Endicott Pear Tree in Danvers
a Valuable Regional Asset

The primary purpose of the columns that I write for the Community Newspapers is to provide topical information on the activities of Essex Heritage and how we as an organization interact with other like minded groups both in and out of this region. In this month’s edition, I want to bring to your attention the famous Endicott Pear Tree in Danvers. Many believe this is the oldest living cultivated fruit tree in North America. Likely brought to this country from England to Salem on the Arbella in 1630, the tree was planted in its present location by John Endecott, a Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the initial settlers of this region sometime between 1632 and 1649. It should be noted that the original spelling of the Endicott name was originally spelled as Endecott and is used in this column. The location where the tree was planted was at one time known as the Endecott Estate or the Collins Farm and was at that time part of Salem before it later became Danvers.

The present location of the tree is at the rear of the recently constructed Massachusetts General/North Shore Medical Center facility on Endicott Street in Danvers.  The hospital became the “caretaker’ of the tree when they acquired the land from Osram-Sylvania.  The Hospital is continuing to make substantial improvements to the security around the tree to protect it for the future. We want to offer our thanks to one of our Essex Heritage Commissioners, Attorney Wayne Eisenhauer the Treasurer of the Danvers Historical Society, whose perseverance and interest in this regional historical resource and its preservation brought this matter to our attention.   At the same time, he provided information to hospital officials about this valuable resource that has alerted them to action to be certain that the tree is protected.  In July of 1964 vandals cut off branches of the tree and damaged the trunk of the tree and that action caused Osram-Sylvania to act and construct a security fence to protect the tree.  The hospital under the leadership of Ms, Elena Sierra, Executive Director, Mass General/ North Shore Center is now enhancing that security to an even greater degree to make certain that the resource is protected as best as possible.

Through the efforts of Attorney Eisenhauer, we have also recently learned that an organization exists of Endicott ancestors that have undertaken an even newer and energetic project to preserve the history surrounding the famous tree.  We have recently been introduced to Mr. Gordon Harmon, President of the Endecott-Endicott Family Association, Inc.  That organization is a membership based international family association with the common ancestor of Governor John Endecott.   Headquartered in Springfield, Missouri the association maintains a web site that can be viewed at www.endecott-endicott.com and has a strong interest in a continuing effort to preserve, protect and promote the Endicott Pear Tree.  They offer full and no charge associate memberships, and Essex Heritage will join to keep track of activities surrounding this important regional asset.  The organization has already connected with Endicott College named for their illustrious ancestor and they have developed a Governor John Endecott scholarship.  The first ever recipient of that award has produced a research article on the Governor for the college.

The most interesting project undertaken by that organization is a scion wood grafting project from the Endicott Pear Tree.  To date seventeen states in the United States are represented with a planting from the Endicott Pear Tree.  A new effort to offer plantings is now underway and the organization is pleased that the heritage of the Governor John Endicott Pear Tree is thriving around the country with more states certainly to follow. In addition several botanical gardens are also participating in this effort.  For more information on this project or to learn how to acquire a cutting of the famous tree contact Cindy Endicott Levingston the Treasurer of the Endecott-Endicott Family Association at 1097 Derby lane, Howell, MI 48843.

We hope that you learned a little about this treasured tree.   I know that with the research that I undertook on this resource, I learned a great deal of new information about its importance. 

In addition to a much broader use of the website, Essex Heritage also communicates using traditional methods like this monthly column and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin as well as using other non traditional methods like the Essex Happenings BLOG that I post information to three times a week that can be accessed at www.essexhappenings.blogspot.com.

Read more about the region from Tom Leonard on his blog.

Thomas M. Leonard is President Emeritus of the Essex National Heritage Commission, Inc., the nonprofit management entity of the Essex National Heritage Area, and can be reached by clicking here.