Built and owned by Nathaniel Ingersoll circa 1670, Ingersoll’s Tavern sat at the heart of Salem Village, known today as Danvers, Massachusetts. It’s one of only a handful of still-standing structures with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of the early 1690s, but the building is threatened by neglect, and locals are trying to save it before it’s too late. A well-respected member of his community, Ingersoll served as a key witness during the trials, says Dan Gagnon, who chairs?Town of Danvers' historic district commission?and has authored a book about the witch trials. “He himself is not a person making accusations, but he ends up testifying,” says Gagnon. Several accusers claimed to be targeted by witchcraft at the tavern, and at least one of the accused is believed to have been questioned there, “but others were held there [until] their questioning,” Gagnon adds. A private, out-of-state buyer purchased the property in 2011. Since then, Gagnon says, “it has been entirely neglected.” A hole in the roof from a fallen tree remains, likely allowing water to infiltrate. Gagnon and concerned community members led an effort to create a new bylaw that was adopted in May and would allow the town’s building commissioner to order a property owner to make essential repairs to a historic structure if a voluntary agreement cannot be negotiated. The tavern has also been accepted to the state attorney general’s?abandoned properties program. Gagnon hopes the town can save this piece of witch-trial history. “It’s just so rare,” he says. Photo by Dan Gagnon
