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Endicott Pear Tree

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The Endicott Pear Tree , also known as the Endecott Pear , is a European Pear ( Pyrus communis ) tree, located in Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts . It is believed to be the oldest living cultivated fruit tree in North America.

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68-675: The Endicott Pear Tree was planted in its current location between 1628 and 1639 ( William Bentley reports dates of 1630, 1631, and 1639 in his diary) by John Endecott —a governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony , one of the Colony's earliest settlers, and ancestor of Endicott Peabody —and was probably brought from England on the Arbella in June 1630. Various reports indicate an alternate import year of 1628. Tradition holds to

136-437: A town council . Some towns use a financial town meeting form where an open town meeting exists with limited jurisdiction to vote solely on financial affairs while the town's legislative powers have been vested in a town council. Town meetings may have binding votes for some items in which the meeting participants vote to approve or deny the measure. Some towns require a referendum for items such as annual budgets and changes to

204-421: A heavy covering of sod. Surrounding them is a fence which acts as an effective protection. When the author photographed the tree it was covered in green fruit. It may be seen in a field near Endicott street at Davensport, and is worth turning aside to behold, for it is one of the most quaint and strangely impressive of all the historic trees. The Endicott Pear Tree was damaged by a hurricane once more in 1934 . In

272-529: A highly sophisticated capsule of current political and cultural news, set in a broad historical context. His unsigned reports were widely copied and reproduced in the young nation's newspapers. Bentley believed in Republican enlightenment and the widest possible diffusion of knowledge. He was upset by the increasingly shrill tone of the partisan press, and the superficiality of much journalism. Bentley graduated from Harvard University in 1777, and worked as

340-481: A letter from Adams dated September 24, 1815 that noted: "The hurricane of yesterday has covered the ground about me with pears." The Endicott Pear Tree was damaged by the Storm of October 1804 , a late-season major hurricane in the 1804 Atlantic hurricane season , but recovered to "yield many bushels" of fruit. The tree was damaged by hurricanes at least twice more in the 19th century: in 1815 and 1843 . By 1875,

408-516: A library of over 4,000 volumes, one of the largest private libraries in America at the time. In addition to classic Latin and Greek works, Bentley's collection included books on language, philosophy, the sciences, and early Christianity. Bentley had originally drafted his will to leave his collection to Harvard, but withdrew the bequest because of Harvard's failure to award him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree until just before his death. Bentley

476-702: A modified version of it. Maine annual town meetings traditionally are held in March. Special town meetings also may be called from time to time. The executive agency of town government is an elected , part-time board, known as the Board of Selectmen , having three, five, or seven members. Between sessions, the board of selectmen interprets the policy set at Town Meeting and is assigned numerous duties including: approving all town non-school expenditures, authorizing highway construction and repair, serving as town purchasing agent for non-school items, issuing licenses, and overseeing

544-488: A new requirement that a man must own taxable property with a value of at least 20 pounds in 1658 and increased that sum to 80 pounds in 1670. The 1670 law had a grandfather clause allowing all those who previously were qualified to keep the franchise. In 1691, the property requirement was lowered back to 20 pounds. In provincial elections, only church members could vote. The number continued to fall from there. While in many respects Massachusetts society resembled England,

612-493: A plot of land on which the so-called Endicott Pear Tree is located, subject to an agreement drawn by the owner and in form agreeable to the Town Counsel"; however, the town did not purchase the tree due to the inability of the Town Counsel, a James H. Sullivan, and Simard to agree on the terms of the acquisition. On January 1, 1947, Sullivan was replaced as Town Counsel, and no further action was taken regarding acquisition of

680-694: A schoolteacher and then a tutor of Latin and Greek at Harvard. On September 24, 1783, he was ordained as a minister and became pastor of the Second Congregational Church in Salem, known as the East Church, where he remained until his death in 1819. In 1805, Thomas Jefferson asked him to become the first president of the University of Virginia , but Bentley opted to continue with the church. He also declined Jefferson's offer of

748-590: A town budget, and approve large contracts. Town selectmen can call special town meetings throughout the year as needed, although these must be approved by a judge if they affect the budget. State law prohibits town meetings from being held on the biennial election day in November. State law lets the town moderator adjourn a long-running meeting and reconvene it at a later date to finish the town's business. Any town meeting or adjournment thereof must have its time and place published with three days' notice, along with

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816-516: A town meeting, attendees determine the ordinances or rules of the town, its boards and commissions, elected and appointed positions, capital investments, expenditures, budgets, and local taxation, as well as the manner and frequency of future town meetings. Because towns self-govern and maintain their autonomy, town meetings vary from state to state, as well as from town to town. Since town residents directly participate in their own governance and represent themselves without any intermediary, town meeting

884-560: Is direct democracy , while its alternatives, representative town meeting and town council, are representative democracy. It is a form of government typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States. In Massachusetts, towns with fewer than 6,000 residents must adopt the open town meeting form of government. Massachusetts towns with 6,000 or more residents may adopt either open town meeting or

952-478: Is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where only elected representatives can participate in the governing assembly, any town voter may participate in an open town meeting. This form is distinct from town hall meetings held by elected officials to communicate with their constituents, which have no decision-making power. At

1020-462: Is an example of direct democracy , and examined as a case study in democratic theory. The town meeting form is used in portions of the United States , principally in New England , where it has been the primary form of town government since the 17th century. Town meetings have been practiced in the U.S. region of New England since colonial times and in some western states since at least

1088-541: Is buried in Harmony Grove Cemetery . Town meeting Executive mayor elected by the people, elected legislative City council Council - Manager Executive leader elected by the council from among themselves Elected mayor and cabinet Executive mayor elected by the people Committee system Executive leader and executive committees elected by the council from among themselves Town meeting , also known as an "open town meeting,"

1156-451: Is chosen at the start of each meeting, which is typically held in a public venue, either in the town itself or nearby. Votes are taken by voice, and if close by show of hands. In towns with an open town meeting form, all registered voters of the town are eligible to participate in and vote at town meetings. Representative town meeting is used by some larger towns, where voters elect representatives to participate in town meetings, similar to

1224-534: Is held in the spring and may also be known as the annual budget meeting. Towns were once required to hold their annual town meetings between February 1 and May 31, but Chapter 85 of the Acts of 2008 extended this window of time to June 30. (Town fiscal years start on July 1.) At this meeting, the town budgets for the new fiscal year and takes care of any outstanding housekeeping items from the current fiscal year. It may also vote on non-budgetary warrant articles, including

1292-587: Is named in his memory. From 1797 to 1817, Bentley wrote columns twice weekly for the Salem Gazette and Salem Register , discussing American and foreign news and politics on current topics such as the China trade, slavery, and the French Revolution , and often reflecting Bentley's Jeffersonian outlook. He twice declined Thomas Jefferson 's offers of prominent positions, first as chaplain of

1360-521: The representative town meeting form of government. The select board summons the town meeting into existence by issuing the warrant, which is the list of items—known as articles—to be voted on, with descriptions of each article. The Moderator presides over the meeting, making sure that the town's chosen rules of parliamentary procedure are followed, judging the results of voice votes or shows of hands and counting votes that are too close to be judged by eye or ear. The Finance Committee , often called

1428-523: The United States Congress , and then as first president of the University of Virginia . Bentley kept a detailed diary recording not only current events in Salem and the world, but also his own thoughts on a broad range of topics. The diary fills nearly 32 volumes; an abridged 11-volume version was published in 1905. William Bentley died on December 29, 1819, of a heart attack . The noted orator Edward Everett delivered his eulogy. He

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1496-455: The warrant specifying each issue to be decided. Town meeting can amend the warrant articles before voting on them, and can conduct non-binding discussions of other issues, but cannot make other binding votes without this notice to town voters. Attendance wanes over the course of a town meeting, and a traditional tactic was to re-vote after many on the opposite side had gone home. In 1991, the state enacted RSA 40:10 , giving town meeting members

1564-453: The 1940s, The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry attempted to acquire possession of the tree from its then-owner, a Mr. Simard, who had acquired the property from George Endicott in 1941. This move was prompted by the discovery that Simard had "stripped the soil near the tree", leaving it exposed. In 1946, at a town meeting , the town of Danvers passed a resolution to "accept

1632-493: The Advisory Committee, makes recommendations on articles dealing with money and often drafts the proposed budget. The Town Clerk serves as the clerk of the meeting by recording its results. Town Counsel may make legal recommendations on any articles of the warrant, to ensure town meeting is acting lawfully. Massachusetts towns having at least 6,000 residents may adopt a representative town meeting system through

1700-475: The Endicott Pear Tree stood at approximately 80 ft (24 m). Sometime in the mid-to-late-19th century, a wooden fence was erected to protect the tree. In the early 20th century, Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick , a botanist and author of The Pears of New York —a 1921 monograph belonging to a series of publications on fruits, "all of which have become classic references on the fruit cultivars of

1768-410: The Endicott Pear Tree. Eventually, Simard deeded the property on which the tree is located to North Shore Industries; it was subsequently transferred to CBS-Hytron, which erected a wooden fence around the pear tree, Matchlett Laboratories, and finally Osram Sylvania . On July 27, 1964, vandals cut off the tree's branches and all but 6 ft (1.8 m) of its trunk using hacksaws . By 1965, it

1836-545: The General Court took authority to appoint assessors from selectmen and gave it to town meetings. An act of the colonial legislature gave town meeting the right to elect its own moderators in 1715, but this had already been in practice for several years in towns such as Dedham . A colony law required all voters to be church members until 1647, though it may not have been enforced. The law changed in 1647, requiring voters to be above 24 years of age. The colony added

1904-786: The Medical Center replaced the chain link fence with a wrought iron fence and hired a tree care service on retainer. Danvers's Tree and Grounds Department also began assisting in the maintaining the tree. Thereafter, the Endecott-Endicott Family Association, Gov. John Endecott Chapter of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America and the Essex National Heritage Commission began promoting

1972-537: The abstract principles under which they would live and regulated the most minute details of their lives. The decisions they made then affected the lives of their children and grandchildren. Town meeting often had a reputation for being "active, suspicious, contradictory, and cantankerous," but it was well regarded by others. In 1692, the Great and General Court declared that final authority on bylaws rested with town meetings and not selectmen. Two years later, in 1694,

2040-454: The basis of their poor attendance and lack of representativeness. Jane Mansbridge and Donald L. Robinson have argued that town meetings in Vermont and Massachusetts feature extremely low turnout in part because they last for a full working day, leading to disproportionate representation of seniors and non-working residents in the meetings. As participation is still voluntary for attendees of

2108-565: The compensation of appointees. (See also: Council-manager government .) From 1927 to 1939, eleven other Maine towns adopted special act charters similar to the Camden charter. Today, 135 Maine towns have the town meeting-selectmen-manager system, while 209 use the town meeting-selectmen system. The town meeting "was the original and protean vessel of local authority." The early meetings were informal, with all men in town likely participating. Even when it did not fully exercise it, "the power of

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2176-419: The conduct of all town activities. Often the part-time selectmen also serve as town assessors , overseers of the poor, and road commissioners . Generally, there are other elected town officers whose duties are specified by law. These may include clerks, assessors, tax collectors , treasurers , school committee members, constables , and others. In 1927 the town of Camden adopted a special charter and became

2244-479: The final vote by secret ballot attracts more voters than town meetings do because of the shorter time requirement, and absentees can vote. Deliberative sessions have been charged with " sabotaging " the intent of a ballot question; for example, changing a warrant article, "To see if the Town will raise and appropriate (amount) for (purpose)" to merely read, "To see." A 2011 law barred deliberative sessions from deleting

2312-407: The first Maine town to apply the manager concept to the town meeting-selectmen framework. Under this system, the manager is administrative head of town government, responsible to the select board for the administration of all departments under its control. The manager's duties include acting as purchasing agent, seeing that laws and ordinances are enforced, making appointments and removals, and fixing

2380-689: The first volume of Democracy in America (1835) that town governments in New England appeared to show greater political independence than French communes or other municipal bodies in Europe. Tocqueville believed that town meetings, with direct power given to attending residents, trained citizens for participation in broader democratic society. Town meetings also influenced American republican thought particularly for Thomas Jefferson , who believed they were "the perfect exercise of self-government and for its preservation." Town meetings represent some of

2448-465: The franchise was more widespread in the colony than it was in the mother country, as were the powers of local elected officials. Open town meeting is the form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town are eligible to vote, together acting as the town's legislature. Town Meeting is typically held annually in the spring, often over the course of several evenings, but there is also provision to call additional special meetings. Open town meeting

2516-647: The hearts of many Danversites". In 2004, the Danvers Preservation Commission sought to have the tree featured on a stamp of the United States Postal Service . Lucy Larcom composed a poem, titled "The Governor's Tree", about the Endicott Pear Tree in 1890 for Arbor Day . 42°32′54″N 70°55′48″W  /  42.548238°N 70.930013°W  / 42.548238; -70.930013 William Bentley William Bentley (June 22, 1759 – December 29, 1819)

2584-435: The late 19th century. Town meeting can also refer to meetings of other governmental bodies such as regional water or school districts . While the uses and laws vary by town and state, the general form is for residents of the town to periodically gather and serve as the legislative body , voting on finances, ordinances, and other matters of governance. Records of early New England governance are sparse, leading to debate about

2652-408: The meeting, Mansbridge also notes differences in participation on the basis of education and class when conflicts arise, writing that "the face-to-face assembly lets those who have no trouble speaking defend their interests; it does not give the average citizen comparable protection." Feminist critics have also identified mixed results in town meetings. While women's rates of attendance at town meetings

2720-592: The municipal ballot. Under SB 2, a first session, called a "Deliberative Session", is held about a month prior to the town election. This session is similar in many ways to the traditional town meeting. However, unlike the town meeting, while the wording and dollar amounts of proposed ballot measures may be amended, no actual voting on the merits of the proposals takes place. Deliberative sessions are less well attended, in bodies that have adopted SB 2, than are plenary town meetings in bodies that have not adopted SB 2, as their decisions are not final. However,

2788-532: The municipal election. To adopt SB 2, or to revert to traditional town meetings, a question to that effect on the municipal ballot must win a three-fifths majority. This format was instituted by the state legislature in 1995 because of concerns that modern lifestyles had made it difficult for people to attend traditional town meetings. In 2019, however, the law was changed so that the three-fifths majority would have to occur at town meeting itself: The town meeting would have to vote to remove its own final decisions to

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2856-711: The normal charter change process in the State Legislature. Representative Town Meetings function largely the same as an Open Town Meeting except that not all registered voters can vote. The townspeople instead elect Town Meeting Members by precinct to represent them and to vote on the issues for them. Before it became a city in 2018, Framingham , which at the time was the largest town in the Commonwealth by population, had 216 representatives in Town Meeting, twelve from each precinct . An annual town meeting

2924-540: The notion that the tree was planted by Endecott himself, according to Harriet Tapley in Chronicles of Danvers and to Judge Alden Perley White. According to Charles S. Tapley, a President of the Bay State Historical League, White recounted that Endecott personally planted the pear tree in the presence of his children and farmworkers and reportedly declared: "I hope the tree will love the soil of

2992-629: The number of signatures required on a petition rises to 100. While the Selectmen generally call such a meeting, voters may call one through petition, and the number of signatures required on a petition to call a special town meeting is 200 or 20% of the registered voters, whichever number is lower. The selectmen have 45 days from the date of receiving such a petition to hold a special town meeting. In New Hampshire , towns, village districts (which can deal with various government activities but usually concern public water supplies) and school districts have

3060-571: The old world and no doubt when we have gone the tree will still be alive." The 1925 USDA Agriculture Yearbook, citing the memoir of Samuel Endicott—a descendant of Endecott (the spelling of the family name changed in the 18th century)—suggests that the tree may have been transplanted from Endecott's garden in Salem . An article in the Salem Observer , written in 1852 by Samuel P. Fowler, lends further credence to this idea, noting that it

3128-609: The only modern institutions, apart from some townships in Minnesota and the cantons of Switzerland, in which everyday citizens can regularly participate in "face-to-face" assemblies that deliberate binding collective action decisions in the form of laws. Proponents of communitarianism and civic republicanism in political thought, notably Frank M. Bryan of the University of Vermont , have advocated town meetings as forms of direct democracy based upon unitary values. Deliberative democrats , such as James Fishkin , have presented

3196-418: The option of choosing one of two types of annual meeting: Traditional meetings, and ballot-vote meetings that are known informally as "SB 2" or "Senate Bill 2". A variation of SB 2 and representative town meeting are also allowed under state law but as of 2015 are not in use by any community. Traditional town meeting is held annually on the second Tuesday of March to choose town officers, approve

3264-606: The origin of town meeting. One interpretation is that it was adapted from local vestry meetings held in 17th century England that were responsible for financial decisions of the parish church. Another is that it stemmed from New England colonists aboard the Mayflower who, upon landing in Plymouth, Massachusetts , gathered to adopt their own rules of governance, the Mayflower Compact . In colonial New England there

3332-498: The period"—confirmed that the Endicott Pear Tree had not been grafted , as was suggested in an 1837 article about the tree in Mr. Hovey's Magazine . A 1919 account of the Endicott Pear Tree by James Raymond Simmons, author of The Historic Trees of Massachusetts , describes the tree as follows: Soil has gradually collected about the trunk until the two main branches appear to rise from the ground as separate trees. They evidently join under

3400-417: The poorer members of his congregation. He often shared the East Church pulpit with pastors of other sects. He was a strong supporter of public education and frequent tutor and substitute teacher; among the students he taught was Nathaniel Bowditch . The Bentley School in Salem is named for him. Bentley spoke 21 languages, 7 fluently, and was an inexhaustible reader and book collector. He eventually amassed

3468-488: The right to bar reconsideration of a specified vote (or any "action...which involves the same subject matter"). If a town meeting does not bar reconsideration and later does vote to reconsider a decision, the issue can be taken up only at an adjourned session at least one week later. Official ballot referenda, or the SB ;2 format, provides that town voters make binding decisions not at town meeting but by secret ballot in

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3536-635: The role of chaplain for Congress. In 1811, Bentley was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia . Bentley was well liked by his parishioners because of his philosophy of emphasizing good works over rigid doctrine. He himself lived modestly, and was a boarder at the Crowninshield-Bentley House from 1791 until his death in 1819. He gave almost half his salary to help

3604-879: The second Tuesday in March, the second Tuesday in April, or the second Tuesday in May. The election dates may be changed by majority vote. If a vote is taken to approve the change of the local elections, the date becomes effective the following year. In 2002, according to the University of New Hampshire Center for Public Policy studies, 171 towns in New Hampshire had traditional town meeting, while 48 had SB 2. Another 15 municipalities, most of them incorporated cities, had no annual meeting. The study found that 102 school districts had traditional town meeting, 64 had SB 2 meeting and 10 had no annual meeting. Because traditional-meeting communities tend to be smaller, only one third of

3672-527: The state's population was governed by traditional town meetings in 2002 and only 22 percent by traditional school-district meetings. The Official Ballot Town Council is a variant form of the Town Council, in which certain items are to be placed on the ballot to be voted on by the registered voters. This process mimics the SB 2 process, except that the Town Council makes the determination of what items will go on

3740-507: The subject matter of a warrant article. In 2016, petitioners in Exeter submitted an article to place on the ballot an advisory "vote of no confidence" in a school official, and the deliberative session removed the word "no". The second session, held on a set election day, is when issues such as the town's budget and other measures, known as warrant articles, are voted upon. When adopting SB 2, towns or school districts may hold elections on

3808-441: The town meeting as a setting of "empowered participation" in which thoughtful deliberation between all participating individuals can coexist with a sense of engaged citizenship and responsibility for solving local problems. Both camps, however, note the difficulties of maintaining the benefits of town meetings when the format is scaled to larger groups. Other political scientists have expressed more skepticism toward town meetings on

3876-407: The town meeting knew no limit." Town meeting created principles to regulate taxation and land distribution; it bought land for town use and forbade the use of it forever to those who could not pay their share within a month; it decided the number of pines each family could cut from the swamp and which families could cover their house with clapboard. The men who went to that town meeting hammered out

3944-426: The town's general and zoning bylaws. An article may be placed on the warrant by the Selectmen, sometimes at the request of town departments, or by a petition signed by at least ten registered voters of the town. Special town meetings' may be held whenever necessary, usually to deal with financial or other pertinent issues that develop between annual town meetings. They function the same as an annual town meeting, only

4012-461: The town's ordinances. For those items, the town meeting votes to whether or not to send the issue to a referendum, which is held at a later date pursuant to the schedule laid out in that town's ordinances. In Maine , the town meeting system originated during the period when the District of Maine was part of Massachusetts . Most cities and towns operate under the town meeting form of government or

4080-527: The tree regularly produced fruit. In September 1809, Bentley passed along some pears harvested from the tree to former President John Adams ; he received a letter from Adams concerning the pears the following month. On April 11, 1810, Bentley visited Collins Farm to obtain twigs from the pear tree to send to Adams. Thurl D. Brown, in a lecture before the Danvers Historical Society, suggested that "[t]he twigs must have taken hold", citing

4148-564: The tree's history and preservation. In 2009, a permanent display was installed in the lobby of the Medical Center. Preservation efforts culminated in 2011 with the installation of a historic marker by the Gov. John Endecott Chapter of the NSCDA in the Medical Center's parking lot near the tree. According to a 2007 article in the Danvers Herald , the Endicott Pear Tree "holds a special place in

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4216-560: Was acquired in 2004 by the North Shore Medical Center and a new ambulatory care center for Massachusetts General Hospital was constructed, further encroaching on the tree. Danvers Historical Society, the Danvers Preservation Commission and Richard B. Trask of the Peabody Institute Library presented a list of conservation concerns regarding the tree to the North Shore Medical Center. In response,

4284-482: Was an American Unitarian minister, scholar, columnist, and diarist. He was a polymath who possessed the second best library in the United States (after that of Thomas Jefferson ), and was an indefatigable reader and collector of information at the local national and international level. Starting in 1794, he produced a weekly news summary of world events for the local newspaper the Salem Gazette . He provided

4352-586: Was in Salem proper that Endecott "probably planted his famous pear tree". Flower also reports that Endecott was probably among the first to cultivate fruit in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The diary of Rev. William Bentley , who visited the Endecott estate (at the time known as Collins Farm and owned by Capt. John Endicott) on several occasions, makes numerous mentions of the Endicott Pear Tree starting in 1800. Bentley's diary confirms that

4420-432: Was nearly equal relative to men's, their participation in discussion relative to men declined as the size of the town increased. Connecticut town meetings are usually bound to a published agenda; meeting participants can not alter proposed items or add new business. Each town determines the method, frequency, and range of governance for its town meeting and codifies these in its ordinances or town charter. A moderator

4488-678: Was one of the American Antiquarian Society 's earliest elected members; elected in 1813, he also left his books on history and natural science to the Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts in his revised will. He left the rest of his library to the just-established Allegheny College , founded by fellow Harvard graduate Timothy Alden . Bentley Hall on the Allegheny College campus

4556-602: Was surrounded by a chain-link fence and located near the headquarters of Osram Sylvania in Danvers. In 1997, scions were collected from the Endicott Pear Tree for the pear germplasm collection of the National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon , and a fruit-bearing clone of the tree was grown. Local interest in the Endicott Pear Tree was renewed, after the property

4624-558: Was very little separation between church and town governance, but town meeting continued to play a secular role after the disestablishment of the state churches, forming the core of government for most New England towns today. Since the turn of the nineteenth century, political scientists have characterized New England's town meetings as notable examples of direct democracy. In 1831, political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville visited several townships in Massachusetts, remarking in

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