New Interpretive Signs Along Rail Trail Dedicated on Wednesday

Four new interpretive signs along the Danvers Rail Trail were dedicated in a brief ceremony hosted by the Rail Trail Advisory Committee on Wednesday.

The new interpretive signs that tell the story of the history of the railroad in Danvers.

The narrative below was delivered by Bill Clark, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, which explains the process of creating of the signs and thanks the many contributors that helped finish work.

Today’s short ceremony represents the culmination of two years of efforts on the part of many contributors. The story of how we come to be standing here today in celebration of four beautiful interpretive signs is a story full of vision, resourcefulness, perseverance, and most of all, partnership. It is also a success story, and every story of success is one worth telling and worth hearing. So, here goes!

The Rail Trail Advisory Committee, appointed by the Town Manager in July of 2009, has consistently valued the connection between the trail and railroad history – that is, the group feels it is very important that the story of the trail is also the story of the railroad’s role in shaping the economy and development of the town of Danvers and, indeed, the region.

Planning staff applied for a grant through the Essex National Heritage Commission, represented here today by Bill Steelman, under their Partnership Grant Program; a matching grant for $2,500 was awarded in July of 2010. Bill, thank you for your generous support, and for your patience as the group worked toward completing these signs. We especially appreciate the Pioneer in Partnership award the Committee received last week at your annual meeting.  

A signage subcommittee of the Rail Trail Advisory Committee was formed, led by Bill Ward – hard working members include Lori Dupont, Ingrid Barry, with particular thanks owed to Laura Cilley.

Next, it was time to find experts in local railroad history. Our first stop was Alden Goodnow – he provided a history of the railroad in Danvers at the Rail Trail Advisory Committee’s public informational meeting way back in November of 2010, and his oil painting of Danvers Station is featured on the first pages of the Rail Trail Plan.

We owe a tremendous debt to Town Archivist Richard Trask, who provided photos, maps, and his keen critical skills to the development of the sign’s content. Richard Symmes and Ben Merry also provided invaluable assistance. The Walker Transportation Collection in Beverly and the Boston and Maine Historical Society Archives in Lowell provided important source material as well.

The concept and initial design for these four beautiful interpretive signs was provided by volunteer Adam Prentiss, who managed to find time for us despite being a full-time student at Salem State. As the task of pushing the design details grew more specific, the Rail Trail Committee hired Seania McCarthy and Dan Lampert of Twin Lights Design of Rockport who very generously provided services above and beyond their contract to complete the final design. Barry Kaplan of The Finer Image generously donated photographic services, despite the fact the he was struggling to recover from eye surgery at the time. We’d also like to recognize Fossil Industries, who did an excellent job producing these durable, colorfast 24 inch by 36 inch full color, digitally produced signs.

Installation posed some special challenges, due to someone’s bright idea to mount these on sections of actual rail. Undaunted, the Committee held a series of volunteer parties involving heavy lifting, one acetylene torch, Lori Dupont’s backyard and more heavy lifting to get the rail uprights in place. It was at this time that local welder Michael Neary stepped forward, generously volunteering his skills to help cut 30’ sections of rail into manageable lengths, and later to craft mounting hardware for the signs.

On Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, a team of volunteers helped Michael weld the signs in place, representing the completion of two years of research, design, more heavy lifting and craftsmanship.

Finally, special thanks are due to all who volunteered their time and talents – these include our friend Larry Olasky from Haverhill, John Waters and Bob Brown. As always, the entire Rail Trail Advisory Committee pitched in at some point: Matt Duggan, Lori Dupont, Paula Boyce, Bill Ward, Ingrid Barry, Peter Matchak, Ron Ouimette, Dan Curtis, and Planning staff Karen Nelson, Kate Day, Kristan Farr and Francine Butler. Special thanks are owed to Laura Cilley for coordinating production and Chair Charley Lincicum for his engineering skills in facilitating installation. Bill Steelman went far above and beyond the call as staff at the Essex Heritage Commission by joining us for a full day of heavy lifting.  Did I mention there was a lot of heavy lifting involved?

Our deepest thanks to you all for these four signs, two of which are located here, one is at Tapley and one is on the northern section of the trail just south of the Swampwalk. If you haven’t done so, please find a sunny day to walk the trail and enjoy these testaments to the history of the railroad in Danvers. Thank you, one and all.