Sally Sands sat in the living room of the house she grew up in, with a Revolutionary War musket guarding the fireplace, a model ship sitting in a display case, and a portrait of George Washington gazing over her shoulder, while she vividly described her experiences growing up in Marblehead in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Her parents bought the Historic District home in 1947 after her dad returned from World War II, and Sands eventually returned when she started her own family. The many historical objects around the house remind a visitor of our town’s interesting past, and are a not so subtle indication of Sands’ intimate connection with Marblehead history. She traces her Marblehead heritage back to 1660. She spoke with the Current about what it was like to grow up in Marblehead, how the town has changed and how it shaped her life.
“As kids, we had a lot more freedom back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and it was a pretty magical childhood,” she recalled. “Every day was a new adventure. We swam, we fished, we hung out at Redd’s Pond and we had all of the simple pleasures of life. Marblehead was not always a wealthy town, a lot of my friends and classmates were the sons and daughters of hardworking fishermen and boatbuilders.”
Boating and spending time out on the harbor was a central part of growing up in Marblehead, and Sands and many other kids drove Boston Whalers around as early as 10 years old.
She grew up during a time of social upheaval in our country, some of which was felt here in town.
“We were in high school in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and that was a time when things weren’t going well nationwide with the Vietnam War,” remembered Sands. “I knew some people that had older brothers that served, and a couple in particular didn’t come back. It was a very difficult time.”
Over the years, Sands has noticed how Marblehead has not only changed physically, but
behaviorally as well. She spoke about how Marblehead has grown much larger and wealthier, but many people don’t appreciate the rich history of the town as much as they should.
“It’s certainly gotten a lot more crowded, we built on pretty much every square inch we have, but that’s not a bad thing,” said Sands. “I think that the town has probably more people in it now that didn’t grow up in Marblehead than people who did. People have moved here because of the beautiful town that it is and the popularity of it, but I don’t think they care about the history of the town.”
Sands believes that preserving and understanding the history of Marblehead is a duty that all Marbleheaders should take seriously, and she encouraged young people around town to take some time to learn more about it.
“Wander around and talk to people about Marblehead history, and go into places you haven’t been,” said Sands. “There’s a lot of young people that haven’t really looked at the history of the town, so get a sense of how important this little old fishing town was to world events, and you can’t fully appreciate Marblehead unless you take the time to do that.”
Sands has also noticed how people’s attitudes have changed, not only in Marblehead, but in society as a whole.
“People don’t trust each other, they don’t trust the government, they don’t trust the people with leadership positions in the town, and these are volunteers that live among us,” said Sands. “There’s less tolerance for people who are different and less tolerance for people with different views.”
Sands attended Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire after graduating from Marblehead High School, and eventually returned to Marblehead to teach preschool at the Old North Church. Now she teaches Nature Preschool at Mass Audubon.
Sands thinks that everyone has gotten too busy these days, and that sometimes they don’t even stop to look around and appreciate the beautiful town they live in.
“Take a break from social media every so often and go up to Fort Sewall and sit on a bench, and just enjoy the breeze and watch the boats and take life a little easier,” said Sands when asked what advice she would give to young people. “Everyone’s moving so fast and running around these days, so take the time to appreciate this town.”
