The General Gideon Foster House – 35 Washington Street

Foster House, 1915

The General Gideon Foster House is a historically, culturally and architecturally significant site for the city of Peabody. The Foster House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1976. It is located in the Washington Street District, which was designated to the National Register of Historic Districts on September 12, 1985. 

It was built in 1810 by John Saunders and sold to General Gideon Foster on May 22, 1815.  The General Gideon Foster House is vital to Peabody’s history for multiple reasons. First, it was the home of prominent citizen Gideon Foster. He was born on February 24, 1749, to Lydia Goldthwaite and Gideon Foster. The Goldthwaite family settled in the Foster Street area of Peabody around 1700.  

Gideon Foster was 26 years old at the dawn of the American Revolution. Ten days prior to the Battle of Lexington, he was named Captain of Peabody’s Minutemen. On April 19, 1775, Foster led his men to West Cambridge, now Arlington. His company traveled sixteen miles, and the journey took four hours.  Once there, they fought valiantly at the Battle of Menotomy, at the homestead of Jason Russell. The British troops were retreating from the Battle of Lexington and attempting to return to downtown Boston. The fighting was bloody and at close range. Seven Danvers and Peabody men gave their lives at this Battle. Foster’s men were outnumbered and flanked at all sides by British troops. However, they inflicted many injuries as the British troops passed. Foster led his company admirably. In addition, Foster delivered ammunition to Charlestown during the Battle of Bunker Hill, and he also fought at the Siege of Boston. 

Foster continued to serve with distinction and rose in the military ranks after the Revolutionary War. He was made Colonel in 1792, Brigadier General in 1796 and Major General in 1801. During this time, he also held political office. He was town clerk from 1791 to 1794. Foster was elected as the Representative to the General Court in 1796, and from 1799 to 1806. In his professional life, he was a successful businessman. He harnessed Goldthwaite’s Brook to power three mills: a bark, grist and chocolate mill. Foster left a positive impact on his community and was well regarded upon his death at the age of ninety-seven on November 1, 1845. 

General Gideon Foster lived in the home from 1815 to 1831, while it was on Main Street. He sold the home to the prominent wool manufacturer Eben Sutton on August 31, 1831, where Sutton lived until 1852. Sutton sold his home to the Merrill Family, so that the house would be moved to a different location, and Sutton could build a larger estate on the Main Street lot. At this juncture, the house was moved to its present location at 35 Washington Street and remained under the ownership of the Merrill family until 1916. 

The Peabody Historical Society and Museum recognized the importance of 35 Washington Street to the city’s history and purchased it in 1916. Since then, it has been the Headquarters for all of the Society’s operations. The General Gideon Foster House is the cornerstone to all of the museum’s activities.