Welcome to Danvers Patch

Looking for more news from your hometown? Look no further.

Danvers Patch is a daily news Web site that will provide breaking news reports and more local news, more often. The site will be updated multiple times each day, seven days a week, not counting our activity on Facebook and Twitter.

You'll see me out and about in the community, at the library, town meetings, sporting events and anything else interesting going on in Danvers. You'll also see a team of freelancers out on the beat.

Community journalism is all about what's important to you, the residents of Danvers, and that's what we hope to capture on Danvers Patch, from school awards, sports and new businesses in town to controversial developments, traffic, public safety and the aftermath of disastrous accidents, such as the chemical explosion at a manufacturing plant that ripped through the Danversport neighborhood in 2006.

That's a lot of ground to cover, so we need your help to make sure we don't miss anything.

Log on and post your own news; share an announcement, photos of a youth sports game or other event in town and let us know what's on your mind. Make Danvers Patch your own by participating and joining the public discussion.

In addition to a local news hub, we hope the site becomes your go-to source for information on local businesses, religious institutions, recreational spots and any other place in town. You can find phone numbers, Web sites, services, hours of operation and other interesting facts on practically any place in Danvers. If you see something we missed, let us know.

With more than 27,000 residents, and situated evenly between Boston and the New Hampshire border, Danvers has grown into a diverse community from its agricultural and historical roots. Today, you have bustling Route 1, the Liberty Tree Mall and a vibrant commercial sector along Route 114, a historic and busy downtown (once home to shipyards and brick factories) and rural neighborhoods, recreational areas and farmlands at the outskirts of town. And you can't forget two high schools, a vocational school and North Shore Community College, along with several other small private schools. There's always a story to tell.

Here's some history for you: while Salem gets most of the tourist traffic, Danvers was actually ground zero for the infamous witch trials in 1692 – in fact, a monument stands today in memory of the victims and many of their homes have been preserved as historic properties.

And if you know your colonial patriots, you know Danvers gave birth to some famous American soldiers: Jeremiah Page and Edmund Putnam who commanded militia on the Lexington Green and Gen. Israel Putnam who later led troops against the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The Danvers onion, anyone? It may not be too difficult to surmise with a nickname such as "Onion Town," but the moniker is from an era when Danvers farmers grew most of the pungent bulbs in the region, those and the Danvers half-long carrot.

You'll find lots more interesting morsels in the days to come.

If you see me around town, come up and say hello. Drop me a line via e-mail or give a call, I'd love to hear from you and how we can make Danvers Patch better.