Danvers

by Richard B. Trask

From their introduction in the late nineteenth century, picture postcards have been a souvenir staple in every American community. These practical, yet collectable mailers promote local businesses and tourism, and celebrate historic and scenic localities. Danvers, known as Salem Village during the infamous 1692 witch-hunt, became an independent town in the 1750s. By the twentieth century, local boosters spotlighted the town's rich architectural heritage, local institutions, and vibrant business district by producing a variety of postcard views. Ancient saltbox houses associated with the witchcraft days, eighteenth-century gambrel-roofed dwellings that sheltered Revolutionary War patriots, the mansion occupied by famed poet John Greenleaf Whittier, and the Danvers Insane Asylum, a majestic state-operated facility, were frequent postcard subjects. This book samples the best of Danvers's twentieth-century postcard heritage.

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2002

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books of old images and stories. This is my hometown and what a history it has.
The story about the Brinks truck robbery while the drivers were getting a cup of coffee was quite something - we looked up a conversion and would be equivalent to several millions in today’s world.
I always thought I might move back someday, and maybe I will. I spent a lot of happy days wandering the beautiful library, listening to concerts on the library lawn, biking in our neighborhood, getting ice cream at Treadwell’s.
I just wish there was more text/narrative in this book. I’d like to find some books on Danvers’ history that still has images but with more text content.