Peabody Egg Collection
In 1930, the Reverend Putnam B. Peabody of Topeka, Kansas, donated his collection of birds’ eggs and nests to the Pettigrew Home and Museum. Rev. Peabody was the brother of Miss Mary Peabody, the first curator of the museum from 1930 until 1936. Throughout his lifetime, Rev. Peabody collected and wrote about North American bird species from South Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming and Minnesota.
In a 1931 Argus Leader article, the display of these items was depicted as follows: “There is a large number of nests also and in some cases there are bird types shown with their nests, filled with their eggs and having their young brood with them. These ‘family’ exhibits are said by Miss Peabody to receive the most praise of all.” The article goes on to describe many teachers bringing students into the museum to view these exhibits. For many years, school children in Sioux Falls visited the museum, and today many fondly remember the bird room at the Pettigrew Museum and the eggs on exhibit in drawers. To see a small selection of this collection, come visit the new exhibit on the 2nd floor of the Old Courthouse Museum.