Ingersoll's Ordinary

Ingersoll's Ordinary is a building in Danvers, Massachusetts, formerly known as Salem Village. It was built in 1670 and became a tavern in 1677. During the Salem witch trials, the building was used as a prison for those accused.^[1]

In the late seventeenth century, the ordinary, an archaic word for tavern, was owned by Deacon Nathaniel Ingersoll. ^[2] It was the center of life in Salem Village, functioning as an eating and drinking establishment, a community center, and an inn with rented rooms above the tavern.^[3]

In 1692 during the Salem witch trials, the first three people accused of witchcraft Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne were imprisoned in the building.^[4] The three women were initially going to be examined at the ordinary, but the meetinghouse was used instead due to the large crowds.^[2] The building held other examinations of accused witches and testimony was taken there.^[5] About 30 people in total were held prisoner in the building during the trials.^[3]

Ingersoll owned the residence until his death in 1719.^[6] Before the American Revolution, the building was used as the meeting place of the local militia who trained nearby.^[5] Extensive repairs which included modernization were made on the house in 1753, and it continued to be operated as a tavern into the 1800s.^[6][7] It was later purchased for a parsonage in 1832, and remained owned by the First Church of Danvers until 1968.^[7]

In 2011, the house was bought by an individual from New Hampshire who left it vacant and did not perform maintenance.^[4] Some years after the purchase, a 17th-century barn behind the main building collapsed.^[8] The main building has developed several issues including a hole in the roof, which has been covered by a tarp for five years and much of exterior has starting to rot.^[9] In March 2024, the Danvers Ad-Hoc Historic Preservation Study Committee released a report which determined there was nothing in the town's current bylaws to save the structure from demolition by neglect.^[8] On May 20, 2024, during the town of Danvers annual town meeting, a "demolition by neglect" bylaw was passed to compel the building owner to make repairs.^[4]