SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Danversport Explosion

Related Photos

  • Matt Viglianti

    jrf8f777.jpg

Discussion

The Salem News has a real-name policy for commenting. Users may sign in using the Facebook Connect tool above the comments field. Once your first comment is posted by a moderator, all future comments will post automatically. If you prefer not to use Facebook, send an e-mail with your comments user name (which must be the same as your real name), city or town, street address and daytime phone number to comments@salemnews.com. A staff member will contact you directly to confirm your identity. It may take a day or two before you can post comments. Only your user name will be public. All users are required to follow our rules for commenting, which can be found here.

comments powered by Disqus
November 20, 2007

The Stamms: a grand new house on the rise

Amanda McGregor

DANVERS — Richard and Stacey Stamm have had three addresses in the last year, but they still aren't home.

The Stamms closed on a new house at 108 Water St. in Danvers on Nov. 21, 2006 -- just 16 hours before the chemical plant explosion that destroyed their newly purchased home, along with more than 20 other houses in the neighborhood.

"It's definitely been an experience I wouldn't want to repeat," said Stacey Stamm, as she stood at the construction site of her new home on a chilly evening recently.

The old house was demolished last winter, and now, after various construction delays, the Stamms hope to be home in time for the Super Bowl in February.

"It's a great prediction that we (the New England Patriots) are going to be in the Super Bowl, so I'm going to pick that day," said Richard Stamm. "We just want to get in."

The Stamms lived in Arlington before they bought their house in Danvers. After the explosion, they moved to the Embassy Suites on Route 1 until they found an apartment in Hamilton. In August they had to leave Hamilton, so they moved to an apartment in downtown Danvers.

"It's not your space, and everything is in the wrong place," Stacey said of living in rented, furnished apartments.

Their 14-year-old daughter, D.J., has struggled amid the turbulence of the last year, and Stacey is bracing for the holidays without the family's Christmas decorations and keepsakes, which are still packed in a storage pod along with their winter coats.

"Now I have Christmas for a 14-year-old and not a stitch to put up," said Stacey. "We're going to do an edible tree this year, with gingerbread men ornaments and a Fruit Loop garland, so we're trying to make it fun."

The bright side is that the Stamms are building their dream home -- with cathedral ceilings, a gabled roof, large bedrooms, a sweeping deck, and grand windows with a view of the Crane River -- and at 3,000 square feet, it's double the size of their former house, built in 1911. The only piece they could salvage from their old home was the front door.

"We're the house of 11 gables -- not seven," Richard said with a laugh as he looked up at the shell of his new house. "It's a little bigger and bolder. It's gorgeous. We're almost there.

"The main concern is getting in. I just want to relax and cut the grass."

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Local News
  • Leather factory to be razed One of the city's last leather factories is coming down to make way for an apartment complex along the North River canal.
    The developers of Riverview Place, a 130-apartment project that began five years ago, have been issued a demolition permit for the Bonfanti leather factory, 69-71 Mason St., and an adjacent multifamily house.

    May 26, 2012

  • Marbleheader brings Indian, Pakistani professors together MARBLEHEAD — The quarrel between India and Pakistan has long been one of the hottest disputes on the planet. Over the past half-century, both have been frequently at sword's point and twice at war.

    May 26, 2012

  • 5927251SN.jpg Ramps at Route 62 to open next week DANVERS — An electronic sign along Route 128 south warns changes are coming to Route 62 ramps on Wednesday.
    It's a sign the North Shore's $23.1 million "Little Dig" is starting to wind down.
    "We are projecting making the changeover from the existing configuration to the new configuration next Wednesday morning," said Michael Verseckes, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Ipswich names town manager finalists IPSWICH — Selectmen will interview finalists for the town manager job next week.
    Roberta "Robin" Crosbie and Gregory Federspiel, both of whom have decades of experience as town managers, will be interviewed by Ipswich selectmen in public sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

    May 26, 2012

  • 120525_SN_DLE_BFGRAD3.jpg Photo Gallery: 2012 Graduations Images of the Class of 2012 for North Shore high schools, colleges and universities. Updated throughout the graduation season.

    May 20, 2012