ENDECOTT LAND, SALEM VILLAGE, IN 1700.

BY SIDNEY PERLEY.

THE tract of country which this article comprehends is nearly all within the present town of Danvers, and extends from the main river on the east nearly to the Boston & Maine Railroad on the west, a distance of about two and a half miles, and from Mount Pleasant, or Hog hill, on the south to Crane brook on the north, a distance of about one and a quarter miles, and contains an area of three square miles. It is denominated "Endecott Land" because it comprises the lands in that region owned by Gov. John Endecott. There were four tracts of land here originally, the Orchard farm, being the great tract of land between the rivers, the Chickering farm, the Governor's plain and the "Small lots." The Orchard farm, of about three hundred acres, called by the Indians Wahquainesehcok, and by the English Birchwood, was granted by the general court to Governor Endecott July 3, 1632; the Chickering farm, of about three hundred acres, was granted by the town of Salem to Townsend Bishop Jan. 11, 1635-6; the Governor's, or Endecott's, plain, of about two hundred acres, was granted by the town of Salem to him Jan. 27, 1636-7 ;* and the "Small lots" comprised a number of ten acres lots granted to several persons and laid out to Governor Endecott as he had bought their rights. The boundary line between the "Small lots" and the Governor's plain ran in the direction of the line now dividing Danvers and Peabody and a little north of it. The original boundaries of these several grants were changed somewhat by the Endecotts.

To determine the boundaries of the Bishop grant or Nurse farm next the land of Nathaniel Putnam, a committee was appointed by the general court Oct. 12, 1678, *Salem Town Records, volume I, page 35 (printed).

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and a survey was made by Jonathan Danforth of Billerica Dec. 9, 1678, In 1681 a dispute again arose and the Salem quarterly court settled it by following the old line instead of the brook, the line running straight from the hemlock tree to the bridge. The plan of the surveyor is reproduced herewith of the same size as the original.

*

Waters river, on the south, was called by the Indians Soewamapenessett river; and was known to the English as Cow-house river, in 1632; westerly of the highway it was called a brook running down to Rum bridge, in 1684; a creek or salt water, in 1720; the brook, in 1753; the river, in 1790; the creek, in 1807; and Waters river, in 1851.

Crane river, on the north, was called by the Indians Conamabsqnooncant river; and was known to the English as Duck river, in 1632; and Crane river as early as 1650. There were early two bridges over Crane river and one over Waters river. April 26, 1658, at a general town meeting in Salem, there were appointed "Surueio's for the bridges about the Gou'nors farm."+ The bridge over Waters river was called Rum bridge as early as 1669; and the bridge over Crane river at Pine street was constructed of wood and called Hadlock's bridge as early as 1678; and the bridge over Crane river at Ash street was there as early as 1692.

The old "back way" through North fields, which skirted the low marsh lands, crossed Waters river some thirty rods down the stream from the present Sylvan street, at a fording place, and thence proceeded to the bridge or ford at what is now Ash street. This was probably the oldest way of the region.

It was

Prospect street was a part of the ancient Ipswich road, which is said to have been laid out in 1643. called ye country highway called Boston road, in 1686; ye country road leading towards Boston, in 1691; ye country road leading from Ipswich to Boston, in 1701; Ipswich road, in 1733; and Prospect street in 1885.

*See files of the Salem Quarterly Court, volume XXXV, leaves 111115.

+Salem Town Records, volume I, page 215 (printed).

That part of Sylvan street which lies southerly from Ash street was a part of the old Ipswich road; and was called ye country highway, in 1684; ye country road, in 1691; ye common road which goes to Ipswich, in 1692; Ipswich highway, in 1698; ye great road, in 1720; Boston or Ipswich road leading to Phillips', in 1735; Ipswich road, in 1748; the old Ipswich road, in 1836; the road that leads to Danvers plains, in 1839; and the road leading from the Collins house to Danvers plains, in 1839. That part of Sylvan street which lies northerly of Ash street was laid out by the county commissioners May 25, 1839. The whole length was called Sylvan street as early as 1854.

That part of Andover street extending from Prospect street towards Salem was laid out early; and was called the Salem road, in 1691; ye country road, in 1701; the county highway leading from Salem to Ipswich, in 1705; ye road that leads to Salem, in 1722; and Andover street as early as 1882.

The old clay-pit lane, running from the old back road to Andover street, was called a highway in 1702; a lane running from ye clay pits as the fence now stands to ye county highway, in 1705; ye highway that leads to Cowhouse river, in 1722; and Clay-pit lane as early as 1722.

Cross street was laid out before 1733, when it was called ye lane leading to Ipswich road; and it was called Cross street as early as 1882.

Andover street, from Prospect street westerly, shown on the plan by parallel lines of dashes, was laid out as a turnpike road to Andover in 1804; and was called a highway in 1805; the road formerly the turnpike, in 1843; Essex turnpike, in 1847; and Andover street as early as 1863.

Running westerly from Andover street, as shown on the plan, was early a lane leading by the house of Henry Houlton to the great pasture on the northwestern slope of Hog hill.

Endecott street was laid out as a street and so called as early as 1856.

Pine street is an ancient road and was called the An