George Peabody House Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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George Peabody House
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George Peabody House at 205 Washington Street
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Peabody, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1790 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000911 |
| Added to NRHP | July 6, 1988 |
The George Peabody House Museum is a special place in Peabody, Massachusetts. It's a historic house museum that tells the story of George Peabody. He was a very important person in the 1800s. George Peabody was a successful businessman and a generous person who gave a lot of money to help others. The city of Peabody is even named after him! This museum is located at 205 Washington Street. It's also where George Peabody was born in 1795, back when the area was called South Danvers. The museum shares its building with the Peabody Leather Museum.
Contents
The Story of the House
The land where the George Peabody House Museum stands has a long history. In 1769, a man named John Southwick, Jr., owned this land. He gave a large empty piece of land, about 12 acres, to his daughter Hannah and her husband, Daniel Purinton. Daniel was a cordwainer, which means he made shoes.
Early Days of the Property
Records from 1786 show that there was a chocolate mill on the property. By 1794, other buildings were mentioned, but not specifically mills. In April 1795, Daniel Purinton sold the land and buildings to Thomas Peabody. Thomas was George Peabody's father. It's possible that the Peabody family was renting the house before they bought it. This means George Peabody might have been born in the house while his family was renting it.
George Peabody Buys and Sells His Home
Thomas Peabody passed away on May 13, 1811. His oldest son, David, was in charge of his father's property. At that time, there were three mortgages on the land and buildings. In 1812, David took out two more mortgages.
On November 22, 1816, George Peabody bought the family home from his brother David. He paid $109 for it. George paid off one of the mortgages in 1817. This allowed his mother to continue living in the house.
In 1832, two years after his mother passed away, George Peabody sold the property to David Shove for $1,465. After selling this house, George Peabody never owned another property in his life. He chose to rent places instead.
The House Through the Years
After George Peabody sold the house, it was owned by Elijah Upton. He made glue and had a factory nearby. In 1883, Charles B. Farley bought the house. By this time, the house had been divided into two separate apartments. Farley rented these apartments to different people, including a produce seller, a carpenter, and a stable worker.
In 1919, the Peabody Historical Society placed a special plaque and post at the house. This memorial honored the house as George Peabody's birthplace, and it is still there today. In the same year, Charles Farley sold the house to the American Glue Company. This company used the house to provide homes for its workers for many years. From the 1960s to the 1980s, employees from Eastman Gelatin lived there.
Becoming a Museum
In 1989, the city of Peabody bought the house from Eastman Gelatin. The city then turned it into the George Peabody House Museum. This museum helps people learn about George Peabody's amazing life and his contributions. The property was officially recognized as a historic place in 1988 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
