Derby Square
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 31.234 W 070° 53.677
19T E 344375 N 4709316
This sign marks the old center of commerce for the town of Salem, including the old town hall.
Waymark Code: WM26CV
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/12/2007
Views: 50
This sign is part of a series that relate the history of sections of Salem. The sign says:
"Derby Square
"Derby Square was considered the heart of Salem lif for much of the community's history. The square's most prominent feature, Old Town Hall, occupies the former site of a mansion built for Elias Hasket Derby and completed in 1799, shortly before his death. Derby was Salem's most prosperous merchant and America's first known millionaire. By 1815, however, his namesake (and heir) had demolished the house because it was too expensive to maintain. Part of the land was given by the family to Salem for a town hall and market house.
"President James Monroe opened the upstairs ballroom of the present building in 1817. (Town meetings were held here until 1836, when Salem was incorporated as a city.) The downstairs housed stalls marketing meat and other provisions. Since then, Old Town Hall has served variously as a center for political and temperance rallies, lectures, and cultural events. It was resored in the 1970s and is the center of the Old Town Hall National Register Historic District.
"On Saturdays from the late 1800s on, the open area in front of the hall was filled with as many as 150 wagons bearing fresh fruit and produce from the surrounding countryside. Several of New England's largest food distributors started in business nearby. In its heyday, Derby Square was thronged with patrons of nearby dining halls, hotels, billiard parlors, saloons, stables and stores. Local vendors sold fruit and produce from both stores and carts until the 1970s.
"The South River originally ran along the far end of the market-place. From the time of Salem's early settlement until the late 19th century, vessels tied up at wharves there to unload their cargoes."
Agency Responsible for Placement: Other (Place below)
Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Historic Salem, Inc. and the City of Salem
County: Essex
City/Town Name: Salem
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
Year Placed: Not listed
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