THE DAVID PEABODY HOME - Historical Albion Michigan

One very prominent structure which stood as a landmark for many years was the David Peabody home at the southwest corner of W. Erie and S. Eaton Streets. The house (313 W. Erie St.) was erected in the early 1860s by David Peabody (1823-1873), son of Albion’s first settler Paul Tenney Peabody.

It was David who with his brother Walter erected the Peabody Block in 1852 on the SW corner of S. Superior and W. Erie Streets, which is still standing today. The duo sold mercantile goods. They also operated the Gothic or Peabody Mill which was located on the corner of S. Munroe and E. Porter Sts., across from the Presbyterian Church.

David was married twice. His first wife was Mary Ann Grosvenor (1827-1854) and the couple had three children. Their descendants (who live in the Detroit area) visited Albion several years ago and yours truly was able to present them with a brick that had come from the Peabody home. David’s second wife was Augusta Ann Pearl (1838-1909) and the couple had two children. Their descendants live in the Denver, Colorado area today.

The Peabody home was sold to the Jacobs family, which occupied it until the early 1950s, at which time the house was boarded up. There was some talk of turning it into a Museum, but the $400 a month coal bill to heat it plus restoration costs put a cold damper on that idea. The structure was purchased by the United States Government as part of the Urban Renewal project, and demolished in 1967. The Peabody Place Senior Citizens housing was erected upon the site, and still stands today.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the David Peabody home taken in the early 1960s, courtesy of Charles Snyder. Notice the "widow walk" on the top of the room. Some of the ornamental decorations were salvaged by Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Cram and now grace their home on Irwin Avenue. How many area residents remember the David Peabody home?

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