The Fighting Spirit

Blog, PHS and the Community

79 years ago, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The United States responded to this aggression by declaring war on the Axis Powers, and formally entering World War II. There were 24 men from Peabody...

The Show Must Go On

Blog, PHS and the Community

The Strand Theatre opened its doors at 43 Main Street on April 9th, 1912 with a showing of “Across Panama in 1912.” The Strand was built by the Structural Stone Co. of Lynn and designed by EA Earp. It was unique as one of the first public buildings in...

Stopping Traffic One Historical House at a Time

Blog

This Gothic Revival cottage was built in 1847 by General William Sutton as a wedding gift to his daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Abel Pierson Jr. The Sutton-Pierson House was originally located at 83 Aborn Street. On April 5th, 2009, the house was donated to the...

Veterans Day 2020

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Veterans Day became an official national holiday in 1938, to honor the service members of World War I. The date was chosen as a nod to Armistice Day, November 11th, 1918, when fighting stopped on the battlefield, effectively ending World War I. Above is an image of...

Does One Vote Matter?

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Does one vote really matter? History tell us… yes, it does! Negative Campaign Advertisement from the 1940 Campaign In the Peabody Mayoral Election of 1940, John E. Murphy ran against one-term incumbent Joseph B. O’Keefe. The results were razor thin. Mayor...

Let’s party like it’s 1897!

Blog

As we make our way through a time of social isolation, let’s look back at Peabody’s Annual Firemen’s Ball. At the turn of the 20th Century, this event was held at the Peabody Opera House, now known as City Hall’s auditorium. The Boston...