Salem to Marblehead

We made the very short passage from Salem to Marblehead - 4 miles in less than one hour. We secured a Boston Yacht Club mooring ball. The Boston Yacht Club operates out of it facilities in Marblehead. The clubhouse in Boston no longer exists. This is the sesquicentennial of the founding of the club in 1866. Of the more than 2,000 yachts moored in Marblehead harbor. 400 belong to members of the Boston Yacht Club. Several other yacht clubs call Marblehead home.

Marblehead Harbor - Low Tide

About 1000 we headed into Marblehead to explore the town. It was a great day for a walking tour in this historic city. Marblehead has the largest number of pre-American Revolution buildings in the United States. Most of these structures were the homes of colonial middle-class merchants and craftsmen. Strict zoning regulations help preserve the outward appearance of these buildings. Marblehead is much more enjoyable than the Annapolis historic district as there is much less traffic, a slower pace and a more relaxed atmosphere. Marblehead is a bedroom community rather than a seat of government and commercial hub like Annapolis.

Foreign Affair and Marblehead Light

Our first stop was Abbot Hall which was built in 1876 and serves as Marblehead's town hall and contains artifacts and artworks associated with the city.  The most famous of these is the painting, The Spirit of '76, by Archibald Willard. The original deed to Marblehead from the local Indian tribe dated 1684 is also on display along with documents signed by George Washington, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere.

General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River to defeat the Hessians  in Trenton, New Jersey during Christmas, 1776 was possible due to the efforts of the Marblehead Regiment consisting of fishermen and sailors from Marblehead who manned the transports ferrying American troops across the Delaware River. Marblehead claims to be the birthplace of the American Navy as George Washington requested and was provided naval support from Marblehead vessels. It is also the official birthplace of US Marine Corps aviation. Amphibious planes were built and stationed in Marblehead harbor as early as 1912. The city museum in Abbott Hall was a great place to start to get a basic understanding of the many roles this community played throughout our nation's history.

Our next stop was the Lee House which was built in 1743 and expanded in 1771. It is one of the finest examples of Georgian-style architecture in the country. Period furniture decorates the rooms and most remarkable is the wallpaper which is original to the house. The Lee family made their fortune prior to the American Revolution through world-wide trade and at one time owned full or partial ownership in 40 merchant vessels. The family was ardent supporters of the revolution and much of their wealth went to cover expenses associated with the war effort. The war ruined Marblehead's economy and a large number of the men of who volunteered to serve during the war died and left many widows and children in poverty.

Lee House - Marblehead

We stopped at several art galleries to view works on exhibit. We competed our walking tour at Fort Sewall which is now a city park. The first fort built on this site was completed in 1644. It was an earthen barrier and magazines constructed to protect the town from attack by the French during the French and Indian Wars. The fort was improved upon and manned by local militia during the American Revolution. During the War of 1812, the fort helped save the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides" from defeat by a squadron of English warships. The Constitution was being pursued by the English and with the help of Marblehead sailors on-board who were familiar with the local waters, the Constitution was able to pass through the shoals and islands off Marblehead and enter the harbor which was protected by the fort. The English realized they were no match for both the guns of the fort and the Constitution and eventually sailed away.

We returned to the Boston Yacht Club to catch the launch to Foreign Affair which was moored only a few hundred yards from Fort Sewall. We sat in our cockpit watching the boats traveling in and out of the harbor while we enjoyed our sun-downers and listened to music. The moon came up appearing very large and colored a bright orange as the sun went down. Five yacht clubs in the harbor fired their cannons in succession to mark the end of the day. (We learned, they like firing cannon at sundown in New England.)