Marblehead faded from my memory for some reason over the years and I was only reminded of it while researching my visit to Gloucester - which is just to the north. It was settled by European explorers around the same time as Cape Cod and Cape Ann. The early 1600's. Yes, the settlers displaced native populations that were already there. Those populations were also drastically reduced in number by an epidemic around the same time.
So you see, we are dealing with the same issues we have been, as a country, for almost 400 years.
Marblehead was settled as a fishing village, and its population was known through the Civil War to consist of excellent seamen and shipbuilders. Historians say the sailors of Marblehead were the pre-cursor to the American Navy. The first commissioned U.S. Navy ship was crewed by men from Marblehead. And Marblehead sailors also reportedly helped George Washington cross the Delaware River for the famous raid on Trenton.
Above: Marblehead harbor and lighthouse.
As is the case in much of coastal New England, maritime heritage has been replaced or transformed. Marblehead today is known for pleasure boating. There are six yacht clubs in town and the main harbor, right under the Marblehead lighthouse, is crammed with small boats through the summer months.
Marblehead is adjacent to the town of Salem, known for the Salem Witch Trials. The town center retains the look of a colonial settlement. Narrow streets, with closely built two and three story homes, clad in cedar siding, shakes and shingles.
Ocean Avenue is how you get to the tip of Marblehead and the Marblehead Lighthouse. The causeway skims across the waves and is bordered on one side by Back Beach.
The coastline is rocky. The shore is on the upper side of Massachusetts Bay and is still a favorite spot for fishermen, who line up their poles like colonial cannon early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
© Dean Pagani 2020
Credits:
© Dean Pagani 2020