Glen Magna Farms

The Mansion at Glen Magna Farms has been described as "as close to heaven as one can go in this earth," with an estate of eleven acres. Routes 1 and 95 are less than a mile away. The venue is great for weddings. Formal gardens massed with colorful perennials, annuals, shrubs, and an arboretum make up the award-winning landscape. The Old Fashioned Garden is anchored by a replica of Francis Peabody's original Gazebo from 1840. If the ceremony takes place within the five-hour rental time range, there is no additional price for the ceremony on the premises. If the ceremony is held outside of the five-hour time frame, an overtime fee will be charged. The bridal party is welcome to attend two hours prior to the ceremony's start time to change and take photos. One hour of rehearsal time is included the day before the wedding. During the War of 1812, Joseph Peabody, the wealthiest Salem shipping trader of the time, purchased a twenty-acre Danvers property with a dwelling described as "perfectly prepared for a gentleman's seat" in every respect. The property developed from a twenty-acre acquisition to over three hundred and thirty acres, serving as the family's summer hideaway for a century and forty-four years. The house and gardens were substantially enlarged and enhanced by Ellen Peabody Endicott, Joseph Peabody's granddaughter, by 1892. In 1893, she commissioned Little, Browne and Moore of Boston to design the Mansion's enlargement to its characteristic colonial revival shape. Ellen Endicott received the Hunnewell Gold Medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1926, the year before she died. This award was granted to the owner of a three-acre estate that was tastefully and effectively planted with rare and desired ornamental trees and shrubs to offer successful instances of science, talent, and good judgment in the adornment of the country mansion. Until his death in 1936, her son, William Crowninshield Endicott, Jr., continued to pour attention on the Farms, renovating and enhancing the estate. In 1901, he played a key role in bringing the Derby Summer House (built in 1794) to the site. Since 1968, the two-story Adamesque structure has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Danvers Historical Society purchased the core eleven acres of the site in 1963 and has attempted to restore the gardens and grounds to their original appearance in the early twentieth century.