Peabody () is a city in

Essex County, Massachusetts Essex County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the state, and the eightieth-most populous in the countr ...

, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial history.

History

The area was long inhabited by Native American people known as the Naumkeag. The area was settled as part of Salem in 1626 by a small group of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

colonists from

Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns o ...

led by Roger Conant. It was subsequently referred to as the Northfields, Salem Farms, and Brooksby. Several area residents were accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century, three of whom were executed ( John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Martha Corey). In 1752, the area was set off from Salem, and incorporated as a district of Danvers. It was referred to as "the South Parish", associated with a church located in present-day Peabody Square. In 1855, the community broke away from Danvers, and was incorporated as the independent town of South Danvers. The name was changed to Peabody on April 30, 1868, in honor of George Peabody, noted philanthropist born in present-day Peabody, widely regarded as the "father of modern philanthropy". It was granted

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

status in 1916. The western, less densely populated area of town is often separately, yet unofficially, referred to as West Peabody. Peabody started off as a

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

community, but its rivers and streams attracted mills which operated by water power. In particular, Peabody was a major center of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

industry, which attracted immigrants from all around the world. View of Peabody, Mass

By 1915, a third of the population was born outside the United States. In addition to becoming home to large Irish and Russian populations, Peabody developed a large community of laborers hailing from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, mostly Turkish and Kurdish speakers from the region of Harput, now known as Elazığ. The population was situated primarily on Walnut Street, where they filled boarding houses and coffee houses to such an extent that it became known as "Ottoman Street," and, more

pejorative A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

ly and less accurately, "Peabody's Barbary Coast", as the United States was at war with the Ottoman Empire during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. One visitor even noted that signs in town were written in both English and Ottoman Turkish. On the morning of October 28, 1915, twenty-one young children were killed in the

St. Johns School fire The St. John's School fire was a deadly fire that occurred on the morning of October 28, 1915, at the St. John's School on Chestnut Street in the downtown area of Peabody, Massachusetts. Twenty-one girls between the ages of 7 and 17 were burned o ...

in the downtown area on Chestnut Street. The cause of the fire is believed to have been

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wate ...

. Their bodies were found after the fire subsided, huddled together and burnt beyond recognition, near the entrance just steps away from survival. As a result, Peabody became the first city in the United States to establish a law that all entrances or exits in

public building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and f ...

s be push-open, rather than by handle or knob. The

tanneries Tanning may refer to: * Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather * Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun ** Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dy ...

that lined Peabody's "Ottoman Street" remained a linchpin of the city's economy into the second half of the 20th century. The tanneries have since closed or been relocated elsewhere, but the city remains known locally as the Leather City or Tanner City. The mascot of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School is named the Tanners. The loss of the tanneries was a huge blow to Peabody's economy, but the city has made up for the erosion of its industrial base, at least in part, through other forms of economic development. Early in the 20th century, Peabody joined the

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

revolution, hosting the pioneer Brass Era company, Corwin Manufacturing. The Northshore Mall, originally known as the Northshore Shopping Center, is one of the region's largest shopping malls. The mall opened in September 1958 as an outdoor shopping center, and was built on farm land originally owned by Elias Hasket Derby, one of America's first millionaires. Centennial Park, an

industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...

in the center of the city, has attracted several medical and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...

companies. West Peabody, which was mostly farm land until the 1950s, has been developed into a middle-to-upper class

residential A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family resi ...

area. Brooksby Farm, a working farm and conservation area has been one of the city's most popular destinations for decades. Peabody is also the location of the Salem Country Club, a privately owned country club with a professional

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

, which hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 2001 and 2017, and the U.S. Women's Open in 1954 and 1984. File:City Hall, Peabody, MA.jpg, City Hall in 1912 File:Peabody Square 1906 postcard.jpg, Peabody Square, File:Peabody Institute, Peabody, MA.jpg, Peabody Institute Library, File:Independence Greenway, Peabody MA.jpg, Independence Greenway File:Peabodyma.jpg, The former

of Peabody File:GeorgePeabody.jpg, George Peabody, the city's namesake

Geography

Peabody is located at (42.534045, −70.961465). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and or 3.46%, is water. The northwestern border of Peabody lies along the Ipswich River, with brooks feeding it, and the Waters River, a tributary of the Danvers River, drains the northeast part of town. Several other ponds and a portion of Suntaug Lake lie within town. The largest protected portion of the city is the Brooksby Farm, whose land includes the Nathaniel Felton Houses. The city is wedge-shaped, with the city center located in the wider southeast end. The neighborhood of South Peabody lies south of it, and the more suburban neighborhood of West Peabody, where the high school is, lies to the northwest of the city center, separated by the highways and the Proctor neighborhood. Peabody's center is from the center of Salem, northeast of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, west-southwest of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...

, and southeast of Lawrence. Peabody is also bordered by Middleton to the northwest, Danvers to the north, Salem to the east, Lynn to the south and Lynnfield to the southwest.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 51,251 people living in the city and a total of 22,220 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 90.4% White, 2.4% African American, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race (1.3% Puerto Rican, 0.3% Mexican, 0.1%

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a pers ...

, and 4.5% other Hispanic or Latino), 1.9% Asian, 3.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. The city has had a very large Greek population ever since the early 20th century. Ever since the mid 20th century,the Portuguese population has been very present, especially from the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

. In the 21st century,

Brazilians Brazilians ( pt, Brasileiros, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, which ...

came in large swathes. There were 21,313 households, of which 26.8% included children under the age of 18, 48.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. Of all households, 31.4% were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28, and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 20, 22.5% from 20 to 39, 29.8% from 40 to 59, and 26.5% who were 60 years of age or older. The median age of people in Peabody was 44.6. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $65,515, and the median income for a family was $80,471. Males had a median income of $55,352 versus $44,167 for females. About 4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over. In the April 2009 edition of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine, Peabody was ranked the 14th most livable city in the United States.

Government

Peabody is represented in the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

by officials elected from the following districts: *

Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Essex district Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Essex district in the United States is one of 40 legislative districts of the Massachusetts Senate. It covers portions of Essex county. Democrat Joan Lovely of Salem has represented the district since 2013. Towns repr ...

* Massachusetts House of Representatives' 12th Essex district * Massachusetts House of Representatives' 13th Essex district

Economy

; Major employers * Analogic Corporation * Boston Children's Hospital *

Boston Acoustics Boston Acoustics was an American manufacturer of home and mobile audio equipment founded in 1979. The company produced speakers for home, custom/architectural, and car audio. History Advent veterans Andy Kotsatos (known as Andy Pettit) and Frank ...

Carl Zeiss AG Carl Zeiss AG (), branded as ZEISS, is a German manufacturer of optical systems and optoelectronics, founded in Jena, Germany in 1846 by optician Carl Zeiss. Together with Ernst Abbe (joined 1866) and Otto Schott (joined 1884) he laid th ...

Christian Book Distributors Christianbook, LLC, formerly known as Christian Book Distributors (CBD), is a Christian catalog and internet retailer. Christian Book Distributors was started in 1978 by Stephen Hendrickson, 19 years old and a sophomore at Central Bible College ...

* JEOL *

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center The Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, formerly known as the Lahey Clinic, is a physician-led nonprofit teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The hospital was founded in Boston in 1923 by sur ...

* Meridian Interstate Bancorp * Northshore Mall * Rousselot Gelatine (formerly a division of

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

) * Saucony *

UTC Aerospace Systems UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) was one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company was formed in August 2012 when parent United Technologies Corporatio ...

Education

* Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, a grade 9–12 public high school serving Peabody residents. The athletic teams are known as the Peabody Tanners. As of April 2008, there were 1,898 students enrolled in the school, and 146 teachers. * Bishop Fenwick High School, a Catholic private high school serving the entire North Shore region, is located in the city near the boundary with Salem, Danvers, and Beverly. As of 2017, enrollment is just under 600 students. * J. Henry Higgins Middle School, a grade 6–8 public middle school, with a hawk as its mascot. * Covenant Christian Academy, a Christian and classical preparatory school for students Pre-K through 12th grade. Moved into the old John F. Kennedy Junior High School in West Peabody in 2005. They serve students from over 45 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts. * St. John The Baptist School, a private Catholic school that teaches up to grade 8. It currently has approximately 400 students.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Peabody is the site of the large intersection of Interstate 95,

Massachusetts Route 128 Route 128, known as the Yankee Division Highway, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts maintained by the Highway Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Spanning , it is one of two beltways (the oth ...

, Massachusetts Route 129 and U.S. Route 1. Route 1 heads north–south through the city as the main route between Boston and its northeast suburbs, and Route 129 is an east–west surface route that runs concurrently with Route 1 in the neighboring community of Lynnfield. I-95 and Route 128 share a 37-mile long concurrency as a half beltway around Boston, but in Peabody, the two highways split, with Interstate 95 going north into

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and Route 128 going east towards

and

. Massachusetts Route 114 passes through the northeast corner of town, going from Danvers towards Salem, with an intersection at Route 128's Exit 25, next to the Northshore Mall. The southern terminus of Route 35 is at Route 114, just a half mile before Route 114 enters Salem. Several lines of the MBTA bus service pass through town. The Logan Express also stops on Route 1 in Peabody. The Springfield Terminal rail line passes through town, with one line passing from Lynnfield towards Danvers, and another, mostly abandoned, line passing from Middleton to Salem. The nearest commuter rail service is in Salem, along the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, with service to Boston's North Station. The nearest airport is the

Beverly Municipal Airport Beverly Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located in Beverly, Danvers and Wenham, Massachusetts, in Essex County, three nautical miles (6 km) northwest of Beverly's central business district. The National Plan o ...

, and the nearest national and international air service is located at Boston's

Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partial ...

Utilities

The municipally-owned

Peabody Municipal Light Plant Peabody Municipal Light Plant (PMLP) is an American municipal electric utility company serving the citizens of Peabody, Massachusetts and some surrounding communities. The five-member Municipal Lighting Commission is responsible for the operations o ...

provides electricity to the city. Natural gas service in Peabody is provided by National Grid. Cable television in Peabody is provided by

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

and the City in June 2019 issued a second Cable TV license to RCN.

Notable people

Jeff Allison Jeffrey M. Allison (born November 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. High school career Allison played high school baseball at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in Peabody, Massachusetts. In his senior year, Allison ...

, former professional baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins from 2003 to 2011 *

Matt Antonelli Matthew Antonio Antonelli (born April 8, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played with the San Diego Padres in 2008. He is currently a full-time baseball coach and host of a YouTube channel of baseball instruct ...

, former second basemen for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball *

Samantha Arsenault Samantha Arsenault (born October 11, 1981), later known by her married name Samantha Livingstone, is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic champion. Arsenault represented the United States at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Austr ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

swimmer champion * Garcelle Beauvais, actress and author *

Frederick Berry Frederick E. Berry (December 20, 1949 – November 13, 2018) was a disability rights advocate and Democratic politician from Massachusetts, who served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1983 to 2013. He served as majority leader of th ...

, disability rights advocate, state senator from 1983 to 2013, majority leader of the Massachusetts State Senate from 2003 to 2013 * Matt Bloom, professional wrestler *

Nathaniel Bowditch Nathaniel Bowditch (March 26, 1773 – March 16, 1838) was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book '' The New American Practical Navi ...

, early American astronomer, mathematician, and navigator * Patrick Francis Bresnahan, United States Navy veteran, Medal of Honor *

Kimberly S. Budd Kimberly S. Budd (born October 23, 1966) is the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and former justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court. Early life, education and legal career Kimberly S. Budd was born on October 23,19 ...

, Chief Justice of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously func ...

* Bobby Carpenter, NHL player in the 1980s and 1990s * Giles Corey, victim of the Salem witch trials * Martha Corey, victim of the Salem witch trials * Chick Davies, Major League Baseball player * Brad Delp, lead singer of the band

* Jerry DeLucca, former professional football player in

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

Mary Upton Ferrin Mary Upton Ferrin (1810-1881) was an American suffragette and women's rights advocate. Early life Polly Upton was born to Jesse and Elizabeth Wood Upton on April 27, 1820 in South Danvers, Massachusetts (now known as Peabody). Elizabeth Wood U ...

, American suffragette and women's rights advocate *

Bob Franke Bob Franke (born July 25, 1947, in Hamtramck, Michigan) is an American folk singer-songwriter. Biography He began his career in 1965, while a student at the University of Michigan, and performed at The Ark, a coffeehouse in Ann Arbor. After g ...

, singer-songwriter *

Gary Gulman Gary Lewis Gulman (born July 17, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian. He was a finalist on the NBC reality-talent show ''Last Comic Standing'' in its second and third seasons. He released his first CD, '' Conversations With Inanimate Objects'' ...

, comedian * Hrishikesh Hirway, musician and vocalist of The One AM Radio *

Daniel P. King Daniel Putnam King (January 8, 1801 – July 25, 1850) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Early life and education Born in South Danvers, Massachusetts, now Peabody, Massachusetts King pursued classical studies, graduated from Harvard ...

, congressman from 1843 to 1850 * Christina Kirkman, teen actress, comedian, and circus performer * Joe Klein, author, journalist (worked for ''The Peabody Times'' in the 1970s) * Steve Lomasney, former Major League Baseball player *

David A. Lowy David A. Lowy is an American attorney, academic and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Early life and education Lowy is a native of Peabody, Massachusetts and graduated from Peabody Veterans Me ...

, Associate Justice of the

* Heather MacLean, competitive runner; competed at

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

Nicholas Mavroules Nicholas James Mavroules (November 1, 1929 – December 25, 2003) was an American Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He served as Mayor of Peabody, Massachusetts for a decade, then represented Peabody and much of the surrounding ...

, mayor from 1967 to 1978, congressman 1979 to 1993 * Ryan Montbleau, professional musician * Jonathan Mover, professional drummer * George Peabody, merchant, philanthropist, and namesake of the city * Marc Predka, rapper known as

Tha Trademarc Marc Predka (born April 21, 1975), better known by his stage name Tha Trademarc, is an American hip hop artist. He first came to prominence when he and his younger first cousin, WWE wrestler John Cena, collaborated on the 2005 album '' You Can ...

* John Proctor, victim of the Salem witch trials *

Patricia Goldman-Rakic Patricia Goldman-Rakic ( ; née Shoer, April 22, 1937 – July 31, 2003) was an American professor of neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry and psychology at Yale University School of Medicine. She pioneered multidisciplinary research of t ...

, pioneering neuroscientist and professor * Ruth Shoer Rappaport, scientist and vaccine researcher * Charles Rosa, MMA fighter * Pauline Sperry, mathematician *

John J. Studzinski John Joseph Paul Studzinski, CBE (born March 19, 1956) is an American-British investment banker and philanthropist. Since September 2018 he has been Managing Director and Vice Chairman of the global investment-management firm PIMCO. Prior to j ...

, Investment banker and philanthropist * John Tudor, Major League Baseball pitcher from 1979 to 1990 * Rochelle Walensky, physician-scientist, director of the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georg ...

from 2021 to present * Jack Welch, industrialist * Nancy Werlin, book author

References

External links

City of Peabody official website

Peabody Historical Society

Peabody Institute Library
{{Authority control 1626 establishments in Massachusetts Cities in Essex County, Massachusetts Cities in Massachusetts Populated places established in 1626