Community hopes to save 17th-century tavern tied to Salem Witch Trials

DANVERS, Mass. — A 17th-century tavern that played a significant role in the Salem Witch Trials as well as the Revolutionary War is deteriorating, prompting the town of Danvers and other community members to take action.

Nathaniel Ingersoll’s Ordinary – or tavern – sits vacant on Hobart Street. It is believed to have been built around 1670 and, over the centuries, changed shape, size and purpose.

“There are written documents that there were examinations of witches and testimony taken here at this site,” said Dave McKenna, president of the Danvers Historical Society, standing before the centuries-old building. “We have accusers that made accusations in that building. We have judges that stayed in that house. And several of the actual victims – they were arrested, were brought and held in the upstairs building while they waited to be questioned.”

Decades later, before the first shots of the American Revolution, the building served as a meeting place for militia who trained nearby.

“They’d train there on a Saturday morning, break for lunch, probably come down here, have lunch and a few beers and try not to shoot each other when they get back to drilling in the afternoon,” McKenna said.

Despite its rich history and importance to the community, the building is in disrepair.

Bought more than a decade ago by a New Hampshire man, the structure is falling apart. A tarp covers a hole in the roof, and a crumbling barn is now torn down. A red square with a white “X” on the façade warns firefighters of structural hazards inside in case of a fire.

“The place is falling apart. He’s not able to fix it up,” McKenna said. “One of the sills on the back rotted right through. That’s the beam that sits on the ground, on the foundation. There’s a hole that big through it.”

But the owner will not allow the Board of Health or Danvers firefighters inside, documents from the Town of Danvers Historic District Commission state.

McKenna has been working as a middleman between the town and the property owner, but he hasn’t been allowed inside either.

Multiple attempts to meet have been delayed or canceled, and communication is sparse, McKenna said.

“I’m hoping to find a solution so that we can save it,” McKenna said. It’s part of the fabric of the town, part of the history of the town. You cannot erase history. You need to learn from it, especially if it’s something painful, because if you don’t learn from it, it’s going to happen again.”

Frustrated and concerned, the town is currently working toward receivership with the attorney general’s office, requesting a third party manage and fix up the property.

Fearing complete destruction of the building, local history buffs and other community members formed a Facebook group, “Save Ingersoll’s Tavern.”

Member Lori Tinkham hopes to find a non-profit that will take on the property and preserve it for future generations.

“It’s the most important house still standing from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials… It has so much history, and I don’t like seeing history erased,” Tinkham told Boston 25 News. “Danvers has put some protections in place, but we’re looking to get the owner to protect it even further.”

While some suspect the owner is purposely letting the property deteriorate until demolition is inevitable, McKenna remains hopeful he has good intentions to preserve the property but is simply overwhelmed.

Although the owner has requested the Historical Society step in, McKenna said, the organization does not have the funds or the ability to take on such a project, especially without seeing the interior of the property and knowing just how much restoration would cost.

McKenna plans to meet the owner on Tuesday to discuss his current plans.

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