Middleton was first settled in 1651. The town derives its name from its location midway between Danvers and Andover, on a road well traveled in early times. It was once known as Will's Hill, an outlying part of Salem Village. In 1692, Middleton lost one of its residents to a witch hunt. The town grew as a farming community, yet it also had an important ironworks industry in the 1700s. Though a largely bucolic and agrarian community, two railroad lines and one trolley line ran through town, serving bustling industries and people looking for recreational activities. Middleton includes in its quaint history an ancient white oak tree reputed to be over 400 years old; an innovative seed farm, J. H. Gregory's; and an old domicile some say still smells of baked beans. Middleton captures the history of this community's pleasant and social people.
