Revolutionary Peabody

Explore sites that tell Peabody's Revolutionary War history

Sophia Richter, Peabody Historical Society & Museum

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1

Bell Tavern

The area where the Bell Tavern is located today is now heavily developed, but in 1700 there were only four buildings - located on either side of Main Street - that made up the "downtown". In 1757, Francis Symonds bought the land owned by Daniel Goldthwaite to build the Bell Tavern.

Symonds displayed a wooden bell as a sign with the following strain:

"Francis Symonds makes and sells - The best of chocolate; also shells - I'll toll you in if you have need - And feed you well, and bid you speed."

On April 19, 1775, when Peabody residents were summoned to join the minutemen towards Lexington (Menotomy), they gathered first in Peabody Square, processing to the Bell Tavern. Proprietor Francis Symonds was among those gathered, acting as Second Lieutenant in Captain Samuel Epes' alarm list. It was from the Bell Tavern that Peabody's minutemen marched to join the Battle of Lexington to fend off British advances.

Francis Symonds died in September of 1775 and the Bell Tavern was sold to Robert Shillaber in 1777. The tavern would continue to run under various proprietors until 1840 when it was demolished. Replacing the tavern was a building "containing stores" owned by the leather manufacturer David Daniels. That building was moved to Walnut St. in 1867, leaving a grassy plot in its place.

Where the current Bell Tavern stands, a mansion in the "colonial revival" style was built by J.B. Thomas, in the 1890s and later became the O'Shea Mansion in the 1900s. The O'Shea family lived there until 1969 when the building was purchased by the Bettencourt's and turned into a furniture store.

2

Ezekiel Russell's Print Press

Ezekiel Russell operated the first printing press in Peabody. It was located at the old Bell Tavern between 1777 and 1789. He published broadsides during the period of the Revolutionary War.

Interestingly, before the War broke out, when Russell was printing in Boston, he had developed a reputation for being a "Tory printer" based on his Pro-British works. Once the War began, his lens shifted considerably.

Russell's printing press used woodcuts and has become known as a premier source depicting this printing method and history of the period. Among the most famous of his broadsides, Russell printed the recruiting poster of the war, seeking seamen to serve under John Paul Jones' ship Ranger.

On the last almanac that Russell printed in 1789, he typed:

"E. Russell, at his printing-office next to the bell-tavern, in Danvers, carried on the printing business in its several branches, where travelling traders, etc. are desired to call and supply themselves with a number of new books, some of which are on the times, and will be sold cheap."

3

Battle of Menotomy

As you can see, the Battle of Menotomy, more familiar as the Battle of Lexington and Concord, took place in current-day Arlington, Massachusetts.

Around 10am, around three hundred minutemen from Peabody, Danvers, and Beverly, left the Bell Tavern in Peabody, to march the sixteen miles on foot. This took them around four hours. Imagine walking a brisk 12-15 miles per hour from Peabody to Arlington.

When the minutemen arrived, the British troops were already retreating from Lexington. It was in Menotomy, along the Concord Road (now called Massachusetts Avenue) that the minutemen encountered them.

What would follow was an intense, close-range fight, with British soldiers flanking them. Many of the minutemen were pursued, imprisoned, or killed. The deceased were transported back to Peabody and Danvers in ox-driven carts.

4

Jason Russell's House

When the battle began, a few minutemen from Peabody to refuge in the nearby home of Jason Russell, now the Arlington Historical Society. Among them were George Southwick, Dennis Wallis, and Joseph Bell.

Here, they hid until they thought the British soldiers had moved on. But when they emerged, Southwick, Wallis, and Bell were surprised by remaining soldiers and attacked. Southwick was struck by an enemy sword and Wallis was shot multiple times. Bell was taken captive by the British, imprisoned for two months on a English frigate.

5

Old South Church

After the dust had settled, and when the ox-carts returned to Peabody with the deceased, many of the fallen soldiers were given a funeral service. Samuel Cook (33 years old), George Southwick, (25 years old), Henry Jacobs (22 years old), and Ebenezer Goldthwaite (22 years old) were taken to 65 Central Street to be waked and then to a funeral service held at the South Congregational Church.

6

Old South Burying Ground

George Southwick, Jr., Samuel Cook, Jr., and Benjamin Deland, Jr. were interred at the Old South Burying Ground on Main Street, near the Salem-Peabody border.

Captain William Trask, an English colonist emigrated in 1628 and established the first milling operation and glasshouse in this area. The cemetery began with Trask's descendent Lydia Trask aroun 1750. But the oldest headstone in the cemetery dates to 1689, belonging to Lucreatia Derby (1643-1689).

This cemetery has gone by many other names, including the Boston Street Burying Ground, Old Burying Ground, South Burying Ground, Danvers Ground, Main Street Cemetery, and the Trask Burying Ground.

In the late 1800s, it was revealed that when Main Street was widened in the early 19th century, and the fence was set in, the bodies of Southwick, Cook, Daland, and Goldthwaite were left under the newly constructed sidewalk. The Peabody Historical Society placed a commemorative tablet on the gate near the location of their graves in 1896.

Other Revolutionary War soldiers buried here include:

  • Joseph Barrett,
  • Robert Cook
  • Ebenezer Goldthwaite (1750-April 19, 1775)
  • Nathanial Goldthwaite
  • William Goldthwaite
  • Benjamin Jacobs (1741-1814)
  • Caleb Low (1740-1810)
  • Joseph Osborne
  • Samuel Peabody (1757-1839)
  • Robert Shillaber (1736-1808)
  • Robert Smith
  • William Southwick (1753-1828)
  • Ebenezer Sprague, Jr. (1760-1855)
  • Dennison Wallis (1752-1825)
  • Joseph Whitmore
  • Jacob Reed (1754-1825)
  • David Felton (1757-1818)
  • Silas Smith (1730-1806)
7

The Lexington Monument

In 1835, for the 60th anniversary marking the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Peabody residents dedicated a monument to honor the fallen soldiers of Peabody. The stone used to create the tall pyramid-shaped monument was granite quarried off of Summit Street. Mason Samuel Brown is attributed for quarrying and cutting the granite and the architect of the monument was Asher Benjamin. It was placed at the corner of Main and Washington Street, in front of the Bell Tavern.

On April 20, 1835, Peabody residents gathered at Peabody Square. They proceeded on to the Old South Burying Ground where Reverend Charles C. Sewall of the First Unitarian Church offered a prayer. The procession returned to Main and Washington St. to the monument.

Among the participants were nineteen men from Peabody and Danvers who fought in the Battle of Lexington alongside the fallen soldiers. When the procession arrived at the monument, these men placed a box underneath the cornerstone, containing memorial items and documents. The Peabody men who did so were Gideon Foster, Sylvester Osborne, Johnson Proctor, Levi Preston, Asa Tapley, Roger Nourse, Joseph Tufts, and William Flint.

The monument remained at the corner of Main St. and Washington St. until 1967. Due to a serious automobile accident, the monument was removed to the site where it currently stands on Washington St.

8

General Gideon Foster's House

Gideon Foster was born on February 13, 1749 at the old Goldthwaite house built at the corner of Lowell and Foster street. Foster's mother, Lydia, was a Goldthwaite herself.

For the first 26 years of Foster's life, he was a draftsman and surveyor, also employed at the school during intervals of his early life. He would start a family at the age of 22. On June 10, 1771, Foster was married to Mercy Jacobs by Rev. Nathan Holt. At the threshold of the Revolution, Gideon and Mercy had their first child, Gideon Foster, Jr. on January 18, 1774.

According to the Lexington Alarm Rolls, Gideon Foster was a 2nd Lieutenant under Captain Samuel Epes' Co. in Col. Timothy Pickering's regiment when he was called to join the alarm on April 19, 1775. Not long after the Battle of Lexington, Foster would be promoted to Captain in John Mansfield's regiment. Over the years, he would move up the rank, finishing his military carrier as a General in the War of 1812.

After the Battle of Lexington, Foster's life would be shaped by the protracted War. Soon after he would have come home after his first tour as Captain, his first son died on November 18, 1775. Gideon and Mercy wouldn't have another child until 1780, suggesting that their personal life was under enough strain that raising a family was not the priority.

In between his military service, Foster acquired land along current day Foster St., which was a lowland area, where the Goldthwaite Brook ran. After he retired from military service, in 1817 Foster leveraged these water ways and developed a bark mill, a grist mill, and a chocolate mill. These mills were destroyed in a fire in 1823.

Foster married a second time, after the death of Mercy in 1825. In 1828, Foster married Mary Tapley and spent his remaining years on a farm in South Peabody. He died on November 1, 1845 and is buried in Harmony Grove Cemetery.

9

Jacobs Family Cemetery

Here, Henry Jacobs was buried at his family's cemetery in West Peabody. While the cemetery today is not easy to access, it is off of Lowell St., across from 437 Lowell Street. It can also be accessed from the playground in Rolling Hills, about 20 feet from the old railroad tracks. There are about ten stones left standing. Henry Jacob's stone is among them.

Henry Jacobs, Jr. fought on April 19, 1775 at the Battle of Lexington alongside is younger brother John. Henry was wounded by a shot in the thigh and was later killed in the battle. Henry's brother John survived the battle, later marrying Lydia Reed on December 13, 1789. He died on January 8, 1826.

10

Jeremiah Page House

Now owned and managed by the Danvers Historical Society, the Page House was built by Jeremiah Page in 1754. Page was a brick maker at the time but would become known for his military service during the Revolutionary War.

In the Battle of Lexington, Page was a captain, leading a contingent of militiamen to Menotomy on April 19, 1775. By February 8, 1776, Page was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 8th Essex Co.'s regiment.

11

Eleazer Lindsey Memorial

Perched on a small point of land jutting into Brown's Pond, a memorial marks the site of the grave of Eleazer Lindsey II, who fought in the Battle of Lexington.

Eleazer's family had been living on the land around Brown's Pond since 1702. He fought in the French and Indian War and was a captain at the Battle of Lexington with a company mustered in Lynn. He died in 1782 and was buried in his family's cemetery at this site.

12

Flint Family Burying Ground

This site is located behind 1 Le Blanc Drive and Nichols Rd. in West Peabody. With few stones left marking the graves, it is overgrown and difficult to access.

Those buried here who lived and fought during the Revolutionary War include:

  • Amos Flint (1752-1832)
  • Ede Upton Flint (1739-1812)
  • Elijah Flint (1762-1841)
  • Elizabeth Putnam Flint (1767-1853)
  • Hannah Putnam Flint (1762-1796)
  • Jonathan Flint (1762-1843)
  • Susanna Newhall Smith (1758-1835

(Many more are buried here who were born soon after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.)

13

King Family Cemetery

ThThis cemetery is designated for the King family and their relatives (Uptons, Hutchinsons, etc.). It is well-maintained and located on Lowell St., just beyond Forest St. Among those buried here include three Rev. War soldiers.

Those buried here who lived and fought during the Revolutionary War include:

  • Betsey Goldthwaite (1778-1856)
  • Anna Goldthwaite King (1776-1838)
  • Daniel King (1768-1846)
  • Desier Jacobs King (1747-1799)
  • Ebenezer King (unknown - 1847)
  • Hannah Smith King (unknown - 1800)
  • John King (1772-1805)
  • Jonathan King (1744-1825)
  • Rebecca King (unknown - 1796)
  • Zachariah King (1744-1832)
  • Zachariah King, Jr. (1767-1810)
  • Andrew Munroe (1764-1836)
  • Ruth Simonds Munroe (1763-1840)
  • Abraham Shaw (1736-1774)
  • Esther Goldthwaite Shaw (1742-1809)
  • Mary Shaw (1764-1832)
  • Hannah Twiss Southwick (1774-1810)
  • Elizabeth Twiss (1758-1829)

(Many more are buried here who were born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.)

14

Needham Burial Ground

Two revolutionary war soldiers are buried at the Needham burying ground. This site is located on Goodale St. about a 1/4 mile from Lowell St., marked by an entrance gate.

Those buried here who lived and fought during the Revolutionary War include:

  • Nathaniel Emery (1772-1812)
  • John Gardner, Jr. (1762-1823)
  • Abigail Douty Needham (unknown - 1805)
  • Benjamin Needham (1773-1835)
  • Benjamin Needham (unknown - 1779)
  • Desire Duncklee Needham (1756-1806)
  • Jasper Needham (1763-1807)
  • John Needham (1754-1831)
  • John Needham, Jr. (1772-1823)
  • Lydia Robinson Needham (1742-1803)
  • Mary Needham (1707-1788)
  • Mary Twiss Needham (1773-1860)

(Many more are buried here who were born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.)

15

Jonathan Wilson Monument

Four Revolutionary War soldiers in the Wilson family were buried in a cemetery in this location. When the land was excavated for construction of the North Shore Shopping Center, the grave of Jonathan Wilson III was uncovered. In the place of this burial site is a memorial tablet, accessible near the door of the Jordan Marsh storefront.

Jonathan Wilson, III came from a family of potters in Peabody. When he joined the April 19, 1775 alarm, he was joined by five other Wilsons in his family.

16

King-Hussey Cemetery

Rev. soldier Amos King and his descendants, the Hussey's, Hutchinson's, Raddin's. Goodrich's, and Holden's are buried in this family cemetery located on Summit St., on the right just before Forest Street.

Those buried here who lived and fought during the Revolutionary War include:

  • Amos King (1750-1831)
  • Mary Marsh King (1759-1843)

(Many more are buried here who were born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.)

17

Monumental Cemetery

Located on Wallis St., perpendicular to Walnut and Tremont Streets. There are five Revolutionary War soldiers buried here.

Those buried here who lived and fought during the Revolutionary War include:

  • Priscilla Richardson Allen (1775-1861)
  • Lydia Wilson Bushby (1765-1844)
  • Susanna Orr Foster Southwick (1735-1811)
  • Benjamin Gile (1763-1834)
  • Hildah Southwick Gile (1770-1859)
  • Joseph Griffin (1775-1846)
  • Joseph Hart (1774-1830)
  • Benjamin Jacobs (1755-1860)
  • Amos Osborn (1773-1836)
  • Anna Nancy Fowler Osborn (1775-1861)
  • Hannah Poor Osborn (1775-1836)
  • Jonathan Osborn (1763-1833)
  • Richard Osborn (1769-1826)
  • Susanna Smith Osborn (1769-1841)
  • Stephen Osborne (1774-1855)
  • Joseph Poor (1771-1850)
  • Joseph Poor (1748-1815)
  • Mary Quinton Abbott Poor (1753-1820)
  • Sally Poor (1760-1856)
  • Aaron Porter (1757-1843)
  • Sylvester Proctor (1769-1852)
  • Abigail Shaw (1764-1840)
  • Joseph Shaw (1760-1840)
  • Mary Stone Shaw (1755-1831)
  • Sarah Shaw (1749-1833)
  • Ebenezer Southwick (1736-1820)
  • John Southwick (1625-1672)
  • Joseph Tufts III (1755-1840)
  • Elizabeth Upton (1743-1820)
  • John Upton, Jr. (1769-1839)

Many more are buried here who were born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.)

18

Oak Grove Cemetery

There is one Rev. War soldier buried here.

19

Village Training Field

By the 1770s, war was imminent for the residents of Peabody-Danvers. The Danvers alarm companies began to train here to preparation for what would become their first violent fight with the British at the Battle of Lexington.

The land was previously used for military drills by the inhabitants of Salem village as early as 1671 in preparation for the King Philip War. In 1709, the deacon Nathanial Ingersoll granted this field to the "inhabitants of Salem Village for a training place forever."

20

Felton Cemetery

Located on Prospect St, on the right as you turn up Prospect St from route 114, the Second Felton cemetery contains five Rev. War soldiers. These soldiers include three Felton's, one Proctor, and one Wilson.

Those buried here who lived and fought during the Revolutionary War include:

  • John M. Abbott (1771-1824)
  • Asa Felton (1759-1800)
  • Hannah Proctor Felton (1743-1815)
  • Hannah Felton (1766-1825)
  • Lydia Proctor Felton (1771-1832)
  • Malachi Felton (1705-1779)
  • Nathan Felton (1770-1829)
  • Nathaniel Felton (1759-1836)
  • Sarah Gould Felton (1766-1848)
  • Timothy Felton (1742-1811)
  • Moses Preston (1758-1824)
  • Jonathan Procter III (1770-1853)
  • Jonathan Procter II (1739-1808)
  • Judith Flint Procter (1745-1821)
  • Phebe Gould Procter (1774-1850)
  • Elizabeth Proctor (1749-1824)
  • Hannah Proctor (1767-1851)
  • Mary Proctor (1772-1848)
  • Amos Putnam (1772-1848)
  • Desire Felton Putnam (1773-1834)
  • Sarah Felton Wilson (1750-1836)
  • Israel Wood (1751-1834)
  • Phebe Proctor Wood (1761-1802)

Many more are buried here who were born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.)