Marblehead, Massachusetts
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Marblehead is a coastal
New England town The town is the basic unit of Local government in the United States, local government and local division of state authority in the six New England states. Most other U.S. states lack a direct counterpart to the New England town. New England town ...
in
Essex County, Massachusetts Essex County is a County (United States), county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the stat ...
, United States, along the North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends into the northern part of
Massachusetts Bay Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Gulf of Maine that forms part of the central coastline of Massachusetts. Description The bay extends from Cape Ann on the north to Plymouth Harbor on the south, a distance of about . Its northern and sout ...
. Attached to the town is a near island, known as Marblehead Neck, connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. Marblehead Harbor, protected by shallow
shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body ...
s and rocks from the open sea, lies between the mainland and the Neck. Beside the Marblehead town center, two other villages lie within the town: the Old Town, which was the original town center, and Clifton, which lies along the border with the neighboring town of Swampscott. A town with roots in
commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...
and
yachting Yachting is recreational boating activities using medium/large-sized boats or small ships collectively called yachts. Yachting is distinguished from other forms of boating mainly by the priority focus on comfort and luxury, the dependence on ma ...
, Marblehead was a major shipyard and is often referred to as the birthplace of the American Navy, a title sometimes disputed with nearby Beverly. Marblehead was once the fishing capital of Massachusetts. It is also the origin of
Marine Corps Aviation The United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing ...
. Three US Navy ships have been named USS ''Marblehead''. A center of recreational boating, Marblehead has long been a popular
sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
,
kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
and
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
destination, with several yacht clubs established in the late 19th century. It is home to the Marblehead Light, Fort Sewall, Little Harbor, Mass Audubon's Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Crocker Park, and Devereux Beach. Archibald Willard's famous painting ''The Spirit of '76'' currently resides in Abbot Hall. Much of the Old Town is protected by the Marblehead Historic District. Marblehead is also home of the Marblehead Men's Softball League, which was established in 1939 and is the oldest and longest standing adult softball league in the world.


History


Massebequash

Marblehead was originally called ''Massebequash'' after the river which ran between it and Salem. The land was inhabited by the Naumkeag tribe of the Pawtucket confederation under the overall
sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...
Nanepashemet Nanepashemet (died 1619) was a sachem and ''bashabe'' or great leader of the Pawtucket tribe, Pawtucket Confederation of Abenaki peoples in present-day New England before the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, Pilgrims. He was a leader of Native peopl ...
. Epidemics in 1615–1619 and 1633, believed to be
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
, devastated the tribe. Numerous shell mounds and burial sites have been found throughout the town's history, along with foundations of multiple villages and forts. On September 16, 1684, heirs of Nanepashemet sold their ; the deed is preserved today at Abbot Hall in the town.


European settlers and fishing

Marblehead's first European settler was Joseph Doliber or John Peach (highly disputed) in 1629, who set up on the shore near what is now the end of Bradlee Road. Three years earlier, Isaac Allerton, a
Pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
from the ''
Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...
,'' had arrived in the area and established a fishing village at Marblehead Little Harbor. In May 1635, the General Court of Massachusetts Bay established the town of Marblehead on land that belonged to Salem. Marblehead residents, who never saw eye-to-eye with their more devout and conservative neighbors, were delighted, but less than a year later, the lawmakers reversed themselves. Marblehead finally became independent of Salem in 1649.At times called "Marvell Head", "Marble Harbour" (by Captain John Smith) and "Foy" (by immigrants from
Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...
, Cornwall), the town would be named "Marblehead" by settlers who mistook its
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
ledges for
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
. It began as a fishing village with narrow crooked streets, and developed inland from the harbor. The shoreline smelled of drying fish, typically
cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
. These were exported abroad and to Salem. The town had one accused individual during the
Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Not everyone wh ...
, Wilmot Redd. She was found guilty of witchcraft and executed by hanging on September 22, 1692. The town peaked economically just before the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, as locally financed
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
ing vessels sought bounty from large European ships. Much early architecture survives from the era, including the Jeremiah Lee Mansion.


Revolutionary War

A large percentage of residents became involved early in the Revolutionary War, and the sailors of Marblehead are generally recognized by scholars as forerunners of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. The first vessel commissioned for the army, '' Hannah,'' was equipped with cannons, rope, provisions (including the indigenous molasses/sea water cookie known as " Joe Frogger" ), and a crew from Marblehead. With their nautical backgrounds, soldiers from Marblehead under General John Glover were instrumental in the escape of the
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
after the
Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at and near the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn ...
.The Marblehead militia had become the 14th Continental Regiment of George Washington's army—and one of the few integrated regiments in the entire army. Marblehead men ferried George Washington across the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
for his attack on Trenton. Many who set out for war, however, did not return, leaving the town with 459 widows and 865 orphaned children in a population of less than 5,000. The community lost a substantial portion of its population and economy, although it was still the tenth-largest inhabited location in the United States at the first census, in 1790. When George Washington visited the town during his presidential tour of 1789, he knew the sailors of Marblehead well; they had served him honorably in the war. He observed that the town "had the appearance of antiquity."


Fishing industry

In the 75 years from the American Revolution to the middle of the nineteenth century, Marblehead experienced a golden age of fishing. The
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
brought disruption similar to during the American Revolution, with fishing grounds being blockaded, and fisherman heading off to war, with over 500 Marbleheaders being imprisoned by the British. After the war, and later into the 19th century, wealthier citizens wanted a new bank to finance vessels, and to serve the town's fishermen and merchants. On March 17, 1831, with a capital of US$100,000, they founded the Grand Bank. The name was changed to National Grand Bank on October 3, 1864. The town's fishermen had 98 vessels (95 of which exceeded 50 tons) putting to sea in 1837, where they often harvested fish off the
Grand Banks of Newfoundland The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...
. However, a gale or hurricane in that area on September 19, 1846, sank 11 vessels and damaged others. With 65 men and boys lost in the storm, the town's fishing industry began a decline. The storm is depicted in ''Fireboard: The Great Gale of 1846,'' c. 1850 by William Thompson Bartoll. A copy of the book is held by the Peabody Essex Museum.


American Civil War

During the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, 1,048 Marblehead men went to war, joining both the Army and Navy. 110 died; 87 were wounded, many of whom died later of their injuries. During the war, Marblehead would raise almost $100,000 to supplement the war effort, an incredible effort for a town of 8,000 that relied mainly on fishing for income. Marblehead would be the first regiment in the state to answer the call for troops. A
Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...
veterans organization was formed after the war, and established headquarters in the old town house, where it still displays artifacts from the Marblehead regiments that served.


Shoemaking, airplanes, and yachting

During the late 19th century, Marblehead had a short-term industrial boom from shoe-making factories. At the same time, the exceptional harbor attracted yachting by wealthy boat owners, and some yacht clubs established centers there. It would become home to the Boston Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead Yacht Club, Dolphin Yacht Club, and the oldest junior yacht club in America, the Pleon Yacht Club. This also caused numerous "summer homes" of wealthy Boston residents to be built on Marblehead Neck. The building boom would cause Marblehead Light to be replaced in 1896 with a new iron structure since the light of shorter tower was becoming blocked by the large new homes. Marblehead was also the site of the Burgess & Curtis Aircraft Factory, where it was the first licensed
aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...
in the United States. William Starling Burgess designed and flight-tested most of the aircraft that were manufactured at the two plant sites in town. On August 20, 1912, Alfred Austell Cunningham became the first Marine aviator, taking off from Marblehead Harbor in a
Burgess Model H __NOTOC__ The Burgess Model H was an early United States airplane and one of the first air machines specifically designed and built for military use. History Classified as the "Model H military tractor", it was developed and built in 1912 by Burg ...
seaplane given to him by the Burgess Company. His flight was the start of United States Marine Corps Aviation.


Post-war suburban community

After World War II, the town enjoyed a population boom, developing as a
bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
for nearby Boston, Lynn, and Salem. This boom ended around 1970, when the town became built out. Marblehead today continues to be a sailing and small-town tourism destination in the summer months. File:NY Fleet in Marblehead Harbor.jpg,
Marblehead Harbor Marblehead Harbor is a harbor located in Marblehead, Massachusetts, 17 miles northeast of Boston. It is considered the birthplace of the Continental Navy, forerunner of the United States Navy, and of United States Marine Corps Aviation. Descrip ...
, 1908 File:Front Street, Marblehead, MA.jpg, Front Street, 1914 File:La Fayette House, Marblehead, MA.jpg, Lafayette House, File:Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead, Mass. LCCN89712216.jpg, Eastern Yacht Club File:The Old Spite House, Marblehead, MA.jpg, Old Spite House, File:St. Michael's Church in Marblehead Massachusetts.JPG, St. Michael's Church built in 1714 File:New York Yacht Club, Marblehead, Mass (NYPL b12647398-68455).tiff, Yachts in harbor viewed from Fort Sewall


Town government

The Town of Marblehead has an open town meeting, and is led by a Board of Selectmen. A board of seven selectmen first met on Friday, December 22, 1648.


Town hall

The seat of the first town government used the existing Meeting House on what is now the site of Old Burial Hill. The meeting house served as a place for the town to meet and the main church in town; a dual use that was typical during this time period. The second meeting house was built around 1696 on Franklin Street, which would become known as the " Old Meeting House", also serving the dual use of a town meeting location and church. In 1726, it was decided by the town to construct a separate Town House, which was completed in 1727 ( Old Town House). However, the Old Meeting House would continue to occasionally be used for large town meetings, before it was demolished around 1825 after the new First Congregational Church was built ( Old North Church). The Town House would serve as the town hall until the construction of Abbot Hall in 1876, where the town clerk and board of selectmen still meet today. File:Marblehead First Meeting House.jpg, First Meeting House – 1638 File:Marblehead Franklin Meeting House.jpg, alt=(Old Meeting House), Old Meeting House – 1696 File:Marblehead Old Town Hall.jpg, Old Town House – 1727 File:Abbot Hall - Mablehead, Massachusetts.JPG, Abbot Hall – 1876


Geography and transportation

Marblehead is comprised by a total of of land and , or 77.61%, of water. Marblehead is situated on the North Shore of Massachusetts along
Massachusetts Bay Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Gulf of Maine that forms part of the central coastline of Massachusetts. Description The bay extends from Cape Ann on the north to Plymouth Harbor on the south, a distance of about . Its northern and sout ...
and Salem Harbor. The town consists of a rocky peninsula that extends into the bay, with an additional
neck The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...
to the east connected by a long
sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...
, now a causeway. This ring of land defines Marblehead's deep, sheltered harbor. Marblehead Neck is home to a bird sanctuary, as well as Castle Rock and Chandler Hovey Park at its northern tip, where Marblehead Light is located. Fountain Park and Fort Sewall are located at the western edge of the mouth of Marblehead Harbor. The town land also includes several small islands in Massachusetts Bay and Dolliber Cove, the area between Peaches Point and Fort Sewall. The town is partially divided from Salem by the Forest River, and is also home to several small ponds. In keeping with the town's location, there are four beaches (one in Dolliber Cove, one in
Marblehead Harbor Marblehead Harbor is a harbor located in Marblehead, Massachusetts, 17 miles northeast of Boston. It is considered the birthplace of the Continental Navy, forerunner of the United States Navy, and of United States Marine Corps Aviation. Descrip ...
, and two along the southern shore of town), as well as six yacht clubs, one public kayaking center and several boat ramps. Besides Marblehead Neck, there are two other villages within town, the Old Town to the northeast and Clifton to the southwest. Given its small area, most of the residential land in town is densely settled. Marblehead's town center is located approximately from the center of Salem, northeast of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
and southwest of Cape Ann. It is bordered by Swampscott to the south and Salem to the northwest. (As Salem's water rights extend into Massachusetts Bay, there is no connection between Marblehead and the city of Beverly across Beverly Harbor.) Marblehead is home to the eastern termini of Massachusetts Route 114 and Route 129, which both terminate at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Ocean Avenue. Route 114 heads west into Salem, while Route 129 heads south along Atlantic Avenue into Swampscott towards Lynn. There are no freeways within town, with the nearest access being to Massachusetts Route 128 in Peabody and Beverly. Two MBTA bus routes—the and —originate in town regularly with service to Boston, with weekend service to Wonderland station in Revere. The former
Eastern Railroad The Eastern Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Maine. Throughout its history, it competed with the Boston and Maine Railroad for service between the two cities, until the Boston & Maine put an end to the competi ...
began service in 1839 and had lines connecting through Swampscott and Salem was discontinued in the late 1950s. The track routes were converted to bike trails and the three train depots were torn down. The Newburyport/Rockport Line of the
MBTA Commuter Rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track on 12 lines to 142 stations. It ...
passes through neighboring Swampscott and Salem, with service between the North Shore and Boston's North Station. The nearest air service is located at Beverly Municipal Airport, with the nearest national and international service at Boston's
Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport — also known as Boston Logan International Airport — is an international airport located mostly in East Boston and partially in Winthrop, Massachusetts, United States. Covering , it has ...
. Seasonal ferry service to Boston can also be found in Salem.


Climate

According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Marblehead has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
or an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
, abbreviated "Cfb" or "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Marblehead was on July 23, 2011, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 4, 2023.


Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 19,808 people, 8,838 households, and 5,467 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 8,906 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.4%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, >0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 8,541 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder, and 33.5% were non-families. Of all households 28.7% were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males. According to a 2009 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $97,441, and the median income for a family was $129,968. Males had a median income of $70,470 versus $44,988 for females. The per capita income for the town was $46,738. About 3.2% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Marblehead Public Schools oversees four schools: Brown and Glover elementary schools; the Village School (grades 4–6); Marblehead Veterans Middle School; and Marblehead High School. The town is also home to the Marblehead Community Charter Public School, the first Commonwealth charter school to open in Massachusetts, as well as Tower School, a private day school for kindergarten through eighth grade.


Town song

The Town of Marblehead has the unique distinction of having an official town anthem "Marblehead Forever". It is performed at most major town events and commemorations. It was written by the Reverend Marcia Martin Selman to the music of the hymn tune "The Lily of the Valley", from a melody by J. R. Murray, "Songs of Rejoicing", 1888.


Points of interest

* Castle Rock Park * Crocker Park, the gift of '' Uriel Crocker'' * Crowninshield (Brown's) Island *Gerry Island, an island named after founding father & Marbleheader,
Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry ( ; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death i ...
* The Driftwood * Herreshoff Castle * The Landing, public town dock on Front Street * Marblehead Historic District * Marblehead Light, Chandler Hovey Park * Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary * Pleon Yacht Club, the oldest junior yacht club in the United States


Historical sites and museums

* Abbot Hall (1877), containing ''The Spirit of '76'' by Archibald MacNeal Willard, & Maritime Exhibit * Fort Sewall (1644) * Old Burial Hill (1638) * Marblehead Museum * Old Town House (1727) & G.A.R. Civil War Museum * General John Glover House * General Glover Farm * Jeremiah Lee Mansion (1768) * King Hooper Mansion (1728), now home to the Marblehead Arts Association. * Old Powder House (1755) *Ambrose Gale House (1663) * Simon Bradstreet House (1723) * St. Michael's Church (1714) * Old North Church (1824) * William L. Hammond Park (formally recognized as the birthplace of
Marine Corps Aviation The United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing ...
, 1977) * Gun House (1810)


Yacht clubs

There are six active yacht clubs in town:


Cemeteries & Burial Grounds

Marblehead has multiple historic cemeteries and public and private burial grounds found within the town borders. There have also been Native America burials sites found throughout town.


Notable people


Politicians and military

* Nicholson Broughton, first Captain of the American Navy *
Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry ( ; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death i ...
, fifth
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...
* John Glover, Revolutionary War general * John Manley, Commodore, American Navy * David D. McKiernan, retired
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
four-star general * Seth Moulton, retired Marine Corps officer and a Democratic Congressman * Samuel Sewall, Congressman, great uncle to
Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Good Wives'' (1869), ''Little Men'' (1871), and ''Jo's Boys'' ...
*
Joseph Story Joseph Story (September18, 1779September10, 1845) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1812 to 1845. He is most remembered for his opinions in ''Martin ...
,
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
justice * Richard Trefry, 42nd Inspector General
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...


Athletes

* Sheldon Brown, bicycle mechanic and author of books on cycling * Shalane Flanagan, Olympic runner, Beijing Olympics Silver medalist, 2017 New York Marathon winner * Tyler Hamilton, cyclist * Kayla Harrison, mixed martial artist, won the 2010 World Championships, gold medals at the
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
2016 Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
* Ted Hood, yachtsman,
America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...
winner * Shawn McEachern,
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
winner * Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, Gold Medalist Sailing
2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...
* Jake Phelps, skateboarder – editor-in-chief Thrasher Magazine * Cory Schneider,
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
goaltender


Architects and yacht designers

* William Starling Burgess, yacht designer and
aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...
* L. Francis Herreshoff, yacht designer


Businessmen and entrepreneurs, philanthropists

* Uriel Crocker, publisher, businessman * Joseph Dixon: inventor who pioneered in the industrial use of graphite, leading to Dixon Ticonderoga pencils * James J. H. Gregory, philanthropist, started Marblehead libraries, horticulturalist "seed king", historian, poet * Peter Lynch, investor, author * Michael Smith, American diplomat and trade negotiator


Writers and journalists

* Ashley Bowen, first American sailor to write an autobiography * Susan Estrich, lawyer, professor, author, political operative * Julia Glass, novelist * Katherine Howe, novelist * Ada Louise Huxtable, architecture critic, lived in Marblehead seasonally for over 30 years * Martha Hooper Blackler Kalopothakes (1830–1871), missionary, journalist, translator * Ruth Edna Kelley, author * Harry Kemelman, novelist * Edward A. Lawrence, Jr. (1847-1893), Protestant pastor, author; namesake of Lawrence House in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
* Caroline Atherton Mason, poet * Grace A. Oliver, author *
Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...
, playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 1936 *
Rhod Sharp Rhoderick Sharp (born 1953 in Perth, Scotland, Perth) is a Scottish broadcaster, best known as a former presenter of ''Up All Night (radio show), Up All Night'' on BBC Radio 5 Live. Early life After being educated at Perth Academy, Sharp took a ...
, news journalist, broadcaster, BBC – "Up All Night" * Amy Siskind, activist and author * Tasha Tudor, Caldecott honored children's author and illustrator, daughter of William Starling Burgess, great-granddaughter of
Frederic Tudor Frederic Tudor (September 4, 1783 – February 6, 1864) was an American businessman and merchant. Known as Boston's "Ice King", he was the founder of the Tudor Ice Company and a pioneer of the international ice trade in the early 19th century. H ...


Arts and entertainment

* Keith Ablow, former psychiatrist, writer, host and pundit * Frank Black, musician and member of the
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band Pixies * Rob Delaney, comedian and "funniest person on Twitter" *
Loyd Grossman Sir Loyd Daniel Gilman Grossman (born 16 September 1950) is an American-British author, broadcaster, musician, businessman and cultural campaigner who has mainly worked in the United Kingdom. He presented the BBC programme ''MasterChef (British T ...
, UK television host * Dave Mattacks, English-born rock and folk
drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...
and
session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
; former member of
Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...
and guest percussionist for Jethro Tull * Pete Muller,
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
photographer * Estelle Parsons, actress, Academy Award winner for Actress in a Supporting Role – ''Bonnie and Clyde'' (1967) *
Amelia Peabody Amelia Peabody Emerson is the protagonist of the Amelia Peabody series, a series of historical mystery novels written by author Elizabeth Peters (a pseudonym of Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, 1927–2013). Peabody is married to Egyptologist Radcli ...
, sculptor, breeder and philanthropist *
Rhod Sharp Rhoderick Sharp (born 1953 in Perth, Scotland, Perth) is a Scottish broadcaster, best known as a former presenter of ''Up All Night (radio show), Up All Night'' on BBC Radio 5 Live. Early life After being educated at Perth Academy, Sharp took a ...
,
BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
presenter of '' Up All Night'' * Jamie Walters, actor, musician and star of 90210


Notable visitors

Politicians and royalty

* President George Washington: 1789, George Washington part of his ten-day presidential visit to Massachusetts *
Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...
: 1784, after Revolutionary War was over, Marquis de Lafayette visited to honor General John Glover and to see his friend Elbridge Gerry. He returned in 1824 to Marblehead during his triumphal tour of the United States. *
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...
: Came to Marblehead Harbor to take frigate to France in 1778 to negotiate a treaty of alliance. *
John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...
: As a 10 year old, accompanied his father on ship to France. * President Andrew Jackson: 1830s (rumored) * President Chester Arthur: 1882, U.S. steamer anchored off Marblehead, was "kidnapped" after returning from Salem and brought to Abbott Hall where he was welcomed by Marbleheaders and gave short speech. * President Coolidge: 1925, visits Marblehead Harbor aboard the presidential yacht " USS Mayflower" * President Franklin Roosevelt: 1933, for sailing trip in Marblehead * Prince Olav of Norway: 1939 went sailing in Marblehead while touring United States *Senator John F. Kennedy: visited "Spirit of 76" painting with wife
Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...
. *
Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
, Soviet leader


Celebrities

*
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
: 1947, arrived at Seaside park via helicopter to perform in summer theater series. *
Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
: performed in Marblehead Summer theater series. * Marjorie Merriweather Post: visited throughout 1930s and after the war, anchoring yacht Sea Cloud off Marblehead Light. *
Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' from 1962 to 1981. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trust ...
: 1997, for USS Constitution's 200th anniversary *
Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...
* Billie Burke: Actress, best known as Glinda in '' The Wizard of Oz'', performed in the 1955 Marblehead Summer Theatre Series *
Gloria Vanderbilt Gloria Laura Vanderbilt (February 20, 1924 – June 17, 2019) was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. During the 1930s, she was the subject of a high-profile child custody trial in which her mother, ...
: Actress, performed at Marblehead High School Auditorium, summer theatre series *
Eva Gabor Eva Gabor ( ; February 11, 1919 – July 4, 1995) was a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. Gabor voiced Duchess and Miss Bianca in the Disney animations ''The Aristocats'' (1970), ''The Rescuers'' (1977), and ''The Rescuers Down Under'' ...
: Actress, performed in summer theatre series * Charles Coburn: Actor, performed in summer theatre series *
Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
: American blues singer, " ''Stormy Weather''", performed in Marblehead in 1955 * Sarah Churchill: Actress,
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
's daughter, performed in summer series


Writers

*
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
visited Marblehead in 1922, an event which had profound personal effect on him. He used Marblehead as his inspiration for the fictional town of Kingsport. *
Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet and author. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for '' The Colossus and Other Poems'' (1960), '' Ariel'' (1965), a ...
American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Visited Marblehead in July 1951. ''See: Arts, Films section for actors who came for location shooting.''


Arts


Paintings

Notable paintings & artists depicting Marblehead scenes and figures: *William Thompson Bartoll **''The Great Gale of 1846,'' oil on wood fireboard, 1850, Peabody Essex Museum *
Alfred Thompson Bricher Alfred Thompson Bricher (April 10, 1837 – September 30, 1908) was an American painter associated with White Mountain art and the Hudson River School. Life and work Bricher was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was educated in an academy a ...
: **''Castle Rock, Marblehead'', 1878,
Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...
*
John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...
**''Jeremiah Lee'', oil portrait, 1769, The Wadsworth Atheneum **''Mrs Jeremiah Lee, Martha Swett'', oil portrait, 1769, The Wadsworth Atheneum * Clement Drew **''Yachts Off Halfway Rock Marblehead'', oil on board, 1884. * J.O.J. Frost **''Waterfront of Old Town,'' paint on masonite, 1924, Marblehead Historical Society **''The March into Boston from Marblehead...April 16, 1861,'' oil on fiberboard, 1925, Peabody Essex Museum **''The Marblehead Fishermen,'' oil on board, ,
Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...
*James Jeffrey Grant **''From the Hilltop, Marblehead, Mass'' **''Marblehead'', * Frederick Childe Hassam **''Panorama of Marblehead'', Marblehead Messenger, illustration, 1880 *M.H. Howes **''First International Yacht Race off Children's Island'', oil on canvas, 1905 * John Ross Key **''On the Coast near Marblehead'' **''Marblehead, Mass,'' Peabody Essex Museum * Fitz Henry Lane **''Becalmed Off Halfway Rock'', oil on canvas, 1860, Cape Ann Museum **''Halfway Rock off Marblehead'', oil on canvas, Cape Ann Museum *Orlando Rouland **''Looking Over Old Marblehead,'' 1928, oil on Canvas **''Moonlight on Washington Square,'' oil on canvas **''Marblehead Common at night,'' oil on canvas **''Old Town Rooftops,'' oil on canvas * Maurice Brazil Prendergast: **''Marblehead'', watercolor 1914.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...
**''Bathing, Marblehead'', 1897,
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...
**''Moonlight at Marblehead'', **''Marblehead Harbor'', –1920, Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia **''Peaches Point'', oil on canvas, ,
Bowdoin College Museum of Art The Bowdoin College Museum of Art is an art museum located in Brunswick, Maine. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum is a part of Bowdoin College and has been located in the Walker Art Building since 1894. The museum is ...
* Arthur Quartley **''Morning off Marblehead,'' oil on canvas, 1879 *
John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era, Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil ...
**''On deck of the Yacht
Constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...
,'' water color, 1924, Peabody Essex Museum **''Rainy day on the deck of the yacht
Constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...
,'' water color, 1924 * George Henry Smillie **''Near Marblehead, Mass,'' oil on canvas * James David Smillie **''At Marblehead Neck,'' etching, 1883, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC **''Causeway - Marblehead Neck,'' etching, 1883 *William R. Stone **''Low Tide, Marblehead, Massachusetts'',(Doliber's Cove) Oil on canvas, 1889 * Mary Bradish Titcomb **''Marblehead Harbor,'' oil on canvas **''Sunday Morning'', oil on canvas, 1920 **''House in Poplars, Marblehead Mass,'' gouche on board **''Rockaway Street'', watercolor, 1906 **''View of Marblehead'', oil on canvas **''Sedona Hill, Marblehead,'' oil on canvas *Stanley Wingate Woodward **''The Old Spite House'', Etching, ,
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...


Films

Movies filmed in Marblehead include: *'' The Pride of the Clan'' starring ''
Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
'' (1917) – Castle Rock (park transformed into Scottish village) *'' Home Before Dark'' (1958) – "Lafayette House" (used as primary home for filming) *''
Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...
'' (1978) *''
The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...
'' (1986) – Abbott Hall (used for concert scene and reveal of Jack Nicholson's character) *'' The Good Son'' (1993) *'' Hocus Pocus'' (1993) – Old town streets (bike ride scene), Old Burial Hill (daytime cemetery), Crocker Park (Abbott Hall bells ringing), Witches night time flyover *''Autumn Heart'' (2000) *''
Treading Water Treading water or water treading is what a Human swimming, swimmer can do while in a vertical position to keep their head above the surface of the water, while not providing sufficient directional thrust to overcome inertia and propel the swimme ...
'' (2001) *'' What's the Worst That Could Happen?'' (2001)was filmed in Manchester-by-the-Sea, but scenes are set in Marblehead. *'' Moonlight Mile'' (2002) *'' Grown Ups'' (2010) *'' The Company Men'' (2010) *'' Grown Ups 2'' (2012) *'' Hubie Halloween''(2019) *'' Godmothered'' (2020)


Television

A television show has yet to been filmed in the town, but Marblehead has been mentioned in the following TV series: * '' Marblehead Manor'' (1987) was a sitcom about a wealthy Marblehead resident that ran for one season on CBS. * ''
Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...
'', set in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, made three references to the town. Sam mentions sailing to Marblehead in Season 1, Episode 6. Diane mentions Sam having taken her to a
bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...
in Marblehead in Season 4, episode 15. Sam says that he will sail to Marblehead for relaxation in Season 5, Episode 1. * In ''
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appea ...
'', Aunt Hilda makes reference to Marblehead in the sixth episode of the second season, entitled "Sabrina, the Teenage Boy." * The TV movie '' The Crossing'' (2000) has General Washington (
Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime ...
) speaking to Col. Glover ( Sebastian Roché) about the men of Marblehead rowing across the Delaware. * ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' Season 4 episode 18, "Privateers", has Mrs. Marion Cotesworth-Haye of Marblehead denouncing the first lady's (
Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Stockard Channing, Her accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a nomination for an Acade ...
) membership of the Daughters of the Revolution, when they learn that her distant relative was more pirate than patriot. * ''
The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has ...
'' mentions Marblehead in season one episode 7, entitled "The Other Side".


Literature


Set in Marblehead, or based on local figures

*''Marblehead, by Joan Thompson: The town appears in the eponymous book debuting in 1978. *''The Hearth & Eagle'', by Anya Seton, traces the history of Marblehead from early settlement in 1630 to modern times through the story of one family, originally from Cornwall, who eventually ran Marblehead's Hearth & Eagle Inn. *''Agnes Surriage'', by Edwin Lassetter Bynner *''The Fountain Inn'', by Nathan P. Sanborn * '' The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud'', by Ben Sherwood, is set in Marblehead and features the Waterside Cemetery. A film adaptation was made in 2010. *''General John Glover and His Marblehead Mariners'', by George Athan Billias (1960) *''The Wizard of Orne Hill and Other Tales of Old Marblehead'', by Dorothy Miles *''At the Point of Cutlass'', by Gregory Flemming, tells the story of Marblehead's "Robinson Curusoe" Philip Ashton and is based on his memoirs *''Hidden Silver'', by Georgene Faulkner, Relates the story of a Marblehead family during the American Revolution *'Azor of Marblehead Series (1948–1960), by Maude Cowley **''Azor'' **''Azor and the Haddock'' **''Azor and the Blue-eyed Cow'' **''Tor and Azor'' **''Pringle and the Lavender Goat'' *''Swansday at Redd's'', A Marblehead Story, by Ray Cole *''Remembering James J. H. Gregory: The Seed King, Philanthropist, Man'', by Shari Kelley Worrell *''Marblehead from HollyHocks to Hot Top'', articles by John D Hill, Morrill S. Reynolds, Phyllis Masters, Percy L. Martin *''Ashton's Memorial: An History of the Strange Adventures of Philip Ashton, Jr.'' (1725) *''Marblehead's First Harbor: The Rich History of a Small Fishing Port'', by Hugh Peabody Bishop and Brenda Bishop Booma *'' The Lace Reader'', by Brunonia Barry *''A Guide to Marblehead'', by Samuel Roads Jr. (1881) *''Old Marblehead'', by Samuel Chamberlain (1940) *''Peaches Point: The Summer World Of T.H. Shepard'', By Timothy Shepard (1976) *''History and Traditions of Marblehead'', by Samuel Roads Jr. (1880) *''In the Time of Worms: An Ancient Tale of Marblehead'', by Kenelm Winslow Harris *''Under the Golden Cod'', by 350th Anniversary book Committee detailing the history of the congregation of Marblehead Old North Church from 1635 to 1985. * '' Captains Courageous'' by
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
mentions the town *''The Autobiography of Ashley Bowen'' (1728–1813), by Ashley Bowen *''Red On Black, A Marblehead Story'', by Eben Weed *''Where Away: The Story of USS Marblehead'', by George Sessions Perry and Mabel Leighton *Ten Hours Until Dawn'', by Michael J. Tougias *''Marblehead: The Spirit of '76 Lives Here'', by Priscilla Sawyer Lord (1972)


Literature influenced by Marblehead

*''Rabbi Small'', by Harry Kemelman, takes place in the fictional town of Barnard's Crossing, a place based on Marblehead. Kemelman lived in Marblehead for 50 years. * The Jesse Stone novels: Robert B. Parker supposedly based the fictional town of Paradise, in which the novels take place, on Marblehead. Both Paradise and Marblehead are on the coast in Essex County, Cape Ann is visible from them, and each has an annual Race Week yachting event. * KingsportHorror and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
writer
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
derived great inspiration from Marblehead. Following his first visit in December 1922, he retroactively reconfigured his fictional Kingsport in its own image. As of 1920, Kingsport was an unspecified location on Rhode Island, only mentioned in passing. Lovecraft likely based the name on that of Kingstown, R.I. Lovecraft regarded his experience of visiting Marblehead in 1922, however, as life-changing. Thereafter, he based his Kingsport on Marblehead.


Contemporary photographs of Marblehead

File:ZichtopMarblehead.jpg, alt=View of sea along fort wall, Seaside view from Fort Sewall File:OldTownHouseMarblehead.jpg, Old Town House File:WashingtonStreetMarblehead.jpg, Homes on Washington Street File:Marblehead Massachusetts street scene and buildings.JPG, Architectural styles File:Marblehead Massachusetts view from town towards harbor and peninsula.JPG, Rocks File:Marblehead Massachusetts house and tree with flag.JPG, House with flag File:Marblehead Massachusetts firehouse Engine No 2.JPG, Fire station File:Marblehead Massachusetts dock and harbor.JPG, Dock File:Marblehead Historic District Residence.jpg, Historic home File:Marblehead Harbor Late Afternoon.jpg, Harbor view from the causeway File:Marblehead Little Theatre, Marblehead MA.jpg, Marblehead Little Theater File:Deveraux Beach Marblehead-1-19-2024.jpg, Atlantic Ocean from the causeway File:Abbot Library, Pleasant Street, Marblehead, MA.jpg, Abbot Public Library File:Marblehead Light 1-19-2024.jpg, Marblehead Light File:Atlantic Ocean from Marblehead Neck.jpg, Atlantic Ocean from Neck


Voting history

At the presidential level, Marblehead leaned towards the Republican candidate in results tabulated from 1968 through 1988, but has since swung predominantly to the Democratic Party, as with many other communities in Massachusetts.


External links

*Town of Marblehead
Historic Marblehead – Audio walking tour
by Samuel Roads, Published 1880, 390 pages.


References

{{authority control 1629 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Populated coastal places in Massachusetts Populated places established in 1629 Port cities and towns in Massachusetts Towns in Essex County, Massachusetts Towns in Massachusetts