Marblehead native and photo collector Dan Dixey is out with his fourth book, just in time for the holiday season.
The book, “Marblehead Facts, History & Old Photos,” is packed with 200 pictures and stories from around town. Photos date back to the 1860s; the stories go back to 1629.
“It’s a fun book,” Dixey told the Current. “It’s got a lot of little things that people will talk about, argue about.”
One example: Dixey, whose family arrived in Marblehead in 1629, explains the difference between a Marbleheader, Header and True Header. (No spoilers here.)
The book begins in 1629 and features photos from the big Marblehead fires in 1877 and 1888, Dixey said.
“There are also some mentions of the older stores that are long gone… like McClain’s Fish Market… and the yacht clubs,” he said. “Big storms, Link Hawkes (famous for moving his barn across Redd’s Pond). There are musters and parades.”
Dixey is an 11th-generation Marbleheader.
He traces his family back to 1629 when they arrived in Salem, which then encompassed Marblehead. He grew up on Reed Street and graduated from Marblehead High School in 1971. He worked in HVAC sales and moved to Maine in 2005. But he comes home to Marblehead frequently.
“Growing up in the town meant a lot to me, especially when I started learning that my family came in 1629 and stuck around,” he said. “That really drew me in.”
Dixey has collected about 5,000 photographs of Marblehead. If you ask him his favorites, he’ll hesitate.
“That’s kind of a tough one,” he said. “Street views, I guess, especially when there are horse-and-buggies in them. You recognize all the buildings, because they’re all still here.”
He also made a documentary about Marblehead’s lobstering history that played to sold-out crowds at the Warwick and Marblehead Museum.
Dixey said he has an idea for his fifth book but isn’t sharing it just yet. He has 47 boxes of “Marblehead Facts, History & Old Photos” in his living room to sell first. (He had to carry them into his house by himself.)
To learn more about “Marblehead Facts, History & Old Photos,” visit marbleheadimages.com/books. The book will also be available in local retail stores.
