Danvers's inland location and its distinctive landscape features — rivers, hills and ponds — were instrumental in shaping the history of the community from the earliest Native American use of the land to the present.

Prior to European settlement, Danvers was inhabited by members of the Pawtucket group, also known as Penacook. Primary transportation routes during this period were probably along the major rivers with secondary trails along other waterways and inland. These early routes later formed the basis of many presentday roads.

The area known today as Danvers was settled as part of Salem in the 1630s. Initially there were a number of large land grants, including that of Governor John Endecott, which was about 1,000 acres. English settlement remained scattered through the Plantation period (1620-1675), but eventually evolved into several village neighborhoods. In 1752 Salem Village (Danvers) and the Middle Precinct (Peabody) were set apart as the district of Danvers, which was made a township in 1757. Agriculture and animal husbandry continued to provide the primary economic base for the town.

Danvers played an active role in the Revolutionary War. Danvers resident Dr. Samuel Holten was President of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Articles of Confederation, while Israel Putnam became a Brigadier General. At the time of the Revolution, the Danversport area became a shipping and shipbuilding center whose tidal mills provided power for a number of small enterprises. The community was known for its bricks and its leather tanning industry. Danvers grew rapidly during the Federal period (1775-1830), reaching a population of 4,228 in 1830. By the 1830s the Tapleyville section of Danvers became a center for the production of woven carpets made by English and Scottish weavers. In 1855 the two parishes, Danvers and South Parish, split into the independent townships of Danvers and Peabody.

The convenient location between Salem and Boston, and the arrival of the railroad in the 1840s, allowed Danvers to emerge as a prominent 19th century commercial center. The community also maintained an industrial base that relied heavily on carpet making and shoe manufacture. While Danvers became an active commercial center, outlying areas remained rural. Local farms provided produce for nearby cities well into the 20th century and there were many country estates, such as Glen Magna which has been preserved by the town.

Today Danvers is a community of approximately 25,000 with a diversified economy that includes both commercial and industrial activities, as well as limited agricultural areas. It also functions as a bedroom community for the surrounding area. Danvers is home to regionally important civic institutions such as the Peabody Institute Library and Essex Agricultural School. Until it closed in1982, the Danvers State Hospital was among these institutions.

From Danvers Reconnaisance Report, Essex County Landscape Inventory, Massachusetts Heritage Landscape Inventory Program (pdf document)