In the mid-19th century, Mayor Stephen C. Phillips was an "outspoken promoter" for railroad development in Salem.

[3] Civil engineer Charles S. Storrow approached and counseled Phillips on the subject in April 1847.

[1] By the beginning of 1847, the first 2 miles (3.2 km) of track were completed from Salem to Peabody (then called South Danvers).

When the Eastern was absorbed by the B&M in 1884, Essex County was a dense network of rail lines through sparsely populated areas.

The line continued to operate until Stevens Mills closed in the 1960s and freight service to the North Andover Machine Shop ended in 1981.

The line between Peabody Square and Salem remained open for freight and the MBTA had preliminary plans to reopen passenger service between Salem and Danvers Junction, replacing the old bridge to gain access to Danvers.