COUNTRY ESTATES OF OLD DANVERS.

By Charles S. Tapley '22. Danvers,Mass., 1960. 71 pp.

"Set in their scenic acres of lawns and fields stood the country homes of Danvers. The commercial prosperity of colonial Salem contributed in no small way to the development of Danvers, and to the erection of many fine homes. The owners of these large estates dominated the social and economic life of the quaint region. The wealth of ship owners and merchants of nearby Salem encouraged a rich type of architecture which had been formerly confined almost entirely to the plantation homes of the tidewater country.

"The few that remain" today are relics of a great, teeming age that has vanished. It is pleasant to know that these famous estates once existed in Danvers. In a town better known today for its little houses, there remain a few charming old homes which command attention." So writes the author in his introduction.

Going on in a terse, factual manner, Charles Tapley effectively tells the stories of over sixty old Danvers estates, he has included in his selection. From "Orchard Farm," the 1630 country-place of Governor John Endicott, through to the imposing nineteenth-century home of businessman Ira P. Pope, Mr. Tapley describes briefly matters of the construction, architecture, and the grounds of these three score houses; and, at the same time, he chronicles most interestingly the people and the events that have over the years been associated with each, what might be termed the human aspects of these homes. He brings to his task a substantial and wide knowledge of Danvers' history and an enthusiasm for his subject that is ever present.

The book is clearly printed and includes a number of worthwhile illustrations.