Thank you for this video on the buildings at the Mayslake Peabody Estate. I found the history and tour of the buildings interesting. I look forward to your next video on the historical and environmental aspects of the estate.
Thank you for watching and for your continued support of our channel! We always look forward to your insightful and helpful comments! And so thank you again!
Great video....I often remember passing the Peabody estate on 31st St. on the way to and from Oak Brook Shopping Center as a child and since I was a denizen of that part of Du Page county for years I often passed it later on in life too. I also recall that in high school in the 1970s there was a sort of initiation which entailed visiting the tomb of Peabody that was once located on his estate. It was reputed to be haunted with some type of eerie green light emanating from the tomb if my memory serves. It was rumored that the Franciscans were always fiercely on their guard for intruders/trespassers trying to visit the tomb. Peabody was later re-interred at Queen of Heaven in 1992 according to Wikipedia. That leaves little doubt that Peabody was a Catholic and not Anglican as one would suspect.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the Peabody Estate from your youth! We too heard these stories growing up in the Chicago area. There are yet remaining a few urban myths that we hope to address in our next video, regarding the Mayslake Peabody estate. We may or may not address Francis Peabody's religious views or orientation, as time allows, as there are many other questions that we hope to answer.
My recollection from relatives in Elmhurst was that kids from the two high schools, York and IC, would have some kind of initiation or contest which involved swimming to the alleged location of Peabody's tomb which was purported to be enclosed in glass and under the water of the lake. Obviously nobody ever got there or they said they got there and lied about it.
Though most tour guides describe the demise of Mr. Peabody as unfortunate, I suspect that my ancestors who worked in his mines under brutal conditions and were subject to violence and strike breakers might see the situation differently. I remember a tour guide showing us a “ panic room” and secret passageways that were installed in case of an uprising of labor against the estate. In spite of this, I applaud the Forest Preserves for rescuing the mansion and preserving the history and thanks for your hard work with the tour and videos.
Thanks for the ongoing support and for the thoughtful comment! Indeed, tensions between coal labor and ownership were very high at this time, and with good reason. Some would point out that Peabody did take some steps to rectify things - but was it too little and too late? We hoped that our video would take a balanced view of this time period, and also provide some context and backdrop to the rise of Peabody's fortune. Thanks again for watching and for taking the time to comment!
Nicely done as usual! I grew up in Downers Grove and ended up in this driveway by mistake once, and never knew it was there until I ended up there. It is absolutely gorgeous. What I’m finding interesting is the appearance of the Tudor Rose (above the door at at least one fireplace, on the floor in the center of the green and white stripped tile entering the former chapel) in the building. In the chapel, the timbers on the ceiling are very Tudor-which is interesting in a former Franciscan setting, given Henry Tudor’s break from the church. Kudos to The DuPage Forest Preserve’s preservation!
Thanks for sharing your observations of the Peabody House. Yes, there are several instances of roses or Tudor roses especially on the 1st floor. It is difficult to say what if anything any of these symbols meant to Peabody. Were they simply decorations that looked Tudor or Medieval? Or did they have some special significance to him or his family? There doesn't appear to be definitive answers to these questions, at least that we could find. And your observation regarding the chapel ceiling is also very insightful - the open timbers of a Tudor or Medieval hall. Thanks again for sharing those! And thanks too for watching!
Yes, there could be a tie since the family has a coat of arms (Tudor loyalists) perhaps and the building the estate is modeled after in Warwickshire. I missed the part of whether he created his own coat of arms or if it was existing.
The Peabodys had a pre-existing coat of arms. Francis Peabody did not have this created. Also of interest is the family motto. The word "aereus" is curious as it can mean both bronze or airy, as in ethereal. In most cases, this motto is written as "Murus aeneus consienta sana", where "aeneus" definitely refers to bronze. Sometimes it is written as it is inscribed above the Peabody front portal. Is this simply a misspelling or corruption of the more typical motto wording? Or does it have a double meaning? This family motto is also used by other prominent families in England.
lovely presentation. i'll always feel dubious about benjamin marshall, whose negligence and architectural inexperience contributed to the tragedy of the iroquois fire.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Regarding Benjamin Marshall, our sense was that he was a out of his depth when first starting out, as he had little formal training. And indeed, the Iroquois fire tragedy was a very bad mistake and mar on his career. Thanks again for the comment!
Thanks for watching and commenting, Keith! And you have a very interesting channel as well - we are fans - and suggest that people check our your channel for interesting local adventures! Thanks again!
so happy you undertook this project! Thank you. You guys are wonderful!
It's been a long time in the making. It has turned out to be a fascinating story. Thanks for the comment and the continued support!
Thank you for this video on the buildings at the Mayslake Peabody Estate. I found the history and tour of the buildings interesting. I look forward to your next video on the historical and environmental aspects of the estate.
Thank you for watching and for your continued support of our channel! We always look forward to your insightful and helpful comments! And so thank you again!
Very cool. Loved the hidden passages.
Thanks for watching and for commenting! Yes, that is one of the more interesting and mysterious aspects of the Peabody House.
Great video....I often remember passing the Peabody estate on 31st St. on the way to and from Oak Brook Shopping Center as a child and since I was a denizen of that part of Du Page county for years I often passed it later on in life too. I also recall that in high school in the 1970s there was a sort of initiation which entailed visiting the tomb of Peabody that was once located on his estate. It was reputed to be haunted with some type of eerie green light emanating from the tomb if my memory serves. It was rumored that the Franciscans were always fiercely on their guard for intruders/trespassers trying to visit the tomb. Peabody was later re-interred at Queen of Heaven in 1992 according to Wikipedia. That leaves little doubt that Peabody was a Catholic and not Anglican as one would suspect.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the Peabody Estate from your youth! We too heard these stories growing up in the Chicago area. There are yet remaining a few urban myths that we hope to address in our next video, regarding the Mayslake Peabody estate. We may or may not address Francis Peabody's religious views or orientation, as time allows, as there are many other questions that we hope to answer.
Houston vs Texas A and M
My recollection from relatives in Elmhurst was that kids from the two high schools, York and IC, would have some kind of initiation or contest which involved swimming to the alleged location of Peabody's tomb which was purported to be enclosed in glass and under the water of the lake. Obviously nobody ever got there or they said they got there and lied about it.
Though most tour guides describe the demise of Mr. Peabody as unfortunate, I suspect that my ancestors who worked in his mines under brutal conditions and were subject to violence and strike breakers might see the situation differently. I remember a tour guide showing us a “ panic room” and secret passageways that were installed in case of an uprising of labor against the estate. In spite of this, I applaud the Forest Preserves for rescuing the mansion and preserving the history and thanks for your hard work with the tour and videos.
Thanks for the ongoing support and for the thoughtful comment! Indeed, tensions between coal labor and ownership were very high at this time, and with good reason. Some would point out that Peabody did take some steps to rectify things - but was it too little and too late? We hoped that our video would take a balanced view of this time period, and also provide some context and backdrop to the rise of Peabody's fortune. Thanks again for watching and for taking the time to comment!
Nicely done as usual! I grew up in Downers Grove and ended up in this driveway by mistake once, and never knew it was there until I ended up there. It is absolutely gorgeous. What I’m finding interesting is the appearance of the Tudor Rose (above the door at at least one fireplace, on the floor in the center of the green and white stripped tile entering the former chapel) in the building. In the chapel, the timbers on the ceiling are very Tudor-which is interesting in a former Franciscan setting, given Henry Tudor’s break from the church. Kudos to The DuPage Forest Preserve’s preservation!
Thanks for sharing your observations of the Peabody House. Yes, there are several instances of roses or Tudor roses especially on the 1st floor. It is difficult to say what if anything any of these symbols meant to Peabody. Were they simply decorations that looked Tudor or Medieval? Or did they have some special significance to him or his family? There doesn't appear to be definitive answers to these questions, at least that we could find. And your observation regarding the chapel ceiling is also very insightful - the open timbers of a Tudor or Medieval hall. Thanks again for sharing those! And thanks too for watching!
Yes, there could be a tie since the family has a coat of arms (Tudor loyalists) perhaps and the building the estate is modeled after in Warwickshire. I missed the part of whether he created his own coat of arms or if it was existing.
The Peabodys had a pre-existing coat of arms. Francis Peabody did not have this created. Also of interest is the family motto. The word "aereus" is curious as it can mean both bronze or airy, as in ethereal. In most cases, this motto is written as "Murus aeneus consienta sana", where "aeneus" definitely refers to bronze. Sometimes it is written as it is inscribed above the Peabody front portal. Is this simply a misspelling or corruption of the more typical motto wording? Or does it have a double meaning? This family motto is also used by other prominent families in England.
lovely presentation.
i'll always feel dubious about benjamin marshall, whose negligence and architectural inexperience contributed to the tragedy of the iroquois fire.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Regarding Benjamin Marshall, our sense was that he was a out of his depth when first starting out, as he had little formal training. And indeed, the Iroquois fire tragedy was a very bad mistake and mar on his career. Thanks again for the comment!
Very interesting thanks for making this video
Thanks for watching and commenting, Keith! And you have a very interesting channel as well - we are fans - and suggest that people check our your channel for interesting local adventures! Thanks again!