Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, 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. 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 shoals 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: 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 and yachting, 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. Three US Navy ships have been named USS Marblehead. A center of recreational boating, it is a popular sailing, kayaking and fishing destination. Several yacht clubs were established here in the late 19th century, which continue to be centers of sailing.

It is home to the Marblehead Light, Fort Sewall, Little Harbor, Marblehead Neck Audubon 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 village is protected by the Marblehead Historic District.

History

Marblehead, watercolor, Maurice Prendergast, 1914. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Marblehead's first European settler was Joseph Doliber in 1629, who set up on the shore near what is now the end of Bradlee Road.

Three years earlier, Isaac Allerton, a Pilgrim from the Mayflower, had arrived in the area and established a fishing village at mid-Marblehead Harbor on the town side, across from Marblehead Neck. This area was set off and incorporated separately in 1649. 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 Nanepashemet. But epidemics in 1615–1619 and 1633, believed to be smallpox, devastated the tribe. On September 16, 1684, heirs of Nanepashemet sold their 3,700 acres (15 km²); the deed is preserved today at Abbot Hall in the city.

At times called "Marvell Head", "Marble Harbour" (by Captain John Smith) and "Foy" (by immigrants from Fowey, Cornwall), the town would be named "Marblehead" by settlers who mistook its granite ledges for marble. It began as a fishing village with narrow, crooked streets, and developed inland from the harbor. The shoreline smelled of drying fish, typically cod. These were exported abroad and to Salem. The town peaked economically just prior to the Revolution, as locally financed privateering vessels sought bounty from large European ships. Much early architecture survives from the era, including the Jeremiah Lee Mansion.

Abbot Public Library

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 first vessel commissioned for the navy, Hannah, was equipped with cannons, rope, provision (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 after the Battle of Long Island. Marblehead men ferried George Washington across the Delaware River 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."

At the beginning of 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 $100,000, they founded the Grand Bank. The name was changed to National Grand Bank on October 3, 1864.

After the Revolution, fishing continued as a major industry. 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. 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.

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.

After World War II, the town enjoyed a population boom, developing as a bedroom community for nearby Boston, Lynn, and Salem. This boom ended around 1970, when the town became built out.

Marblehead town officials recently banned fishing off all public piers due to overcrowding. This ban was lifted after town officials approved regulations aimed at preventing the problem.

Marblehead Harbor, 1908
Corinthian Yacht Club House Marblehead c. 1894
Eastern Yacht Club House c. 1894
Front Street, 1914
Lee Mansion, c. 1905
Lafayette House, c. 1908

Geography and transportation

Marblehead Light, at the northern tip of Marblehead Neck

Marblehead is located at 42°29′49″N 70°51′47″W / 42.49694°N 70.86306°W / 42.49694; -70.86306 (42.497146, −70.863236). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.6 square miles (50.7 km²), of which 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) is land and 15.2 square miles (39.4 km²), or 77.61%, is water.

Marblehead is situated on the North Shore of Massachusetts along Massachusetts Bay and Salem Harbor. The town consists of a rocky peninsula that extends into the bay, with an additional neck to the east connected by a long sandbar, 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.

Mountain Park, and Fort Sewall, at the west 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. Keeping with the town's location, there are four beaches (one in Dolliber Cove, one in Marblehead Harbor, and two along the southern shore of town), as well as six yacht clubs, one public kayaking center and several boat ramps.

Marblehead old train depot

Besides Marblehead Neck, there are three other villages within town, Old Town to the northeast and Clifton to the southwest. Given its small area, most of the residential land in town is thickly settled. Marblehead's town center is located approximately 4 miles (6 km) from the center of Salem, 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Boston and 12 miles (19 km) 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 Atlantic and Ocean avenues. 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 441 and 442—originate in town regularly with service to Boston, with weekend service to Wonderland in Revere. The former Eastern Railroad 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 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. Seasonal ferry service to Boston can also be found in Salem.

Historic maps

Marblehead Harbor Morning

Demographics

Old Bowen House c. 1905

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1790	5,661	—
1800	5,211	−7.9%
1810	5,900	+13.2%
1820	5,630	−4.6%
1830	5,149	−8.5%
1840	5,575	+8.3%
1850	6,167	+10.6%
1860	7,646	+24.0%
1870	7,703	+0.7%
1880	7,467	−3.1%
1890	8,202	+9.8%
1900	7,582	−7.6%
1910	7,338	−3.2%
1920	7,324	−0.2%
1930	8,668	+18.4%
1940	10,856	+25.2%
1950	13,765	+26.8%
1960	18,521	+34.6%
1970	21,295	+15.0%
1980	20,126	−5.5%
1990	19,971	−0.8%
2000	20,377	+2.0%
2010	19,808	−2.8%
2020	20,441	+3.2%
Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.

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 4,373 inhabitants per square mile (1,688/km²). There were 8,906 housing units at an average density of 1,966.3/sq mi (759.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.6% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, >0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 with no husband present, 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.

Abbot Public Library

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.

Points of interest

PostcardMarbleheadMAViewFrRockmere190`11907

View from Rockmere Point, ca. 1905

Castle Rock Park
Crocker Park, the gift of Uriel Crocker
Crowninshield (Brown's) Island
The Driftwood
Herreshoff Castle
Marblehead Light
Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Old Burial Hill
Pleon Yacht Club, the oldest junior yacht club in the United States
Little Harbor Boathouse, the public kayaking outfitter on Little Harbor

Little Harbor

In the 75 years from the American Revolution to the middle of the nineteenth century, Marblehead experienced a golden age of fishing. For the next 50 years, the industry struggled, but from 1900 until the end of the twentieth century, one small anchorage made itself proud. From boat building to sail design, Little Harbor, also known as First Harbor, produced creative men whose innovations helped shape marine history. Marblehead's First Harbor: The Rich History of a Small Fishing Port, written by Hugh Peabody Bishop and Brenda Bishop Booma tells the story through the eyes of a Marblehead fisherman. Today, the waters of Little Harbor, protected by Trustees of Reservations-owned Crowninshield Island and Priest Island, provide a mecca for human-powered water sports, kayaking and kayak fishing. Little Harbor is located in Old Town, surrounded by Fort Sewell, Burial Hill and Peaches Point.

Devereux Beach

Devereux Beach is located on Ocean Avenue just before the causeway; Marblehead's most popular beach offers more than five acres of sand, public picnic tables and a playground. It is a popular spot to observe fireworks on Fourth of July. Lifeguards are on duty once the beach opens for summer in late June. During summer months, non-residents must pay $5–$10 to park between 8am and 4pm. Marblehead residents must have a facility sticker or they will be charged the non-resident rate. The two pavilions with grills are available for rental during the spring and fall but a permit from the town is necessary.

Historical sites and museums

Abbot Hall

Fort Sewall

Abbot Hall (1877), containing The Spirit of '76 by Archibald MacNeal Willard
Fort Sewall (1644)
Frost Folk Art Museum
G.A.R. & Civil War Museum
Jeremiah Lee Mansion (1768)
King Hooper Mansion (1728), now home to the Marblehead Arts Association.
Old Powder House
Simon Bradstreet House (1723)
Pride Rock (Conservation Land)
St. Michael's Church (1714)
William L. Hammond Park (formally recognized as the birthplace of Marine Corps Aviation, 1977)

Arts

Television

The popular sitcom Cheers, set in Boston, 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 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, Aunt Hilda makes reference to Marblehead in the sixth episode of the second season, titled, "Sabrina, the Teenage Boy."

Marblehead Manor was a sitcom about a wealthy Marblehead resident that ran for one season on CBS.

Films

Thunderstorm c. 1910

Movies filmed in Marblehead include:

The Pride of the Clan starring Mary Pickford (1917)
Home Before Dark (1958)
Coma (1978)
The Witches of Eastwick (1986)
The Good Son (1993)
Hocus Pocus (1993) - daytime scenes
Autumn Heart (2000)
Treading Water (2001)
Moonlight Mile (2002)
Grown Ups (2010)
The Company Men (2010)
Grown Ups 2 (2012)

What's the Worst That Could Happen? was filmed in Manchester-by-the-Sea, but scenes are set in Marblehead.

Literature

Influence on H.P. Lovecraft

Horror and fantasy writer H. P. Lovecraft 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 The name most probably a slight alteration of Kingstown, R.I. Seven years later, Lovecraft described the 1922 impressions of his first experience of Marblehead:

"...the most powerful single emotional climax experienced during my nearly forty years of existence. In a flash all the past of New England—all the past of Old England—all the past of Anglo-Saxondom and the Western World—swept over me and identified me with the stupendous totality of all things in such a way as it never did before and never did again. That was the high tide of my life.".

Lovecraft had it that his recurring character of Randolph Carter, popularly considered an idealized version of Lovecraft himself, grew up in Kingsport. He used Kingsport as a setting for his short stories "The Terrible Old Man" (1920, published 1921), "The Festival" (written 1923, published 1925), and "The Strange High House in the Mist" (1926, published 1931). The poignant conclusion to one of his Randolph Carter stories, the fantasy novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (written c.1926, published posthumously in 1943) takes place here.

Work by other writers

The town appears in the eponymous 1978 Marblehead by Joan Thompson.
Novelist Ben Sherwood set his The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud in Marblehead. The book features the Waterside Cemetery. Location shooting for the 2010 film adaptation starring Zac Efron and Charlie Tahan took place in Vancouver for economic reasons.
Harry Kemelman's Rabbi Small mysteries take place in the fictional town of Barnard's Crossing, a place based on Marblehead. Kemelman lived in Marblehead for 50 years.
Robert B. Parker supposedly based the fictional town of Paradise, in which the Jesse Stone 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.

Contemporary photographs of Marblehead

Seaside view from Fort Sewall
Inside Fort Sewall
Old Town House
Homes on Washington Street
Architectural styles
Rocks
House with flag
Fire station
Dock
Historic home
Harbor view from the causeway

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. A new elementary school is currently being constructed at the site of the former Bell Elementary School.

Notable visitors

Politicians and royalty

President George Washington: 1789, George Washington part of his ten-day presidential visit to Massachusetts
Marquis de Lafayette: 1784, after Revolutionary War was over, Marquis de Lafayette visited to honor General John Glover and to see his friend Elbridge Gerry. Returned in 1824.
President Andrew Jackson: 1830s (rumored)
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.
Mikhail Gorbachev

Celebrities

Lucille Ball: 1947, arrived at Seaside park via helicopter to perform in summer theater series.
Vivian Vance: 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: 1997, for USS Constitution's 200th anniversary
Tallulah Bankhead
Billie Burke: Actress, best known as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, performed in the 1955 Marblehead Summer Theatre Series
Gloria Vanderbilt: Actress, performed at Marblehead High School Auditorium, summer theatre series
Eva Gabor: Actress, performed in summer theatre series
Charles Coburn: Actor, performed in summer theatre series
Ethel Waters: American blues singer, "Stormy Weather", performed in Marblehead in 1955
Sarah Churchill: Actress, Winston Churchill's daughter, performed in summer series

Writers

H. P. Lovecraft 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.