W., 179. Griggs, , 24, 34. William, 246. Grosvenor, D. A., 246. Grout, John, 154. Samuel S., 189. Grubaugh, Leon E., 146. Hadley, H. L., 247. Hadlock, James, 16. Hale, E. P., 246. John, 30. Susan E., 209. Hall, Everson, 189. Ralph Q.,211. Halley, Patrick J., 178. Ham, James H., 189. Hambleton, W. J., 191. Hamilton, , 108. Hancock, John, 97. Hanson, , 141. J. W., 120. Hardy, Henry A., 261. Isaac, 139. Harlequin (privateer), 88. Harriman, Jesse P., 149. Harrington, A. H., 247. Myron O., 160. Hart, Henry H., 161. Hartman, Thomas, 189. Harvey, Mrs. Grace, 209. Haskell, , 117. D. C, 131. Hathorne, Anna, opp. 16. Eunice, 150. John, 25. William, 10, opp. W, 19, 25. Hathorne Hill, 10, 187, 192. Hawes, Frank M., 161. Hawk (sch.), 115. Hawkins, C. J., 146. Hawthorne, , 8. Nathaniel, 37, Hayes, Rev., 120, 190. Haynes, William, 5. Hebbert, Samuel, 19. Henderson, David, 140. Henry, Foster, 92. Herrick, Benjamin J., opp, 105. Israel, 19. Joseph, 20. Herring, E. A., 92. Higgins, Ralph S., 127. High Street Cemetery, 144. Hill, E. L., 247. James, 189. Hiller, Charles, 189. Hills, Nathaniel, 160, 171. Hinds, Ambrose, 189. Hines, Ezra D., 13, 37, 205. John, 149, 261. Mary E., 135. Hobbs, Spencer S., 204. Theodore, 131. Hodge, Elias, 191. Hodson, F. A., 120. Holbrook, Charles F., 92. Holmes, John Haynes, 190. Oliver Wendell, 24, 170, 190. Holroyd, John, 91. Holten, Houlton, , 56, 58, 59, 101, 102, 104, 107, 144. Benjamin, 35, 59, 101. John, opp. 33. Joseph, opp. 8, 10, 15, 19. 272 INDEX Holten, Samuel, 56, 57, 63, 73, 111, 160, 200, 246-252, 259, 260. Holten High School, 159-161, 200, 202. Holten High School prizes, 162. Holten house, 101, 200. Holten Royal Arch Chapter, 111. Holten Tavern, 101. Home Guard, 209. Hood, Elizabeth F., 197, 201. John, 149. Joseph E., 134, 250. Richard, 149. Wallace P., 208. Hook, H. William, 246. John, opp. 65. Hooper, Joseph, 65. Matthew, 98, 136, 168, 234. Polly, 234. Robert, 47, 64, 66, 103, 234, 235, 239. Stephen, 65. Swett, 65. Hooper house, 63-66, 101. Horgan, Daniel F., 178. Home, Abiel A., 189. Horswell, Jennie, 219, 222. John, 218, 222. Horton, N. A., 194. Houlton, Me., 36. House, A. v., 18, 36. Houses, Early, 7. Howard, A. Sumner, 171, 250. Jonathan, opp. 110. Levi, 189. Lizzie M., 171. R. H., 191. Thomas, 19. Howe, How, Albert, 123. Elizabeth, 30. Frederick, 150, 193. George, 123. George W., 160. Isaac B. , 232. Joseph W., 247. Margaret, 206, 210, 232. Howes, Elizabeth, 241. Frederick, 241, 247, 260. Lucy, 241. Hoyt, Joseph, opp. 105. Hubbard, Elizabeth, 23. Huckins, Austin, 124. Hudgell, Robert V., 179. Hughes, J. F., 248, 250. Humphrey, John, 9. Hunt. Ebenezer, 150, 246. Hurley, James J., 189. Huse, John, 132. Hussey, J. Frederick, 208, 210, 233. William Penn, 205, 234. Hutchinson, , 12, 66, 72, 144, 157. Ambrose, opp. 17. Benjamin F., 257. E. H., 149. Eben, 123. Edward, 123. Elijah, 101. Elisha, opp. 65. Israel, 70, 73, 81-83, 85, 96, 114, 260, James, 123. Jeremiah, 260. John, 16. Joseph, 16, 17, 19. Richard, 10, 16, opp. 17. Thomas, 37. Hyde, J. W., 179. William L., opp. 137. Ice exported to England, 152. Ideal Baby Shoe Co., 202. Incorporation as a District, 42. Incorporation as a Town, 54, 263. Independent Agricultural School, 206. Indians, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 19-21, 78. IngersoU, , 34. Jonathan, opp. 65, 243. Nathaniel, 15, 16, 18, 20, 31, 101. Richard, 5, 9. Inoculation, 90" Intemperance, 111. Ipswich road, 8. Ireland, 25. Irish settlers, 144. Jackson, Andrew, 128. Eben, 214. Harry E., 128, 208, 247. O. E., 247. William H., 236. Jacobs, , 131, 144. Benjamin, opp. 110, 250, 255. Ebenezer, 51, 251. George, 29, 30. Henry, 71. Joseph, 261. Primus (negro), 52. Warren M., 168. Jay, John, 242. Jefferson, , 8. Jeffs, T. C, 189. INDEX 273 Jenkins, L. W., 190. Mrs. L. W., 210. T. O., 248. Jeremiah (sch.), 115. Jessup, William W., 189. Johnson, Daniel, 132. George, 117. Henry, 117. James A., 117. Thomas, 117. William, opp. 105, 117. Jones, John Paul, 86. Reed, 123. Jordan, Marcus A., 211. Jordan Lodge, 110. Josselyn, Hercules, 149. John, 73, 133. Jupiter (privateer), 88. Kane, , 165. Kain, John, 145. Kate (negro), 54. George, 149. Keene, Joseph W., 161. Keith, C. A., 124. Kelley, Dennis M., 135. James, 149. James W., 189. Martin, 124. Kellum, Lott, 16. Kennedy, D. B., 178. Kenney, G. W., 134, 183. Gertrude S., 134. Henry, 16, 19. Isadora E., 197. Thomas, 19. W. J. C, 117, 139. Kenniston, Allen, 10. Kent, , 88. Benjamin, 117. Irene, 149. Moses A., 189. Kemp, E. A., 246. "Kernwood," 241. Kettelle, Emma P., 216. John, 73, 111, 253. Kimball, Dean, opp. 105. Edward D., 223. Mrs. Maria Grey, 197, 210. O., 131. Kindergarten, 200. King, Daniel P., 249, 255, 259, 261. Eben, 1G2, 177, 2.56. H. B., 191. James P., 261. Joseph, 21. Samuel, 43, 250-252. King Philip's War, Danvers men in, 19, 20. Kirby, John F., 178. Kitchen, Bethia, 33. Robert, .33. Kline, G. M., 247. Knapp, , 141. W. H., 120. Knapp & Downing, 141. Knight, Allen, 150. Charles, 19. Jonathan, 15, 16. Philip, 15, 16. Samuel, 131. Knowlton, Raymond, 211. Thomas, opp. 64. Knox, , 77. Lane, Ralph W., 211. Langley, John R., 123, 131, 149, 168. Larcom, Lucy. 61, opp. 68. Lawford, W. F., 191. Lawrence, Abel, 218. Caroline, 217, 218. Charles, 217, 218, 222. Lawsou, Deodat, 18. Lawyers, 247, 263. Leach, Leech, Alice P., 209. John, 10, 16. Mrs. Osborne, 210. Richard, 10, 16. Robert, 19, 20. Samuel, 239. Timothy, 253. Learovd, Addison P., 250, 262. Albert F., 2.59. Charles B., 246. Charles H., 246. John A., 91, 131, 146, 150. John S., 206. Leather, 14, 89, 90. Leather introduced into England, 129. Leather manufacturers, 131, 132. Leavitt, Alexander A., 150. Joseph, 189. Lee, John, 88. Leech's Tavern, 101. Lefiflan, Samuel A., 189. Legro, Edmund, 123. Joseph W., 149. Leslie, , 69. Thurman, 208. Lewis, Mercy, 23. Phebe, 51. Lexington Monument, 133. Liberty bridge, 97. 274 INDEX Libraries, 102, 103, 168-171. Lincoln Hall, 191. Lindall, Timothy, 32, 33, Lindall Hill, 32, 91, 240. "The Lindens," 64, 103-105, 170, 235. Little, Elbridge, 150. Harry E., 211. Livermore, D. P., 120. L. J., 190. Liverpool, 153. Liverpool, N. S., 103, 104. Locust Lawn, 223. Log cabin, 138. Logan, John A., 134. Long, Henry F., 158. Longfellow, , 50, Lord, J. Anderson, 218, 259. Nathaniel J., 242. William, 234. Lothrop, , 170. S. K., 170. Thomas, 20. Lowe, Low, Caleb, 70, 86, 253, 260. Mrs. S. F., 210. Lowell, James E., 189. John Amory, 170. Lunt, Andrew, opp. 105, 256, 261. George, 170. Lynch, Raymond U., 259. Timothy J., 208. Lyndsey, Eleazer, 19. Lynn, C. B., 120. Lynnfield, 181. Lyons, Charles H., 189. Dennis, 248. P. H., 248. McAuliff, Michael, 189. McCuUough, G. W., 92. McDowell, James, 246. McDonald, J. B., 247. MacFadden, Robert A., 146. McGuigan, J. J., 246. Mclntire, James F., 149, Samuel, 237, 244. McKeigue, Edward, 178, Mackintire, Abel, 251. Solomon, opp. 110. Mclntire, Ingalls K., 149. MacPetres, Hadley, 211. Magee, E. H., 247. Magill, W. P., 179. Magnolia (vessel), 186. Mains, H. L., 247. Maley, Francis, 178. Manassa, Anna E., 134. Manchester, Eng., 131. Maple Street Church, 145, 146. Maple Street School, 112, 181. Maplewood, 206. Marble, Daniel, 251. Margaret (ship), 117. Marietta, Ohio, 93-95. Mark, George A., 120. Marsh, Anna P., 247. Daniel, 172. Ezekiel, 52, 251. Jasper, 128, 208. Marshall, John, 160. William, 131. Marston, Jacob, 258. Martin, George B., 124. Susanna, 30. Marston, Annie L., 209. Mason, Edward D., 161. Robert M., 170. Massachusetts Temperance Society, 111. Massey, Dudley A., 198. Master mariners, 117. Masury, Charles H., 183, Evelyn F., 197, 201. Matagorda (vessel), 186, Mather, Cotton, 2, 8, 26. Matthews, Nathan, 179, May, C. S,, 247, Mead, Abner S., 150, David, 134, 247, J. W., 134. Mead & Webb, 195. Meader, Charles E., 189. Meeting house, first, 17, 31. Melcher, Henry M., 168. Merriam, Nathaniel P., 134, 141, 195. Merrick, F. W., 146. Merrill, , 149, C, A., 191. C. O., 210. Henry M., 123. John, 189. Levi, 134. Samuel A., 234. Wingate. opp. 105, 256. Merrow, Edith C, 209. Meteor, The, 193. Methodist Episcopal Church, 191, Metzger, William, 189, Mexican War, 158. Middle precinct, 32, 35, 36. Militia, 10, 18, 19, 68, 109, 112, 113. Mills, 44-46, 102, 118, INDEX 275 Mitchell, Francis L., 163. Fred C, 161. H. W., 247. John C, 190. Maria, 100, Moderators, 249. Montague, Lady Mary, 43. Montgomery, Edward L., 161. Moody, Henry L., 242. Melissa A., 242. William H., 241, 247. Moore, Paul H., 212. Morgan, Daniel, 9. James, 189. Moriarty, J. J., 247. Thomas, 246. Morrill, Frederick, 261. Morse, Carl F. A., 208. George D., 208, 262. Isadore, 224. Mrs. Leopold, 224. Tyler, 224. Mosaic Lodge, 111. Moulton, Benjamin, 251. Robert, 15. Moynahan, Frank E., 151. Mudge, Albert H., 134. Augustus, 123, 128, 259. Edwin, 123, 257, 262. O. P., 246. Otis, 123, 256, 257, 261. Sarah W., 210. Simon, 73. Mullins, W. H., 212. Municipal lighting, 203. Munroe, Harris, 131. James M., 132. Murphy, Leonard, 246. Milan, 52. Murray, , 120. Musgrave, Thomas A., 181, 189. Nail cutting machine, 98. Nancy (sch.), 115. Nangle, Robert B., 211. Narragansett fight, 19, 20. Neal, Harriot P., 210. "Neck of Land," 48, 142. Needham, , 12. Jasper, 251. Joseph, 20. Stephen, opp. 105, 250-253. William, 150. Neilson, Augustus B., 242. New Hampshire Iron Co., 116. New Mills, 9, 42-49, 72, 87, 91, 92, 113-119, 143, 147-151. New Mills Alarm Company, 110. New Mills Lyceum, 103. New Mills Social Library, 103. New Salem Pioneers, 35. Newbury port and Boston R. R., 158. Newhall, Aaron F., opp. 110. Benjamin E., 127. Benjamin S., 208. Charles, 133, 134, 203. Henry, 194. Josiah, opp. 105. Newspapers, 151. Niagara (engine), 106. Nichols, Abel, 149, 223, 249, 256, 261. Andrew, opp. 110, 134, 150, 246, 247, 249, 254. Mrs. Andrew, 206. Ezra, opp. 105. John H., 223, 246. Joshua, 135. Mrs. Joshua, 219, 223. Mary W., 197. Oda Howe, 224. William, 10. Nickerson, W. C, 208. Nightingale, C. S., 92. J. Ellis, 208, 259. Niles, E. H., 247. Nita (vessel), 186. Norman, George H., 192. Norris & Preston, 131. North bridge, 68, 69. Northend, William D., 158. Northwest Territory, 93-95. Nowers, Fred H., 209. Noyes, Francis, 123. Harriet, 174. John M. C, 123, 131. Nathaniel, 174. Nicholas, 26. Sally, 174. Nurse, Nourse, , 144. Allen, 189. Francis, 27, opp. 29, 73, 251. Rebecca, 8, 27, 30. Rogers, 73, 133. Nurse farm, 9. Nutting, Daniel, opp. 105. Oak Hill, 9, 236, 237. Oakes, Caleb, 117, 144, 174. William, 100, 117, 247. O'Brien, Jeremiah, 85. John, 86. Morris, 85. 276 INDEX Oby, Maurice C, opp. 115. Ogden, William H., 189. Ohio Company, 93-95. Oliver, B. L., opp. 110. Omnibus line, 154. O'Neil, J. H., 248. Orchard Farm, 5, 6. O'Keilly, Fr., 178. O'Rourke, D. J., 248. Orkhussunt River, 5. Osborn, Osborne, , 12. Alexander, 25. Sir Danvers, 43, 263. George, 156, 177, 259. Joseph, 250, 253. Kendall, 156, 255-257. Miles, 162. Peter 43, Richard, 254, 256, 257, 261. Sarah, 25, SO, 217. Sylvester, 86, 133, 254, 260. William, 20. Osgood, Gayton P., 158. George, 246, 249. Joseph, 162. Otis, Harrison Gray, 97. Owen, Llewellyn A., 120, 190. Page, , 62, 87, 144. Anne L., 61, 197, 200. Betsey, 115. Charles W., 149, 247. Clarissa, 115, 117. Eliza, 115. Jeremiah, 52, 70, 73, 83, 84, 86, 101, 115, 127, 250, 253. John, 254, 260, 261. Nancy, 115. Nicholas, 20. Rebecca, 115. Sally, 115. Samuel, 73, 86, 110, 111, 114, 117. 249, 250, 253, 254. William, 115. William P., 246, 260. Page house, opp. 125, 200. Page tea party, 60-63. Paine, H. H., 191. Palmer, Thomas, 124, 201. Parish rate abolished, 119. Park, public, 198. Parker, Alice, 30. George H., 44, 208. Mary, 30. William H., 189. Parris, Elizabeth, 23. Samuel, 18, 23. Patch, Emilie K., 171. Paton, Andrew H., 259, 262. Mrs. A. H., 210. Patten, John R., 149, 246. Patterson, Jesse C, opp. 105. Peabody, , 163, 164, 167-169,175. Benjamin, opp. 110. Francis, 64, 105, 169-171, 236, 237, 242, 244. George, 159, 161, 162, 164-166, 168, 171, 172, 174, 175, 237, 243. George Augustus, opp. 121, 171, 208, 239, 242. George H., 124, 262. George W., 189, Jacob C, R., 237, 250. John, 139. Joseph, 236, 243, 245. Joseph A., 245. Robert Singleton, 170. Samuel E., 241. Peabody, Riggs & Co., 164. Peabody Farm, 243. Peabody Institute, 169-171, 242. Peabody Library, 168-171. Peabody Press, 151. Peabody reception, 165-167. Peale, Julius, 250. Pegging machine, 128. Peirce, Elizabeth, 220. George, 220, Nathan, 217, 220, 221. Pepperell, William, 49, Perkins, Mrs. C. E., 210. Elliott, 248. Henry A., 257, 258. J. Frank, 189. Mrs, Thomas, 210. Perley, A. Procter, 124, 125. Charles N,, 125, 134, 160, 197, 258. Frederick, 123. Jacob, 139. John, 124, 125. Nathaniel, 125. Perley's store, 124-126. Perry, Benjamin, opp, 105. Jacob, 113, 171, Jacob F., opp. 105, 255, 257, 261. James M., 257, James O., 259, Pester, William, 217, 223. Peters, Hugh, 9, Petition for separate parish, 16. Pequot War, 11, INDEX 277 Phelps, Joseph, opp. 105. Philbrick, John D., 216. Julia A., 183, 214. Phillips, Alouzo P., 139, 261. John, 11. Stephen, 217, 220-223. Stephen H., 247. Stephen W., 219. Walter, 101. Phillips-Lawrence-Sanders house, 217. Phillips Tavern, 101. Phips, , 30, 43. William, 22. Physicians, 74, 246. Pickering, , 107, 108. Octavius, 108. Timothy, opp. 104, 106, 247. Piemont, John, 101, 110. Piemont's Tavern, 101, 102. Pierce, J. W., 134. Pillsbury, Harvey H., 193, 205, 206. Pinder, Kent & Fovrler, 88. Pines, The, 6. Pingree, Asa, 158. Pioneers, 35. Pitcher, Sylvia C, 219, 223. Poland & Connors, 132. Pool & Jacobs, 131. Poole, Pool, , 131. Fitch, 139, 140, 158, 261. Jane, 33. Leonard, 116, opp. 121, 257. Ward, 250. William, opp. 110. William F., 162,252. Poor, Eben S., 261. Ebenezer, opp. 105. Frank A., 208. Henry, 156, 168, 177, 256, 259,261. Joseph, 162, 256. Nathan, opp. 110, 249, 250, 255, 260, 261. Nathan H., 257, 262. Sally, 174. Pope, , 12, 144. Pope, Amos, 99, 101. Bethseda, 99. Daniel P., 124, 258, 259. Fletcher, 128. Hannah, 74. Ira P., 123. Joseph, 10, 99. Nathaniel, 73, 177, 251, 255, 256. Zephaniah, 101. Porphory Hall, 231. Porter, Aaron, 150. Alfred, opp. 110, 189. Alfred R., 149. Benjamin, 45, 73, 77, 98, 117, 239, 252. Ella J., 197. Eunice, 150. George W., 189. Hathorne, 149, 1.50. Israel, 32, 239. Israel P. 117. J. Frank! 128i 193, 198, 259, 262. J. W., 247. James, 250, 253. John, 13, 14, 16, opp. 32, 45, opp. 105, 239. Jonathan, 117, 123, 133. Joseph, 16, opp. 16, 150, 252. Moses, 73, 77, 79, 89, 150. Samuel, 263. Samuel M., 189. Thomas, 56, 249-251, 259. Warren, opp. 110, 113, 186. William, 239. Zerubbabel, 89, 119, 120, 150, 253, 254. Porter's Plain, 13, 32. Porter's River, 9, 13. Porter's Tavern, 45, 47, 48, 55. Postal free delivery, 203. Post offices, 133, 134. Potter, Benjamin, 149. Henry, 134. Henry A., 149. Povrer, Thomas, 178. Powers, , 194-196. Ernest J., 161, 247. Pratt, Amos, 113. Nettie M., 210. Samuel S., 134. Pray, Harriet P., 219. Prentiss, Prentice, Capt., 19. Henry, 123, 134. Joseph Gr., 123. Prescott, Benjamin, 32, 250. Peter, 20. Preston, , 131, 132, 144. Abel, 177, 256, 257. Charles H., 128, 200, 205, 208, 258, 259, 262. Mrs. C. H., 210. Charles P., 131, 171, 249,257,261. Daniel, opp. 110, 113. D. J., 183. Harriet Waters, 129. Henry, 124. Hiram, opp. 105. 278 INDEX Preston, John, 35, 73, opp. 110, 249, 251, 252, 254, 255, 260, 261. Levi, 73, 87, opp. 110, 133, 254. Louisa P., 199. Moses, opp. 105, 255. Nellie C, 197. Samuel, opp. 110, 122, opp. 125, 128, 143, 156, 168, 256, 261. Thomas, 10. Prince, , 144. Arthur, 171, 173. Asa, 70, 87. David, 253. Elzaphan, opp. 105. James, 41, 43, 73, 250-252. John, 220. Jonathan, 57, 246. Robert, 15, 25. Sarah, 25. Prince-Osborne house, 25. Printing office, first, 88. Privateer, 104. Proctor, Abel, opp. 105 Benjamin, 252. Daniel, opp. 110. John, 30, 41, opp. 105, 251. John C, 160. John W., 156, 249. Johnson, 73, 87, 133, 233, 254. Jonathan, 253. Joseph, 20. Lydia W., 129, Nathan, 251. Stephen, opp. 105, 250, 251. Sylvester, opp. 110, 163. Province charter, 22. Purrington, Daniel, 251. Putnam, , 67, 94, 132, 144. Aaron, 54, 123, 177, 252, 253, 257. Albert, 117. Alfred P., 138, 152, 198, 246. Allen, 73, 117, 246, 261. Amos, 35, 73, 74, 110, 238, 246,249. Andrew, 101, 110, 246. Andrew M., 117, 145. Ann, 23, 29, 30, 217. Archelaus, 44, 66, 87, opp. 105,107, 246, 252. Archelaus F., 246. Arthur A., 181, 247, 249, 261. Benjamin, 73, 246, 251. Bessie, 206. Calvin, 98, 216. Catherine, 183. Daniel, 73, 123, 214-216, 252-254, 260. Putnam, Daniel F., 123. David, 54, 213, 214,251. E. F., 250. Eben, 42, 113, 122, 255, 256, 261. Ebenezer, 246. Edmund, opp. 48, 71, 73, 87, 119, 252. Edward, 31. Eleazer, 107. Elias, opp. 48, 89, 121, 125, 127, 143, 145, 156-158, opp. 185, 190, 198, 206. Elias E., 150, 249, 255, 259-261. Enoch, 73, 84, 111, 252. Francis P., 150, 261. Mrs. F. P., 214. Frank, 117. George, 117. George A., 123. Gideon, 101, 102, 124, opp. 125, 249-252, 260. Hannah P., 238. Harriet, 146. Henry F., 123. Hiram, opp. 110, 117. Hiram B., 246. Holyoke, 31. Horace B., 117. Israel, 12, 29, 54, 59, 74, 76, 127, 218-215, 255. Israel H., 123, 128, 132, 171. Israel W., 246. J. A., 202. J. M., 214. J. W-., 120. James, 64, opp. 104, 247. James F., opp. 110. James P., 246. James W., 261. Jeremiah, 73, 87, 111, 117. Jeremiah S., 246. Jesse, 109, opp. 110, 150, 214-216, 255. Jethro, 55, 73, 110. Joel, 123, 257. John, 5, 12, 16, 213, 251, 252. John F., 257. Jonathan, 123. Joseph, 28, 43, 45, 73, 74, 127, 213- 215, 251, 253, 254. Mary, 213. Matthew, 73. Melvin B., 123, 262. Miriam, 54. Moses, 90, 127, 146. Nathan, 73. INDEX 279 Putnam, Xathaniel, 16, 73, 117, 150, 232, 254, 260. Otis P., 101, 257, 258, Perley, 71, 114. Philemon, 112, 117, 261. Phineas, 54, 73, 252. Robert W., 189. Rufus, 93, 128, 257. Samuel, 67, 101, 107, 123, 143, 232, 247, 251, 259. Sarah, 44, 67. Simeon, 113, 139, 206, 257, 262. Stephen, 43, 53, 54, 73, 251, 253. Susan, 214, 216, 217. Tarrant, 63. Thomas, 16, 19, 20, 23, 29, 73, 74, 117, 144, 213, 249, 254, 255, 260. Timothy, 55, 73. Wallace A., 189. William, 214, 252. William E., 123. William R., 216. Putnam & Fellows, 132. Putnam Guards, 181-183. Putnam, Gen. Israel, birthplace, 213. Putnam (ship), 115. Putnam Home, 206. Putnam Mills, 45, 102. Putnam Tavern, 101, 102. Putnamville, 88, 120-122. "Quail Trap," 160. Quincy, Josiah, 8, opp, 55. Railroads, 155, 156. Eankin, William, 171. Eanoni, Charles, 178. Raymond, John, 19. Thomas, 20. William, 20. Rea, , 12. Bartholomew, 251. Bethia, 20. Caleb, 77, 246. Daniel, 10, 20. Joshua, 16. Zerubbabel, 77. Rea-Putnam-Fowler house, 20. Rebecca (brig), 115. Rebecca (sch.), 115. Rebecca Nurse Association, 27, 28. Red Cross episode, 10, Reed, Read, Isaac, 19. Nathan, 98, 97, 98, 247, 260. Nicholas, 21. Reed, Thomas, 9. Wilmot, 30. Reifsnider, Edson, 120. Reith, John, opp. 110. Representatives, 259. Resolutions of town in 1773, 03. Revolution, soldiers killed in, J 33. Revolution, officers in tlie, 70. Revolutionary soldiers' grraves, 73. Revolutionary War, 68-87, 114, 115, Rhoades, Charles, 117. Rice, , 58, 103. Alexander H., 169. Austin, 246. Charles B., 18, 205, 262. Richards, Chauncey S., 258. Daniel, 124, 125, 127, 153, 168, 171. Richardson, Abel, 117. Edward, opp. 110, 116, opp. 121. Ezra, opp. 105. Jonathan, 149. S. P., 189. Seth, 73, 87, 117. Richmond, James, 246. Rider, Joseph, 236. Riggs, , 164. Elisha, 163. Riverbank, 233 Roach, Israel, 189. Road, first, 8. Road from Plains to Neck, contro- versy on, 45-49. Road to Salem opened, 46-48. Roberts, Isaac N., 189. Robinson, E. N., 248. Helen, 201. Rodgers, S. A., 189. Rogers farm, 103. Roman Catholic Church, 120, 178. Ropes, Bessie P., 171. Henry T., 153. Joseph W., 153. Mrs. W. H., 210. Rose (negro), 53. Ross, Josiah, 149, 257, 258. Leland J., 208. Rum Creek bridge, 238. Rushmore, William J., 161. Russell, , 144. Benjamin, 251. Ezekiel, 88, opp. 92. George Peabody, 170. Jason, 71. Thomas, 170. Ryan, Cornelius, 145. 280 INDEX St. Hilare, Ernest J., 211. St. John's College, 231. St. John's Preparatory School, 201. Salem Gazette, 151. Salem Iron Factory Co., 98. Salem Iron Works, 116. Salem Marine Society, 116. Salem Register, 151. Salem Village, 11-41. Salisbury, Stephen, 169. Sally (sch.), 115, 116. Sanders, Mrs. N. S. H., 217, 223. Sanderson, George E., 191. Sanger, Abner, opp. 105, 250. George J., 120, 249, 262. Sartwell, Mrs. Blanche, 247. Oliver, 247. Saunders, John, opp. 110. Savage, Elias, 149, 256, 257. Savannah (vessel), 186. Saveyer, James B., 123. J. W., 246. Jonathan, 250-253. Samuel L., 128, 259, 262. Scampton, Frank, 189. School, first established, 33, 34. School at New Mills, 92. School at Plains, 112. School at Putnamville, 88, opp. 185. School improvements, 202. School Superintendent, 202. Schools, 92, 105, 159. Scott, Margaret, 30. Seal of the town, 203. Searl, Curtis, opp. 110. Sears, George B., 198, 247. H. J. H., 248. John, 123. John A., 190. John H., 190. Robert K., 123. Selectmen, 251. Senators, 259. Separation from Salem, 36, 41. Seventeenth Infantry, 181. Seventh Day Advent Church, 191. Shackley, John, 189. Shafer, M. A., 146. Shahan, Thomas H., 178. Sharp, Samuel, 13. Shattuck, Sylvanus, 134. Shaw, Joseph, opp. 110, 133. Shays, Daniel, 93. John, opp. 110. Shay's Rebellion, 92. Shea, Patrick F., 189. Shed, Joseph, opp. 110, 177, 246, 249, 250, 255. Sheldon, Charles H., 189. Godfrey, 21. Jesse, opp. 105. Susannah, 23. Warren, opp. 105. William E., 189. Shepard, Charles H., 151, 194, 195. Shillabcr, Ebenezar, 250, 260, 261. John, 62. William, 63, 249, 252, 260. Shipbuilding at New Mills, 87, 88. Shipping, 113-116. Shipyards, 117. Shoe manufacturers, 123, 124. Shoe manufacturing, 89, 90, 118- 126, 128-133. Shove, Jonathan, opp. 105, 249, 255, 259, 260, 261. Samuel, opp. 110. Squiers, 260. ShurtlefE, Nathaniel S., 170. Sillars, Archie W., 134. Malcolm, 124, 262. Silvester, , 168, 175. Harriet, 174. Joshua. 122, 129, 152, 156, 157, 166-171, 174, 232, 256, 261, 263. Sally, 174. William W., 179, 246. Skelton, , 157. Samuel, 9, opp. 32. Skelton's Neck, 9, 44. Skidmore, Richard, 68, 73, 111. Skillings, C. F., 135. Slaves, 50-54. Small, Francis J., 211. Thomas, 16. Smart, Joseph T., 189. Smith, Adam D., 208. Daniel. 189. Elizabeth, 136, 142. Ephraim, 133. Ernest M. W., 120. Henry A., 189. Ivan, 161. James, 250. John, 15, 16. Jonathan, 117. Joseph N.. 124. Mary E., 209. Richard, 261. Thomas, 10, 21. Walter, 101. William, 183. Snow, Jesse W., 246. INDEX 281 Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, 118. Soewamapenessett River, 5. Soldiers' monument, 188. Sons of Veterans, 189. South Danvers, 176. South Danvrrs Wizard, 151. Southwick, Edward, 127, 250. George, 71. Joseph, 250, 251. Spalding, Samuel W., 154, 257. Spanish War, 203. Spite bridge, 97. Splane, Edward, 189. SpofEcrd, Clara T., 209. E. A., 206. Ellen A., 197. Spooner, William H., 161. Sprague, Joseph G., opp. 110. Spring, J. E., 222, 231, Stacey, John, 19, 110. Sally, 174. Stage-coaches, 154. Stambler, David, 212. Stamp Act, 56. Staples, Herbert W., 211. Steadman, H. R., 247. Stearns, Joseph, 113, 255. Stephens, Timothy, 87. Stetson, Alonzo J., 262. Stewart, Ambrose P. S., 160. Stickney, Mrs. W. G., 201. Stileman, Elias, 10. Stimpson, , 193. Edward, 150. George O., 127, 208. Mrs. G. O., 210. Stone, Harold D., 259. Story, Charles, 131. Ira, 88. Stoughton, , 11. Street railway, 196. Streeter, Gilbert L., 3. Strong, Edward F., 208. Minerva H., 197. Strout, Roy M., 161. Sunflower (vessel), 156. Sullivan, Arthur P., 248. Cornelius, 189. Henry A., 178. Patrick, 124. William B., 200, 205, 211, 247, 248. Sumner, Charles, 169, 170. Sutton, Eben, 156, 162, 256. William, opp. 105, 168, 260, 261. Swan, Jonathan, opp. 110. Swinerton, , 12, 144. Job, 10, 15, 16. John, 26, 251. Sylvester, Benjamin F., 98. Herbert W., 98. John, 98. Nathaniel, 123. Sylvester, see Silvester. Symonds, Samuel, opp. 110. Tanner, 13, 118. Tannery, 118, 127. Tapley, , 144. Amos, 73, 253, 254. Asa, 73, 113, 133, 142. C. R., 208. Claire H., 209. Daniel, 142. Elizabeth, 142. George, 123, 177, 249, 261. Gilbert, 73, 113, 128, 135, 139, 141, 142, 158, 191, 236. Gilbert A., 124, 127, 141, 142, 191, 262. Herbert S., 171. Harriet S., 201. Jesse, 113, 123, 142. John, 52. Nathan, 65, 113, 142, 177, 236, 238. Parley, 135,136, 138, 139, 142. R. P., 247. Walter A., 124, 208. Tapleyville, 89, 135-142. Tarbell, , 238. Cornelius, 41, 43, 251. Jonathan, 251, 252. Tarr, David, 73. Taverns, 45, 48,55, 101. Tea episodes, 59-63. Teacher, first, 34. Teacher at New Mills, 92. Tebbetts, F. Pierce, 202. Tedford, Milford, 189. Telephone introduced, 193. Temperance, 111. Ten Broeck, Petrus S., 236, 238. Tenney, George J., 158. Text books, free, 202. Thayer, George L., 132. Nathaniel, 170. Thomas, Walter G., 92. Thompson, A. F., 131. B. F. & Co., 131. J. H.,191. John N., 189. Thorndike, Albert, 158. Larkin, 240. 282 INDEX Thoron, Ward, 64, 237. Tibbetts, B. Lewis, 124. Benjamin B., opp. 105. Tituba, 23, 25. Tolman, Richard, 146. Tories, 64, 65, 104, 263. Torr, Andrew, opp. 105, 256. Torrey, Joseph, 111. Town clerks, 250, Town Hall, 160, 202. Town government proposed, 36, 41. Town meetings, 43, 146. Towne, Daniel- 73. George W., 206. Mrs. G. W., 210. Grace, 209. Training place, 18. Trainor, Patrick, 189. Trask, Edward, 21. Elbridge, 123. Travel, means of, 7. Tread well, John W., 236. Treasurers, 250. Trickey, W. H., 120. Trow, James M., 134. Trumbull, John, 76. Jonathan, 37. Tufts, James, 21. Joseph, 133, 255, 256. Twiss, William F., 189. Two Brothers (sch.), 115. Tyler, Job, 149. Underwood, Mrs. G. M., 218. Uniforms of militia, 19, 109, 112. Unitarian Church, 190. United States Lodge, 102, 110. Unity Chapel, 13, 204. Universalist Church, 120, 169. Universalists, 89, 119-121. Upham, , 26. Dr., 241. Upton, Austin, 189. Benjamin, 251. Eben S., 256. Edward, opp. 105. Elijah, 256. Elijah W., 156. 162, 168, 261. Ezra, 252. John, opp. 110. Stephen, 250. Upton Tavern, 101. Usher, James M., 149. Vaccination, 91. Valentine, J. F., 247. Verry, Andrew, 221. Daniel, 214. Samuel, 19. Victoria, Queen, 172, 173. Village Bank, opp. 125, 198. Villagers killed by Indians, 21. Villages of Danvers, 113. Wadsworth, , 51, 57, 104. Benjamin, 18, 33, 69, 86, 111. Mary, 86. Wadsworth Cemetery, 144. Wahquack, 9. Wahquainesehcok, 5. Waitt, Wait, Charles F., 131. Jonathan, 73. Oliver C, 149. Peter, 150. Walcott, , 12. John, 252. Jonathan, 15, 254. Mary, 23. William, 257, 261. Walden, Joseph, 131. Walker, George, 179. Wallis, Dennison, 87, 260. William, 134. Walnut Grove Cemetery Corp., 143. War of 1812, 109, 110. Ward, Angus, 189. F. J., 92. Joshua H., 261. Lucy A., 218. Thomas, 218. William, 189. Ward Relief Corps, 189. Wardwell, Samuel, 30. Warren, , 125. C. H., 169. Harrison O., 258. Henry, 134. Jonas, 101, 124, opp. 125, 174. Mary, 23. Warren's store, 124, 125. Washington, George, 75, 77, 82. Watch house, 21. Watch house hill, 30. Water system, 191, 192. Waterman, Richard, 5. Waters, John, 233. Lydia, 233. Richard, opp. 28. Waters River, 5, 6, 9, 46. Watson, Thomas, 193. Watts, Andrew C, 89. Mrs. A. C.,206. INDEX 283 Wayne, , 115. Weavers, 136, 141. Webb, Jotham, 71, 72, opp. 115. Nathaniel, 73, 127, 253. W. Arthur, 259. Webber, Parker, 154. Webster, Daniel, 139. Samuel H., 117. Welch, A. Frank, 128, 250. C. E. M., 189. Wells, Nathaniel K., 189. Wenham Lake Ice, 152. Wentworth, Harriet L., 197. Philip H., 190, 22-4. Weston, Francis, 5, 263. William L., 127, 128, 153, 162, 168, 250. Wheeler, C. H., 92. Wheelwright, Ralph, 208. Wliipple, George M., 187. John, 20. Whipple's Hill, 10. White, , 174, 175. A. Alden, 123. AldenP., 53, 157, 177, 200, 247, 250. Charles H., 128. Haffield, 93-95. Samuel, 252. Whiting, Lewis, 246. Whitney, George T., 189. Whittier, John Greenleaf, 28, 150, 232. Widen, Peter J., 208. Widen-Lord Co., 118. Wiggin, Joseph F., 189. Wildes, Sarah, 30. Wilkins, Benjamin, 20. Bray, 16, 32. Carrie F. B., 201. Charles, 117. Daniel, 20. F. A., 134. Fred, 124. Mrs. Fred E., 210. John, 16. Wilkins, Reuben, 124. Stephen, opp. 110, 117. W. W.. 190. Wilks, Norman, 248. Willard, Abigail, 239. John, 30. William (brig), 115. Williams, Abigail, 23. Lester, 161. W. S., 120. Wills Hill, 35, 192. Wilson, Isaac, 60. Moses, 216. Robert, 21. Winchester, Bancroft, opp. 110. Winkley, Henry W., 179. Ruth, 209. Winnapurkitt, 4. Winthrop, John, 8. Lucy, 13. Robert C, 33, 164, 169, 170, 172. Thomas Lindall, 33. Witch house, 25. Witch pins, 25. Witchcraft delusion, 23-30. Withey, John, 189. John P., 134. Woodbury, Daniel, 149. Peter, 21. Woodman, George, 189. Joseph W., 258, 262. Wyatt B., 140. Wood row, Benjamin, 16. Woods, Joseph, 189. Wooleston River, 5. World War, 207-212. "Wreck of the Glide," 116. ••Wreck of the Margaret," 117. Wright, A. E., 120. W. E. C, 146. Wyatt, George, 73. Young, Charles H., 189. Young Men's Anti-Slavery Society, 147.