ABOUT

Danvers is a town (and census-designated place) in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts.

History
The area was long settled by indigenous cultures of Native Americans. In the historic period, the Massachusett, a tribe of the Pequot language family, dominated the area.The land that is now Danvers was once controlled by the Naumkeag branch of the Massachusett tribe.Around 1630, English colonists improved an existing Naumkeag trail as the Old Ipswich Road, creating a connection to the main cities of Salem and Boston. Danvers was permanently settled in 1636 as Salem Village, and eventually petitioned the Crown for a charter as a town. According to legend, the King, rather than signing the charter, returned it with the message "The King Unwilling." On June 9, 1757, the town was incorporated anyway. It put the King's rebuff on the town's seal. In 1752, the town was named for settlerDanvers Osborn.The historical event for which Danvers is probably most well-known is the Salem witch trials of 1692. ResidentRebecca Nurse was convicted in a trial for witchcraft. The Rebecca Nurse Homestead is still standing in Danvers. It can be visited as a historical landmark.