In the Danvers Archival Center, visitors can research witchcraft trials and other Salem Village and Danvers-related history from the 17th century to the present. The archives include books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, newspapers, and more.

Richard Trask is a leading authority on the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 and the author of “The Devil hath been raised”: A Documentary History of the Salem Village Witchcraft Outbreak of March, 1692. He spearheaded the effort to uncover the foundation of the Salem Village Parsonage in 1970, was a consultant during the filming of Three Sovereigns for Sarah in 1984, overseeing the re-creation of the Salem Village meeting house at the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, and served as chairman of the Salem Village Witchcraft Tercentennial Committee of Danvers. In 2019, he was interviewed for the first episode of the Smithsonian Channel Series, America’s Hidden Stories: Salem’s Secrets.

The Peabody Institute Library was established in 1856 by Danvers native, banker, and philanthropist George Peabody. The original building burned in 1890. The present Georgian Revival building was dedicated in 1892. Remodeling and new construction in 1963 and 1980 created the areas for the Children’s Room and the Archival Center.

For additional information, please visit: https://www.danverslibrary.org/archive/