During the war of 1812, Joseph Peabody, a wealthy Salem shipping merchant purchased 20 acres, including a simple federalist style home, from merchant captain Jonathan Ingersoll for the sum of $4,000. He had import materials in Salem that needed preservation and wanted a country palace out of harm’s way. This country home grew to more than 300 acres and was enjoyed by the family for over 140 years as their summer retreat.
The Peabody family eventually married into the Endicott Family. William C. Endicott Junior died in 1936, and his wife Louise Endicott continued to visit the farm until she died in 1958. In her will, Mrs. Endicott left the mansion but not the land to the Danvers Historical Society. The remaining land was purchased by a Boston developer. Several people decided that this land was still valuable for conservation and recreational purposes, and that it needed to be preserved. The Danvers Historical Society purchased the 11 acres of the property surrounding the mansion. This property would become known as Glen Magna Farms. The remaining 165 acres of land was purchased from the developer by the Town of Danvers with the financial help of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These 165 acres would become Endicott Park as we know it today.
