Peabody
Settled in 1626 as part of Salem Town, incorporated in 1755 as part of Danvers and known as the South Parish. In 1855, the South Parish separated from Danvers and became the town of South Danvers, until it was renamed Peabody in 1868. Also known as Northfields, Salem Farms, and Brooksby.
Explore
Giles and Martha Corey memorial, Lowell Street near Crystal Lake. Erected 1992 near the former Corey home.
Nathaniel Felton Senior & Junior houses, 47 & 43 Felton Street. The Feltons defended their neighbor John Proctor during the Salem witch trials. Owned by the Peabody Historical Society and open to the public. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
General Gideon Foster House, 35 Washington Street. Headquarters of the Peabody Historical Society. In 1976, the tombstone of Hannah (Felton) (Endicott) Proctor (1663-1737) was discovered. Hannah married John Proctor’s son Thorndike (1672-1758) in 1697. Her tombstone is in the Victorian parlor of the Foster house.
“John Proctor” house, 348 Lowell Street. PRIVATE home. In the 1660s, John Proctor (1631-1692) leased 700 acres from Emmanuel Downing in what is now Peabody. In 1666, he was granted a license to operate a tavern on the main road. Around 1700, son Thorndike Proctor bought the property from Charles Downing. Four or five Proctor homes were built in that area, known as Proctor’s Crossing. However, John Proctor’s house and tavern no longer exist. While extensive studies have not been made, dendrology studies in 2018 showed the oldest section of the house (front west room) at 348 Lowell street was built in the 1720s. The farm remained in the Proctor family until 1851.
John Proctor plaque, Quinn Square, intersection of Lowell and Summit streets. Embedded in a boulder, the original memorial plaque was placed by Proctor descendants and the Peabody Historical Society in 1902, and replaced in 1992.
Proctor’s Tomb, Route 128 North, exit 39, Lowell street, Peabody, intersection/island between on/off ramps. Inside a stone fence with a sign that says “1821, Proctor’s Tomb,” there’s a large granite rectangular box with nothing inscribed on it. Its location is within the 15-acre farm that John Proctor owned but leased out, since he himself leased and lived on the Downing property. It could be the burial place of John Proctor’s descendants, but no one knows.
Research
Peabody Historical Society & Museum, 35 Washington Street (headquarters). Ruth Hill Library & Archives, at the Osborne-Salata House at 33 Washington Street, includes vital records, genealogical materials, directories, maps, manuscripts, and photographs, as well as materials on Peabody cemeteries, churches, clubs, schools and government.
Peabody Institute Library, 82 Main Street. The public library’s archives are located in the Eben Dale Sutton Room. Collection includes rare books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, artifacts, and maps. Internet Archive collection online includes annual reports, newsletters, directories, ads, letters, speeches, and books.
Online Books & Records
History of Peabody, Massachusetts By Theodore Moody Osborne (1888)
Old Naumkeag: an historical sketch of the city of Salem, and the towns of Marblehead, Peabody, Beverly, Danvers, Wenham, Manchester, Topsfield, and Middleton by Charles Henry Webber and Winfield S. Nevins (1877)