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.

It a lovely little historical site is it also has a matching in it’s brilliant color coordination a wonderful little free book library book box

Hidden gem! This little museum in George Peobody's childhood home is filled with mementos and information about this incredible international philanthropist and champion of education and knowledge for all people. Thank you to the volunteers who share this history.

Added bonus is the leather industry museum!

Came for a presentation so didn’t get much in the way of an interactive experience, but everything looked well organized and festive. Dug the “cozy room” the most. Great spot to decompress after public speaking exercise.

I dropped by the pop up children's museum here and had a great time. My kids are 4 and 6 and they had an absolute blast there. They are two separate houses with different play areas in each room of each house. There is a lot of sensory play and imaginative play.
A two hour block of time is great here. I purchased tickets online, but many libraries offer tickets. Weekday hours are less crowded and tickets are sold in 2 hour blocks. Parking is in the rear (with 2 HP and 2 open spaces in front) and is sparse. You can grab lunch at the bakery next door. There is no food or drink allowed in the museum but they have picnic tables outside.
I really hope I get an opportunity to go back before it's gone. My kids loved it.