Local History - Marblehead Current

MARBLEHEAD CHRONICLES: The town has its own Cinderella story

31May

By Pam PetersonNo Comments

Local History, Opinion, Top Stories, Uncategorized

MARBLEHEAD CHRONICLES: The town has its own Cinderella story

The story of Cinderella is well known. A poor but good and beautiful young woman lives in humble surroundings, forced to work hard to earn her living. She meets a handsome Prince Charming who falls in love and rescues her. The Marblehead story has many similar aspects, but who was rescued is something of a twist. Marblehead’s Cinderella was a strong woman who loved her Prince Charming despite society’s censure, and in the end, it was she who saved him. She was rewarded with respectability and finally received the regard she had earned. Early in the 18th century, a wealthy young Englishman of noble birth came to Marblehead. His name was Sir Harry Frankland. He was heir to a title and lands in England. He was also a proud and sometimes rambunctious young fellow. His family had arranged f...

Honoring veterans: Check out Memorial Day activities in town

27May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Local History, Local News, Municipal Matters, Public safety, Top Stories

Honoring veterans: Check out Memorial Day activities in town

The town has several Memorial Day weekend activities planned, beginning with a traditional veterans breakfast and culminating with a parade and wreath-laying ceremony. The veterans breakfast, sponsored by the Masons, was held at the Council on Aging on Friday, May 26. On Saturday, the public placed flags on the graves of veterans at Waterside Cemetery, according to Veterans Agent Dave Rodgers. On Sunday at 1 p.m., the VFW will hold a public veterans service at Star of the Sea Cemetery. Then on Monday, all veterans are invited to muster at the Old Town House at 7:45 a.m. and walk together to State Street Landing. “There’s a brief service there to honor the men and women who lost their lives at sea in the wars, including Merchant Marines,” Rodgers said. “We throw flowers ...

The Dixey Collection: Here comes the honey wagon

26May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local History, Local News

The Dixey Collection: Here comes the honey wagon

The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer and historian Dan Dixey, who regularly shares photos of Marblehead from his extensive collection, along with information about each shot. The B.F. Martin Jr. cesspool pumper, known as the honey wagon, makes its rounds at Green Street and Lincoln Avenue circa 1912. This photo is from the original glass negative taken by photographer Fred Litchman. Litchman snapped photos in Marblehead from the 1890s through the 1940s.

Paranormal investigators lead ghost hunts in Lee Mansion

25May

By Chris StevensNo Comments

Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories

Paranormal investigators lead ghost hunts in Lee Mansion

To paraphrase singer-songwriter John Haitt, I thought the Jeremiah Lee Mansion was haunted but no one ever said boo to me … but there were other signs when Boston Paranormal Investigators took participants through the 250-plus year-old building on a ghost hunt. Some years ago, Margaret Warner worked as a secretary in the Jeremiah Lee Mansion for one summer. She said she never felt or saw anything ghostly there but docents, at the time, knew people who had seen things. Pat Kuzbida, left, and Nan Dumas give the dowsing rods a try in Martha Lee's bedroom during Boston Paranormal Investigators Ghost Hunt at the Jeremiah Lee Mansion on May 19. CURRENT PHOTO / CHRIS STEVENS “And I always wondered,” she said. It was that curiosity that brought her and her two daughters, Meghan Warner...

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets May 17-24

17May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Culture, Entertainment, Life Style, Local History, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories, Views & Reviews

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets May 17-24

Welcome to our new feature, Current Events, spotlighting exciting happenings in the coming week. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current associate editor/senior reporter Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org. Go behind the scenes with ‘Gatsby’May 17, 6:30 p.m. In conjunction with Marblehead Little Theatre’s world premiere of “The Great Gatsby: An American Musical,” which premieres June 23, Abbot Library will host a lively discussion with two of the show’s creators: Fred Anthony Marco and Doug Hill, both of Marblehead. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” has long been considered one of America’s great novels. Come learn about the artistic process of turning a literary classic into a new, original musical. Learn more at abbotlib...

15May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Business, Local History, Local News

THE DIXEY COLLECTION: Today’s special

The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer and historian Dan Dixey, who regularly shares photos of Marblehead from his extensive collection, along with information about each shot. “This is a photo of the old Lockerbie’s restaurant on Darling Street,” said Dixey. “It was taken May 4, 1973, by Harry Wilkinson. Aiken Brothers Restaurant was there much earlier (1898). Later, Rinaldo’s started in that location and then moved to Village Plaza before closing for good.”

Marblehead Rotary Club unveils community clock, celebrates centennial

12May

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories

Marblehead Rotary Club unveils community clock, celebrates centennial

In front of a crowd gathered across from the National Grand Bank, the Rotary Club of Marblehead unveiled a community clock in celebration of its centennial anniversary on May 11. A Pleasant Street crowd celebrates the unveiling of the Rotary Club of Marblehead’s community clock on Thursday, May 11. CURRENT PHOTOS / NICOLE GOODHUE BOYD "In today's world, clocks are integral to everything we do from work to school to sleep. Humans have been regulated by some form of the clock for ages," said Nancy Gwin, the Rotary Club of Marblehead’s co-president, to the crowd surrounding the clock. "This [clock] is the perfect symbol to commemorate our Marblehead Rotary Club’s 100 years of service to our community, to the youth of Marblehead, to our international projects. We hope that these ...

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: ‘One beautiful day after another’

5May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local History, Local News, Top Stories

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: ‘One beautiful day after another’

MHS football legend Charlie Gilligan reminisces with the Current . COURTESY PHOTO Name: Charlie Gilligan Age: 85Place of birth: PeabodyWhat is your fondest childhood memory? Growing up in Marblehead with a bunch of guys. We had so much fun, with so little meanness in life. We built forts in the woods. We played on the beach. We played all kinds of games. We did a lot of swimming, out to Pig Rock. It was one beautiful day after another. I felt the same way about the school system. The teachers I had going through Marblehead — at the Glover School, Marblehead Junior High and the high school were always very compassionate and caring people. How long did you live in Marblehead? I lived in Marblehead from the time I was four years old until the end of my 30...

22Apr

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local History, Local News

The Dixey Collection: Barn on the move

The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer and historian Dan Dixey, who regularly shares photos of Marblehead from his extensive collection, along with information about each shot. “Linc Hawkes moved this barn from one side of Redd’s Pond to the other, where it still sits, in this 1965. This 35mm slide was taken by Harry Wilkinson,” Dixey said.

National Endowment for the Humanities awards Marblehead Museum $40K grant

19Apr

By Submitted ContentNo Comments

Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories

National Endowment for the Humanities awards Marblehead Museum $40K grant

Marblehead Museum announced that it has received an Historic Places Planning Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Public Humanities Projects program. This $40,000 grant will help fund exhibit planning in the museum’s newly-acquired kitchen and slave quarters of the Jeremiah Lee estate. The exhibits will share the largely unknown stories of the lives and experiences of the enslaved people of Marblehead and the maritime communities of the North Shore. In 2021, the Marblehead Museum purchased the 1766 brick building adjacent to its magnificent Jeremiah Lee Mansion.COURTESY PHOTO / MARBLEHEAD MUSEUM The project will also include a reinterpretation of the Jeremiah Lee Mansion and estate to incorporate the experiences of all those who lived and worked on the property duri...