Marblehead, Massachusetts
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Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 20,377. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. A renowned yachting resort, Marblehead includes the unincorporated community of Clifton.
History
Marblehead was first settled with Salem in 1629, but was set off and incorporated in 1649. It was named by settlers who mistook granite ledges for marble. The town began as a fishing village that grew up from the water's edge. The shoreline smelled of fish drying, which would then be exported abroad and to Salem. The town hit an early economic peak just prior to the American Revolution, as locally financed privateering vessels pirated the seas for the bounty of large European vessels. Much early architecture survives from the era, including the Jeremiah Lee Mansion.A large percentage of the town became involved early in the fight for American freedom, and the sailors of Marblehead, under General John Glover, are generally recognized by scholars as the forerunners of the American Navy. The first vessel commissioned for the navy, the Hannah, was equipped with cannons, rope, provision (including the "Joe Frogger" molasses/sea water cookie) -- and a crew from Marblehead. However, many that set out for war did not return; and so, by the revolution's end, the town had lost a substantial portion of its population and economy.
Since the late 1800s, the town experienced a short-term industrial boom from shoe-making factories. At the same time, Marblehead's exceptional harbor also attracted yachting and yacht clubs. Indeed, the community became home to the Boston Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club and Eastern Yacht Club, transforming the old fishing village to into a sailing capitol.
Notable Inhabitants:
- Uriel Crocker, publisher & businessman
- Elbridge Gerry, politician
- John Glover, Revolutionary War general
- Tyler Hamilton, cyclist
- Ted Hood, yachtsman & America's Cup winner
- Joseph Story, Supreme Court justice
- Harry Kemelman, novelist
- Abbot Hall (1877), containing Willard's The Spirit of '76
- [Fort Sewall] (1644)
- [Frost Folk Art Museum]
- [G.A.R. & Civil War Museum]
- King Hooper Mansion (1768)
- [Jeremiah Lee Mansion] (1768)
Geography
Marblehead is located at (42.497146, -70.863236)[Geographic references#1GR1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 50.8 km² (19.6 mi²). 11.7 km² (4.5 mi²) of it is land and 39.1 km² (15.1 mi²) of it (76.92%) is water. Marblehead is situated on Massachusetts Bay and Salem Bay. The town is comprised of a rocky peninsula that extends into the Atlantic Ocean, with a neck of land connected by a long sandbar. This ring of land defines Marblehead's deep, sheltered harbor.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 20,377 people, 8,541 households, and 5,679 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,736.8/km² (4,498.9/mi²). There were 8,906 housing units at an average density of 759.1/km² (1,966.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.56% White, 0.44% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Only Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 8,541 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $73,968, and the median income for a family was $99,892. Males had a median income of $70,470 versus $44,988 for females. The per capita income for the town was $46,738. About 3.2% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
Trivia
Excluding those on Cape Cod, Marblehead is one of the easternmost towns in Massachusetts. As such, it receives the first rays of morning sun. This is the origin of the Boston slang phrase, "Light dawns over Marblehead" -- a double entendre signifying the moment when a dullard (marble head) finally comprehends.
Movies filmed in Marblehead iinclude:
- Autumn Heart (2000)
- Hocus Pocus (1993)
- Moonlight Mile (2002)
- Treading Water (2001)
- The Good Son (1993)
Harry Kemelman wrote a series of mystery novels around a character, "Rabbi Small", who solves various murder cases in a town very similar to Marblehead, nicknamed "Barnard's Crossing". Kemelman lived in Marblehead for 50 years.
Points of interest
- Crocker Park, the gift of Uriel Crocker
- Crowninshield Island
- Devereaux Beach
- Herreshoff Castle
- [Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary]
External links
- [Town of Marblehead]
- [Abbot Public Library]
- [Marblehead.com]
- [Marblehead Museum & Historical Society]
- [Marblehead Racing Association]
- [Marblehead Reporter]
- [Symphony by the Sea]
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