Danvers Votes To Keep Cherry St. Train Depot

Voters at the Town Meeting in Danvers on Monday night decided to keep the last remaining train depot in town, deciding that it’s historical significance is “so much more important that a couple of parking spaces,” according to Town Archivist Dick Trask.

The vote to preserve the former train depot at 22 Cherry St. passed by only a narrow margin, a vote of 71 – 53. Part of the agreement to keep the depot would be moving it from its Cherry St. location to the Hobart Street parking lot.

However, the moving of the train depot isn’t without a couple variables. The town will need Townshend Oil to approve the motion as well, since the company owns the building. The Townshend family has said in the past that they would like the town to take the depot off their property.

The town will also need to receive money from the state to assist in the cost of the moving of the building as well as its restoration. The state previously earmarked $750,000 for the town of Danvers as part of a 2014 Environmental Bond Bill.

The proposal to save the train depot was debated for roughly 40 minutes before many board members called for a vote on the matter.

Photo courtesy of Liz West via Flickr