About

Who we are

City of Peabody

George Peabody

Who We Are

The city of Peabody, together with the Peabody Institute Library, the Peabody Historical Society and the George Peabody House have worked together to create a website with online exhibits of our city's rich past.

Peabody Institute Library

The Peabody Institute Library, 82 Main Street, Peabody, consists of the Main Library as well as two Branch Libraries (South Branch, located at 78 Lynn Street, and the West Branch, located at 603 Lowell Street).

The Peabody Institute Library was established in 1852 through the vision and generosity of George Peabody. In 1869, with a gift from Eliza Sutton n memory of her son, the Eben Dale Sutton Reference Room Library was added. The Library houses numerous objects of historical and artistic significance. On June 4, 1973, the Peabody Institute Library was accepted for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
www.peabodylibrary.org

Peabody Historical Society

Founded in 1896, the Peabody Historical Society & Museum is a center for the preservation, study and enjoyment of Peabody's cultural heritage. The Society's collections are of local and national significance and document over 300 years of the region's history.

The Society maintains seven historic properties, an extensive library and archives (Ruth Hill Library&Archives), and a large collection of china, textiles, furniture and fine and decorative arts.
www.peabodyhistorical.org

George Peabody House and Leatherworkers Museum

Located at 205 Washington Street in Peabody, Massachusetts, the George Peabody House celebrates the life and deeds of George Peabody. It is dedicated to preserving his legacy.

The Peabody Leatherworkers Museum opened in 2009 and documents the lives of the city's leatherworkers, as well as the history of Peabody's leather industry.
www.peabodymuseums.org

City of Peabody

The City of Peabody is an economically developed suburb 18 miles north of Boston with population approximately of 52,000 people. Peabody proximity to major highways - I95, Rte. 128, Rte. 114 and Rte. 1 makes city a convenient location for businesses and homeowners. Peabody is bordered by the cities of Lynn on the south and Salem on the east, and the towns of Lynnfield on the west, and Middleton and Danvers on the north.

Peabody is known as the "Tanner City", because its growth and development depended on the success of the local leather industry. Although most of the leather-related businesses have moved out of the area, the city retains the nickname and the high school teams go by the name of the "Tanners".

The City of Peabody is named after Nineteenth Century philanthropist George Peabody who was born in South Danvers (now Peabody) in 1795. George Peabody donated a vast sum of his significant wealth over many years to create the Peabody Institute Library on Main Street in Peabody, and later the Peabody Institute Library in Danvers as well as many other libraries and schools throughout the country. George Peabody's legacy lives on in Peabody through the Peabody Institute Library and the George Peabody House Museum.

For more information about city of Peabody go to www.peabody-ma.gov

George Peabody

George Peabody (February 18, 1795 - November 4, 1869) was a famous entrepreneur and philanthropist.

He was born in what was then South Danvers, Massachusetts (now Peabody, Massachusetts). Though he was born poor and received little formal education, by the time he was 19, he went into import/export business with Elisha Riggs. In 1837, he traveled to London to expand their work and eventually became an investment banker.

International merchant and financier, benefactor of numerous philanthropies both in the United States and in England, first American named honorary citizen of London, George Peabody never departed from the principles of frugality and humility on which he was reared. He donated over 8 million dollars to the town of South Danvers (now Peabody) and to numerous colleges, libraries and museums.

George Peabody died in London in 1869 at the age of 74. He is buried in Salem, Massachusetts, at Harmony Grove Cemetery. His birthplace at 205 Washington Street in Peabody is now the George Peabody House Museum.

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