George Peabody House Museums

I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions AND historic houses.

About this one:

The George Peabody House Museum is a little museum in Peabody inside the house where George Peabody (1795-1869) was born and lived until he was 15 years old. He was a merchant, banker but most of all an exceptional philanthropist.

The museum consists of 5/6 rooms on the first floor of the house filled with some objects related to his life and philanthropy, but mostly with posters narrating his life in details, starting from his humble beginnings, through his success in London and up to his death in 1869.

The museum is seemingly open all year round - I visited in February 2023 - on very specific hours (I recommend to doublecheck their website before visiting). The entrance is on the side of the house, so don't use the front door on the street but use the side door at the top of the accessible ramp from the small parking lot. When I visited, there was also an "open" flag at the entrance signaling that the museum was open.

At the time of my visit, I was greeted by a very knowledgeable man at the entrance (sorry, I forgot his name!) who gave me an introduction to the museum and the life of George Peabody. Then the museum is self-guided.

The museum is free.

Right next to the George Peabody House stands the Leatherwork Museum, however, at the time of my visit, it was undergoing renovations so I couldn't visit it.

PROs

It is extremely informative and educational, enjoyable either if you are a local or if you're visiting the area.

It's free and pictures are allowed.

CONs

These are not "CONs" but more some FYI so you come prepared 😊. The museum is extremely dense with information as it consists mainly of poster after poster of narrative about his life and about life in the 19th century both in America and England. Compared with more "modern" museums, it is less of a visual experience and more of a wall-text educational experience.

I spent about half hour inside, probably reading 100% of the material may take about 1 hour or more.