Marblehead Museum

08/30/2026

Local favorite Judy Anderson will return to the Marblehead Museum's JOJ Frost Gallery on Thursday, September 10 for a new talk on Marblehead's Loyalists.

About twelve heads of households held Tory sympathies in Marblehead, the sixth most populous town in British North America. What inspired them to support the Crown over their fellow colonists? Anderson will reveal their motivations, their actions, and their fates. Some of the Loyalists featured in the talk include Robert "King" Hooper, Thomas Robie, Jacob Fowle, and more.

Tickets are available here: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/marbleheadmuseum/items/754149/?full-items=yes

08/30/2026

On in 1830, the town voted to build a 20 foot lighthouse on a rocky point of Marblehead Neck. The lighthouse is pictured here, with the lightkeeper's cottage next to it. The original light was fueled by whale oil, and the lighthouse stood until it was torn down to construct today's Marblehead Light, erected in 1895.

08/29/2026

On in 1776, Glover's Regiment evacuated Washington's army from Long Island after 10 hours of skilled rowing past a British fleet of 10 frigates and 20 gunboats. Read more about the daring escape in this article from the U.S. Naval Institute

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2024/march/john-glover-and-george-washingtons-amphibious-regiment

It was early in the American Revolution—August 1776—and the Americans had driven the British out of Boston to regroup in Canada.

08/27/2026

August is . Many of Marblehead's prominent black citizens in the 18th and 19th Centuries were its business owners. Check out this video below from the Marblehead Racial Justice Team about Joseph and Lucretia Brown, whose tavern near Redd's Pond was the site of celebration, conviviality, and a certain delicious cookie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyYu503-R8Q

This is the first installment in a planned series of historical vig...

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day from the Marblehead Museum

08/26/2026

Happy Birthday to Marblehead’s first influencer!

Born in Marblehead on August 26, 1869, Litchman lived in Marblehead MA his entire life, documenting its historic architecture, coastal scenery, and daily life from the 1890s through World War I. After learning photography through apprenticeships, he opened his own studio on State Street where Maddie’s is today.

He frequently shared his local photographs at public lectures in venues like Abbot Hall and Lyceum Hall. He married Cora Mason in 1902, who was his most frequent photographic subject.

Here at the Marblehead Museum we have over 3,000 of his images.

08/25/2026

Resistance & Resilience: Slavery and Freedom on Marblehead
Permanent Exhibition
Marblehead Museum
Marblehead, Massachusetts
https://marbleheadmuseum.org/

Featuring original documents and artifacts, "Resistance & Resilience: Slavery and Freedom in Marblehead" celebrates the humanity, agency, and contributions of those enslaved in a Colonial seaport community. The exhibit uplifts the lives of enslaved individuals who lived and labored in Marblehead throughout the 18th century, including each person’s quest to forge their own lives despite the conditions forced upon them. It also features the stories of Black soldiers, both enslaved and free, who served during the American Revolution.

Find out more here: https://marbleheadmuseum.org/kitchen-slave-quarters/

[Image: Courtesy of the Marblehead Museum]

08/25/2026

Take a closer look at the Jeremiah Lee Mansion cupola where hundreds of signatures can be seen carved into the walls, banisters, staircase, and railings.

For tour tickets of the Jeremiah Lee Mansion visit MarbleheadMuseum.org

08/22/2026

On in 1845, abolitionist Jonathan Walker spoke in Marblehead. A ship captain, Walker helped fugitive slaves escape in Florida by boat to the Bahamas. On one journey, the ship was intercepted by a pro-slavery crew, and Walker and the former slaves were captured.

Walker was put on trial and as punishment, a United States Marshall branded his hand with the letters SS for Slave Stealer, seen in his period image. Known thereafter as The Man with the Branded Hand, Walker toured New England and told his story to show the brutality of the Southern slave power. Graphic images like Walker's hand were a dramatic way to bring the reality of slavery to Northern shores.

Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society