The Peabody Leatherworkers Museum is hosting its second annual open house on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The open house will serve as the launch of the museum’s new fourth-grade curriculum on leather history, called the Legacy of Leather.
The curriculum will teach fourth graders across the city about the history of leather, the leatherworkers, and the lives they lived, museum Director Dick St. Pierre said. The curriculum dates back to 1635 and focuses on how the leather industry affected Peabody and the city’s economy, he said.
He said he has been working on developing the Legacy of Leather for nearly 10 years to educate the youth.
“The whole history would be lost,” St. Pierre said. “This way, the history can be retained. Not only retained, but enriched.”
The museum has received support from the school administration, teachers, and students, he said.
“I’m hoping the parents will see the value of it. I think they will,” St. Pierre said.
The open house will include Mayor Ted Bettencourt and members of the leather industry as guest speakers, as well as refreshments and tours of the museum.
