EXHIBITS

Peabody Leatherworkers Museum

Come see why Peabody, Massachusetts was

“The Leather Capital of the World!”

Mission Statement

The mission of the Peabody Leatherworkers Museum is to collect, preserve and interpret the history of the leather industry of Peabody.

The museum’s collection currently includes paper materials, leather tools, machinery and textiles produced by the Peabody leather factories.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Peabody’s booming leather manufacturing was a vital contributor to the industrial economy of Boston’s North Shore.  The goal of the Peabody Leatherworkers Museum collection is to document Peabody’s leather industry with the collection of material culture.

Exhibits

Peabody Leatherworkers Museum

Permanent Collection:  Come explore machinery once used in some of Peabody’s own leather factories.  These original machines such as the measuring machine, tannery horses, and belly stalking machine were once essential to the Peabody leather industry.

 

LIFE’S Leathers

This online exhibit is a collection of Life Magazines from 1940-1945 found in the George Peabody House Museum archives.  Discovering these magazines was a great joy to find that we wanted to share with the public!  Please enjoy exploring the leather advertisements from belts to wallets to slippers.  Also in a display case at the Courtyard Entrance at the Peabody Institute Library you will find a display of Life Magazines covers.   See More!

 

The Peabody Leatherworkers Museum Advisory Committee meets on a regular basis for the purpose of advising museum staff on issues related to the Leather Industry and its history. Their mission is to provide advice, answer questions, and help the Director in setting up programs for the public interest. The members of the Committee are:
Ed Keenan
Jim Haggerty
John Smidt
Peter Alford
Rick LaTouch
Richard Sirois

Help preserve the legacy of George Peabody and the the history of our great city. We accept donations of all shapes and size. 
Send us an email if you’d like to learn more or mail your check to: 205 Washington Street, Peabody, MA 01960