By Chris Randall
Marblehead is special. Our town has contributed so much to American history that it’s nearly impossible to come up with all of the superlatives that we hold. Birthplace of the American Navy, marine aviation, Gerrymandering, the list goes on.
That history is palpable when you take a walk downtown (old town, if you prefer) and can
be heard in the voice of nearly any ‘Header of whom you ask a history question. Town pride is thick. As a community, we have done an excellent job of preserving the historical character of our streets.
But whether we like it or not, things do change. I grew up on Orne Street and spent countless summer days in the ‘80s and ‘90s at Gas House Beach. After many years away, I moved back to Orne Street and I now spend summer days playing on the very same rocks with my daughter, Charlie. I speak from experience when I tell you that change has occurred.
In one generation, Brown’s Island has lost its mussel bed. Starfish and sea urchins have disappeared from the rocks. I’m not sure if there are still clams and seaworms hiding under the rocks on Brown’s, but they’re gone from Gas House. My daughter will grow up to remember an occasional putrid smell in our kitchen at low tide from the seaweed that wasn’t there when I was a kid. She will remember far fewer species in the tide pools. I wonder what will be different in the 2060s?
My father told me that our garage building on Moorchwary Lane flooded in the Blizzard of ‘78 and I believe him, but flooding wasn’t a frequent problem when I was a kid otherwise. That parking area out back has flooded at least a dozen times since I moved home and it’s happened bad enough to flood the garages three or four times.
I’m afraid my daughter will remember that.
Last year, Charlie went to school for the first time. There were several days that fall when the kids were not allowed to go outside for recess because the smoke from the fires in Lynn Woods was so thick that it posed a serious health concern. Thankfully, that did not happen this year. But the trend lines of drought and wildfires are not looking great. I wonder if some day I’ll have a grandchild that goes to school in town and what Charlie will remember about her first weeks and months of school.
Perhaps you think this is all just confirmation bias and unfounded alarmism?
Maybe you believe that the global scientific consensus that climate change is real, man-made, and extremely problematic is just part of some scheme the elites dreamed up to sell more wind turbines? Seems unlikely. My life experience has shown me that climate science is real. It seems obvious to me that we have more change in store for Marblehead and we might not like it. More frequent and severe storms will be damaging for harborside businesses or for the wall at Fort Beach that we just repaired in 2018, not to mention our increasing insurance bills. Who knows, by the time I’m a grandfather, maybe every basement on Franklin Street will be flooding regularly. I sure hope not.
Perhaps we could start to adapt to the impending threat of climate change? As a resident of the historic district, I am not asked to use lead-based paint on my house, even though it would be more historically accurate. I also use electricity to light my front porch instead of lanterns that burn whale oil. I gladly ignore the unsightly fire hydrants and have almost forgotten that the roads were once dirt. As time goes on and science advances, we change our habitat to stay healthy and safe. Maybe EV chargers and heat pumps weren’t around when my father moved to town, but neither was that stinky seaweed. Nobody would question if solar panels on Elbridge Gerry’s house were original, any more than they wonder the same thing about the storm windows on the Old North Church. The double pane windows that are being installed around the neighborhood are far less offensive to me than the lack of sea urchins.
I don’t share a last name with any streets or landmarks in town. I’m a relatively new Marbleheader since my father moved here from Swampscott in the ‘60s. It turns out, though, that my ancestors have been on the North Shore since the mid 1600s; my 10th great-grandmother was accused of witchcraft. When I think about historic preservation, my concern is less about the details of the houses on Washington Street and more about how future Marbleheaders will talk about the town long after I’m gone.
To maintain our town’s character for the long haul, I believe it’s in our best interest to take a generational perspective on preservation by mitigating climate change. I hope it’s clear that I care deeply about the historic character of my neighborhood. I sincerely believe that the best way of preserving our town’s pride is to take small steps to ensure that all of our historic streets remain above sea level in the year 2100 and beyond.
When future generations look at the artifacts of our time, I want them to know that we took their wellbeing seriously, not just our own. Energy efficiency is not diametrically opposed to historic preservation. Rather, it is a critical piece of it. Marblehead is a special place and what makes me lose sleep at night is not that it might change; it has always changed. My worry is about how many future generations will have the chance to enjoy it the way we do.
Even if you do not accept the premise that climate change is likely to harm the historic district, reducing our carbon footprint by electrifying our transportation and choosing energy efficient systems and appliances can also lower our energy bills and improve local air quality. Regardless of how you prioritize reducing your carbon footprint, saving money, preventing childhood asthma or protecting Marblehead’s unique history, making the right choices supports all of these worthy goals and future generations.
Chris Randall is a member of the Sustainable Marblehead board and its Clean Energy and Public Policy Working Group.
