Danvers-Historical-Society-Give-Join-Shop

Danvers Historical Society Gift Shop

Our store is located in our office at 11 Page Street. We offer local history gifts, books and ornaments.

Our store hours are 9-1, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays in December before Christmas.
Face masks are optional. Please practice social distancing.

Avoid shipping and handling charges – Come in, take a peek and purchase!

Members of the Danvers Historical Society will receive a 10% discount off all Museum Store purchases unless otherwise specified and exclusive of any shipping and handling charge.

Blue Tea House Suncatcher

It’s here! This gorgeous ornament / suncatcher is hand designed and crafted by local artisan Gail Zona of GJoolz. We are so excited to have this glass etched with The Derby Summer House, a National Historic Landmark.

Makes a great holiday gift, it can be an ornament or on display year round catching the light in the gorgeous blue glass adorned with a custom bead.

$27 includes shipping and handling.

DanversAfghanRedBlue Danvers Afghan
Danvers Afghan.   ~BLUE NOW AVAILABLE!
Classically woven 100% cotton with various Danvers’ motifs in Williamsburg Blue or Cranberry.

Made in U.S.A., reversible design, and machine washable!

$65.00 at the shop. Postage and handling additional $15.

Danvers Afghan

Glen Magna Farms Notecards
Package of 5 note cards with winter scenes of Glen Magna Farms. $12 complete with envelopes.

The wisteria arbor card is not available, our apologies.

Local photographer Jeannine Nash, Greatfull Heart Designs, captures winter magic for you to share with friends and family as we look forward to spring. Visit the Page House to see these beautiful photographs!

Shipping & Handling additional $6.00

Ornaments & Ceramics – share your story and it might be featured as our next ornament!

Wedding Cake
2024
Victorian Cakes

Cile Burbidge’s (1926- 2016) cakes graced the windows of Tiffany’s in New York City and were praised by Julia Childs. She took classes at the Danvers YMCA, eventually teaching classes in her renovated garage. The cakes took inspiration from the grand Victorian age, decorate with delicate designs. The were admired all over the world, including Paris, New York, Columbia, and even Nigeria. Her cakes were seen on the covers of magazines, and she wrote two books about her work.    ~ by Lilly Walfield.

$19.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Dress Form Ornament
2024
Dress Form

John Burbidge (1922-2016), whose successful career started at Priscilla of Boston, began making Les Petites Dames de Mode (The Little Ladies of Fashion) near the end of his bridal gown career. The Danvers native was inspired by Le Théâtre de la Mode, an exhibition of miniature haute-couture fashion which he saw in Paris. His collection captured his attention to detail and often the 29-inch tall mannequins took up to three months to complete.    ~ by Lilly Walfield.

Share your stories!

$16.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Trolley Ornament
2023
The Danvers Street Railway

Beginning as a public service in 1880, the “Danvers street Railway,” more commonly known as the trolley, was a valued part of our town. For only 5 cents, one could get a ride across Danvers on one of these rail bound Trolleys. Danvers’ rails ran down Maple, High, Sylvan, Elm, Centre, and Water streets before continuing onwards to Middleton, Salem, Peabody or Beverly for a few cents more.

At first, the cars were horse-drawn, but in 1892 the cars were replaced by electric cars, simply called “electrics,” which is the design showcased by this ornament. Horse drawn cars reached 8 miles per hour, while the electrics reached speeds of 12 miles per hour.

Before cars became ubiquitous, these trolleys were an important part of many people’s daily lives and commutes. They held up to 23 people, including the driver and attendant, and were the quickest, cheapest way to get to surrounding towns. Schedules were published on cards that were free to take at the stops.
Despite being funded by the town, all trolley cars, railways, horses, and even drivers were provided and cared for by the Naumkeag Street company. They also provided these things to every town with a trolley system; most towns in Essex county. Eventually, though, through several tumultuous mergers and rebrands, the Naumkeag Street company transformed into the MBTA we know today.

The trolley system was discontinued in 1937. The trolleys were stopped and the rails were torn up to be used for WWII manufacturing, but they remain an iconic part of Danvers’ history.

~ by Julian Marrero with special thanks to Julie Silk in the Danvers Archival Center for assistance with this article.

Share your stories!

$22.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)


2022
Old Route One

The Newburyport Turnpike was constructed by a private company, costing $500,000, opened February 11, 1805 and was used by stagecoaches and mail carriers. Toll collection ceased in 1847 as parallel railroads attracted more use. Sections were rebuilt to accommodate automobile traffic in the early 20th century. U.S. Route 1 is part of many family memories at the Hyland Diner, north & south bound Putnam Pantry, 10cent burgers at Duchess, Watson Farm stand, Deerskin Trading Post, whale steaks at Yoken’s, Harp & Bard, and many more! Share your stories!

$12.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Pony Ornament
2021
The Danvers Riding and Polo Club

After World War I, the Danvers Riding and Polo Club was vibrant and competitive playing against other town clubs and out-of-state. When WWII began many men were sent to fight in the war, leaving the club behind. The club used five different fields during its history: The Lipinski Family Farm off Locust Street; Homestead Country Club, now the Putnamville Reservoir; and the field that is now the Sun N’ Air Golf Center on Conant Street. The fifth was the Pedrick estate on Locust Street. The estate was so large they had two fields one which is now the site of the Danvers High School.

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Fowler's Taod
2020
‘Bufonidae woodhousei fowleri’

Deacon Samuel Page Fowler (1800-1888) was a man of many interests; a co-founder of the Essex County Natural History Society, and elected to the Mass Legislature. In 1853, he was a delegate to update the State Constitution. The toad named after him is distinguished from the common ‘americanus’ by its single black spot in the center of its chest. Its voice is like a long screaming bleat, waa-waa-aa-aa rather than a pleasing, bu-rr-rr-r-r trill. ‘Fowleri’ adults are 2 to 3.5” long and has a pale stripe down its back. Share your memories with Danvers Historical Society.

$13.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)


2019
Ice Cream Parlors of Yesteryear
Since the 1890s, Danvers has had many soda fountains and ice cream stands. Three that many enjoyed during the early 1900s were Ethel’s Ice Cream, Wethersfield Dairy, and Pete’s Ice Cream. Ethel’s Ice Cream was attached to the front of a house at 74 Elliot Street. That building is gone now. Wethersfield Dairy was located on Wenham Street. Pete’s Ice Cream was owned by the Kontos Family and named after their son, Peter. Pete’s was at 74 High Street. Many family and friends’ memories include a sweet, simple, and cool ice cream cone! Share your memories with Danvers Historical Society.

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Bowling Ball
2018
The ‘Rat Hole’ was the nick-name for a four lane bowling alley that flourished from the 1940s to the mid 60s in the basement of the Fossa Block in Danvers Square. There were also four pool tables. The Fossa Block was built in 1915 on land purchased by James Fossa, an Italian immigrant. The ‘Rat Hole’ was under a store called ‘The Penny Pincher’, which sported a figure 8 track where kids raced their slot cars. It is told that Congressman John F. Kennedy had a quick shave in the ‘Rat Hole’ to prepare for a speaking engagement in the 1940s.

$9.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Crayon box
2017
Standard Crayon Factory

In 1903, Joseph Hoyt moved his chalk factory from Lynn to 61 North Putnam Street in Danvers. He expanded the business to include the manufacture of wax school crayons, crayons for artists, for cotton and wool mills marking, and for the lumber trade, as well as making chalk of all kinds, including carpenter’s chalk. By the 1920s, the company made several thousand crayons each day; one machine rolled, counted, and labeled the crayons. In 1944, Binney & Smith, the makers of Crayola crayons, bought the Standard Crayon Factory. In 1965, Binney & Smith moved the crayon manufacturing business to Pennsylvania. That plant still makes chalk, crayons, and paints, and uses the Crayola label.

$10.99 single crayon (PLUS shipping and handling) Please indicate red, yellow, or blue

$15.99 crayon box (PLUS shipping and handling)

Baby Shoe
2016
Mrs. Day’s Ideal Baby Shoe Co.
The company began in Putnamville on Locust Street in a little shoe shop or “ten footer” around the turn of the twentieth century. The original shop sits adjacent to the Jeremiah Page House. The booming business re-located to the 3 Locust St. factory in 1905. Mrs. Adra Day is credited with making casts of thousands of children’s feet which were used to construct both left and right foot shoe lasts and standard sizes were established . This innovation gave rise to the slogan “The Shoe of the Baby determines the Foot of the Adult.”

$15.99 (PLUS shipping and handling) Please indicate pink, white, or blue

Twi-League
2015
The Danvers Twilight League
The formation of the Danvers Twilight League has been attributed to the persistence of William G. Merrill. Although the 1920 season was considered a failure, he forged ahead. By 1922 the League had four teams, Plains, Port, Tapleyville and Ferncroft. Tapleyville was the first Twilight League Championship Team. The Danvers “Twi-League”, as originally conceived, is no longer in existence.

$18.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Peach
2014
Robins’ Hill Farm Peach
Robin’s Hill Farm (1930-1963) owned and operated by the Choate family was located on Locust St. and became famous for its white peaches. In 2001, the Town of Danvers purchased a 22-acre southerly piece of the farm, now known as Choate Conservation Area. In 2004, the DPW and Planning Dept. moved the ‘historic white peach orchard’ from the farm to Choate Conservation area property which is dedicated to Miriam E. Cooper who served 25 years on the Conservation Commission.

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Mrs. Day's Potato Chips
2013
Day’s Potato Chips

Shortly after World War I, Ralph E. Day and his wife Edith, urged on by friends, launched a new business of their own in 1921 at their home on 2 Dodge Court, with the name Day’s Potato Chips. Daughter Eleanor Day, beloved Children’s Room Librarian at the Peabody Institute Library, recalled “We had a little gas plate in the kitchen. My mother cooked the chips and my father would walk to Beverly with the chips in little brown bags”. Operations ceased mid 1960’s.

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

BatchelderClock
2012
Ezra Batchelder Clock

Danvers cabinetmaker and expressman Ezra Batchelder (1769-1858) began making clocks in 1803 at his shop which was located on the northwest corner of Maple and Hobart Streets. He built his final clock in 1830 and this clock is now owned by the Danvers Archival Center located in the Peabody Institute Library, 15 Sylvan St. Danvers. The clock measures 83.5 inches in height, has a second hand which counts off each second and a chime mechanism which strikes on the hour.

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Candycane
2011
Putnam Pantry Candy Cane
Putnam Pantry Candies opened on July 1, 1951.Today the candy canes are carefully made from secret treasured old New England recipes by a member of the original Putnam Pantry Candy family, Galo Putnam Emerson, Jr. Located on the General Israel Putnam Highway (Route 1 North), the public is welcome each year to come and see the candy canes being made . A treat to watch for the whole family.

$15.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Mushroom
2010
The Mushroom
Scientifically cultivated “Snowdrop” mushrooms were a product of the New England Mushroom Company, Clarence H. Newlin, owner. Located at 169 Sylvan Street, Danvers circa 1926 to 1935, the mushrooms were grown for the Boston and Salem markets and local restaurants such as The Century House. Mushrooms were considered to be “the versatile vegetable”, tasty, healthy and economical as there is no waste in a mushroom.

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

troop support
2009
Patriotic Remembrance Heart – SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT  We are proud to be partnering with Operation Troop Support. For every ornament sold, we will contribute $4.00 to help defray costs of the weekly care packages sent to our troops. We thank you for your support!

SOLD OUT

Palins Station
2009
The Danvers Plains Station
SOLD OUT  built in 1868 is the last of nine passenger stations used during the heyday of rail travel through Danvers. For over a century, nearly every piece of mail, every package, and every traveler entering and leaving Danvers passed through this busy station.

Great Oak
2008 – Acorn
When the Great Oak Tree had to be taken down in 1994, best estimates place its age to be between 250 and 300 years old. Acorns have long been considered good luck symbols.

$8.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Train
2007
The train.
From 1849 to 1958 Danvers enjoyed train service and reached its peak in 1899 with 21 passenger trains daily to Boston and towns in between. Blown glass.

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)


2006
Little Red School House
takes you back to small school buildings with two or more grades per room. Putnamville School was established as early as 1812. Blown glass.

$16.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Teapot
2005
Page House Tea Party

“Upon a house is not within it,” said Sarah Page to her friends and up to the roof they went for tea. Her husband Jeremiah, forbade her to serve tea in the Page House because of English taxes on tea imposed in 1773.

Blue Jay Teapot

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)  Please indicate Holly or Blue Jays

Putnam Apple
2004
The PUTNAM APPLE

The Putnam Russet Apple was the most popular fruit in Salem Village for one hundred years. Gen. Israel Putnam introduced these fruit trees to Pomfret, Ct. in 1786. Grafts from those trees were transported to Marietta, Ohio by Israel Putnam III, set by Rufus Putnam, and sold to the Lynd family who remain in the apple growing business today.

$12.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Boot
2003 The Shoe – SOLD OUT
The shoe industry played a large role in Danvers Industry. Beginning in the 1700’s, farmers in the off season would make shoes for the slaves in their small ten footer factories. From that arose industrial size factories like that of Ideal Baby Shoe, which elevated Danvers’s role in the shoe industry to an international level.

     
2002
Danvers Half Long Carrot was developed about 1870 to cope with our rocky Danvers soil. First marketed by the Burpee Seed Company in 1886, it is still recommended today. Blown glass.

Bunch of Colored Carrot   Carrot

$14.99 (PLUS shipping and handling) Please indicate Bunch or Single


2002
The Endicott Pear

Endicott Pear Tree planted in the early 1630’s by Massachusetts Governor John Endicott still stands as a symbol of our agricultural heritage. The colonists used tiny, miss-shaped apples and pears to make ciders to purify water. They were not the large, uniform ones we know today for eating. Blown glass.

Green Pear   Small Pear

$15.99 (PLUS shipping and handling) Please indicate Green w/glitter, Yellow w/glitter.

$8.99 Small blush no glitter (PLUS shipping and handling)

Danvers Onion ornament
2001
The Danvers Onion.

BACK IN STOCK

In Danvers, conditions proved favorable for vegetable crops including the Danvers globe onion. By the 19th century, Danvers earned a reputation as “Oniontown”. Blown glass from Germany.
$21.99 (PLUS shipping and handling)

Glen Magna Farms
The Endicott Mansion
SOLD OUT  Glen Magna Farms is unrivaled as an estate exemplifying historic North Shore summer living. During the War of 1812, Joseph Peabody bought a twenty acres with a dwelling house. The property grew to over three hundred and thirty acres, enduring as the summer retreat for the family for one hundred and forty-four years. The dwelling was expanded in 1893 to the current classic colonial revival style mansion. In 1963, The Danvers Historical Society purchased the central eleven acres of the property and has worked to restore the gardens and grounds to its early 20th century appearance, when it won a Hunnewell Gold Medal from Mass. Horticultural Society.

Books & Notecards

A Salem Witch

A Salem Witch: The Trial, Execution and Exoneration of Rebecca Nurse by Daniel Gagnon

“Dan has written a highly readable and first scholarly biography of Rebecca Nurse . . . Meticulously researched, Gagnon’s account traces Nurse and her family through their New World settlement; the dramatic events of her accusation, trial, and final execution; and her legacy. Gagnon makes the complex history of the Salem witch trials more easily understood, while at the same time giving us a very good read”
– Richard Trask, author of The Devil Hath Been Raised

Autographed by the author $42 (includes shipping and handling)

Rebecca Nurse, Saint but Witch Victim by Charles Sutherland Tapley

$12.99 (includes shipping and handling)


Baseball in Danvers 

Edited by the Committee on Publication; Richard P. Zollo

Collections and stories of the history of “Twilight League,” and founder William G. Merrill. Learn about other Danvers locations such as Berry Tavern, Town Hall, Willard Home School, etc.

$10.99 (includes shipping and handling)


Our Town, Third Grade History Week activity book.

Learn about Danvers history with our friends, Ms. Endicott Pear, Mr. Half-Long Carrot, and Mr. Globe Onion. Fun and educational experiences for home and to explore Danvers.

$14.99 (includes shipping and handling)

From Muskets to Missiles, Danvers in Five Wars by Richard P. Zollo.

Danvers during WWI, WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam War, and French and Indian War. Read about our Fallen Heroes.

$13.95 (includes shipping and handling)

Ladies and Gentlemen Always, The Illustrated Story of Holten High School by Richard P. Zollo

The evolution of Holten High School and its dedicated principal, Cornelius F. Dunn.

$33.00 (Includes Shipping and Handling)

Chronicals of Danvers

Chronicles of Danvers Old Salem Village by Harriet Silvester Tapley.

A history of Danvers (Old Salem Village) Massachusetts 1632-1923. 283 pages, hardcover.

$24.99 (includes shipping and handling)


On the Sands of Time, The Life of Charles Sutherland Tapley.

by Dr. Richard P. Zollo

Danvers during WWII, the Great Depression, and the land development of Glen Magna Farms. Forewords from local historians including Richard Trask.

$13.99 (includes shipping and handling)

As the Century Turned by Richard P. Zollo, Richard Trask, and Joan M. Reedy.

The development of Danvers in pictures of the town’s evolution from the years of 1880-1910.

$25.99 (includes shipping and handling)

Danvers State Hospital

Temporarily out of stock.

Danvers State Hospital by Katherine Anderson and Robert Duffy have spent the past decade documenting asylums in both print and media, working to continue the legacy of Dr. Kirkbride and the many men and women who lived and worked at Danvers State Hospital. $25.99 (includes shipping and handling)


Fresh Stock arrived December 2023

Images of America, Danvers from 1850-1899

by Richard B. Trask

Danvers, formerly Salem Village, in pictures. The 1692 Witchcraft Trials, the Civil War, and the evolution of manufacturers.

$22.99 (includes shipping and handling)


A Hearty Band of Firefighters by Chief Leland E. Martin, Jr.

The history of the fire department, events and occurrences such as WWII and Beaver Park Catastrophe, and reorganization under Chief Kelley.

$14.99 (includes shipping and handling)

Postcard History
Fresh Stock arrived December 2023

Danvers Postcard History Series by Richard B. Trask, Danvers Town Archivist and Danvers Historical Society Trustee. 128 pages, paperback

$28.99 (includes shipping and handling)

Gardens
UNAVAILABLE Gardens of New England. Photography by Michael Hubley, Editorial by David Epstein. Gardens of Glen Magna Farms is prominently featured on pages 96-103 and also the back jacket cover. 160 pages full color photos, hardcover

$37.99 (includes shipping and handling)


Glen Magna Farms mansion house, cream stock, 12 note cards and envelopes per pack.

$12.99 (includes shipping and handling)

Cards
Samuel McIntire Tea House (Derby Summerhouse), white stock, 12 note cards and envelopes per pack.

$12.99 (includes shipping and handling)

Cards
Jeremiah Page House (home office of the Society), white stock. 12 note cards and envelopes per pack.

$12.99 (includes shipping and handling)

How to Order

View the items online on this webpage. Click here to download an Order Form.

Complete the order form providing us with the information requested. Mail or bring the completed order form, along with a check or money order, to the Danvers Historical Society as specified on the application.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS FORM CANNOT BE DIRECTLY TRANSMITTED AS AN ATTACHMENT TO AN E-MAIL, IT MUST BE PRINTED, THEN FILLED OUT, AND MAILED BY U.S. POSTAL SERVICE.

Sale Conditions

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY Prices in this catalog are quoted in US dollars. This catalog represents items in stock or on order. Some items may be out of stock when you place your order. We will contact you if an item is unavailable or will be placed on back order. Please visit our web site throughout the year for additions and deletions to this catalog. Prices are subject to change without notice.

MEMBERS’ DISCOUNT Members of the Danvers Historical Society will receive a 10% discount off all Museum Store purchases unless otherwise specified and exclusive of any shipping and handling charge. If you are interested in becoming a member, please refer to the Membership webpage.

DELIVERY TIME Every effort will be made to ship your order within one week from the date received.

RETURNS We will be glad to replace defective items. Returns for other reasons will be subject to a 15% restocking fee.

PERSONAL INFORMATION POLICY – The Danvers Historical Society does not collect personal information from the sale of merchandise in our museum store for any purpose, other than to complete the transaction, and ship the customer’s order. We do not collect personal information to sell, or give to any other entity.