The Plains

Called "Porter's Plain" after 17th century settler John Porter, this level expanse of about one square mile was sparsely inhabited into the mid-18th century. By the time of the American Revolution, patriot Captain Jeremiah Page had settled here and established a prosperous brick-making business. An important crossroads developed at what is now Elm and High Streets, where the 1643 Ipswich road bisected the 1760's "New Road" to Salem, and a popular tavern served the many travelers passing through the area. During the 1830s the area grew rapidly with the establishment of eight shoe factories by Samuel Preston, Elias Putname, Joshua Silvester, and others, along with two general stores, banks, new homes, and churches. A major fire in 1845 led to the widening of Maple Street in Danvers Square, and in 1855 a combined town house and high school was built nearby. Converging stage and later trolly lines, and the intersection of two railroads during the 19th century, firmly established the commercial prominence of "Danvers Plains" for generations to come.

Danvers, Massachusetts · United States