Marblehead MA History

M. A. Pickett Building // 1902

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The M. A. Pickett Building on Washington Street in Marblehead is a spectacular example of a commercial building of the early 20th century designed in the Colonial Revival style. The building was designed in 1902 by the firm of Peare & Quiner, who worked mostly in the North Shore of Massachusetts and funded by members of the M.A. Pickett Association, a fraternal organization founded in the late 19th century and named after Moses A. Pickett (1780-1853), who left his entire will to: “comfort the widow and the fatherless, the aged, the sick, and the unhappy”, also donating his home to the use and funding for its preservation. In 1866, a hand-drawn fire engine named after M. A. Pickett, was used by a group of volunteer firefighters, who later would create the club named after Mr. Pickett. The building originally held a barber shop and a creamery on the ground floor with a meeting hall and billiards room above for members of the Pickett Association. Today, the building is lovingly maintained, including the three stunning Palladian windows at the third floor.

Cloon Stores // c.1880

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Washington Street in Marblehead is lined with dozens of amazing old homes, civic, and commercial buildings, that serves as the “downtown” spine of the old village. Located at the corner of Washington and State streets, this handsome late-Victorian commercial block serves as an important contributing building to the character of Marblehead. The structure was built around 1880 for a member of the Sparhawk Family, who operated the building as a factory or store for their shoe manufacturing. By the 1890s, the building was owned by Horace Cloon and Samuel G. Cloon, who operated a hardware store from the ground floor and leased the upper floor as apartments. The block retains its original bracketed cornice over the storefronts, but the brackets at the upper cornice are no longer extant. 

Captain Knott Martin House // 1770

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This gambrel-roofed Georgian house on Franklin Street in Marblehead was built before the American Revolution for Mr. Henry Lane, a sailmaker, but is best-known as being the home to Captain Knott V. Martin. Knott Martin (1820-1898) was born in town as was descendants from early settlers of Marblehead, and after attending local schools, became a shoemaker beginning at the age of just thirteen. After over a decade as a shoemaker, he began a butchershop and had a slaughterhouse to the rear of his property. When the Civil War broke out, Captain Knott was among the first to reach Faneuil Hall to begin duty. A Boston Globe article from 1918 detailed his finding out of the war, “Late in the afternoon of April 15, 1861, Lieut. Col. Hinks of the 8th Mass. Regiment rode into Marblehead to notify the Commanders to be ready to take the first train, the following morning to answer President Lincoln’s call for troops… I found Captain Martin in his slaughter house, with the carcass of a hog, just killed. On communication to the Captain my orders, I advised him to immediately cause the bells of the town to be rung, and to get all the recruits he could. Taking his coat from a peg… with his arms stained with blood and his shirt sleeves but half rolled down, he exclaimed, ‘Damn the hog!” In a battle at New Bern he was wounded by a spent cannonball and lost eight inches from the main bone of his right leg, becoming permanently disabled. Following his discharge from the War he was elected a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives serving in that capacity during 1866 and 1867.  He was then appointed Messenger to the House of Representatives for two more years. In May 1869 he was appointed Postmaster in Marblehead, a position he held until he retired on May 16, 1885. Knott Vickery Martin died at his home in 1898, but it has been lovingly preserved ever-since.

Knight-Tutt House // c.1750

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The Knight-Tutt House on Franklin Street in downtown Marblehead, Massachusetts, is a great example of a pre-Revolutionary Georgian home built for the working class. The house, like its neighbor, has a three-bay, side-hall facade with a large, central chimney. The residence was built around 1750 for William Knight (1722-1799), who worked as a shoreman, loading and unloading the many ships that docked in Marblehead harbor. By 1850, the house was jointly owned by an F. Bateman and William Russell Tutt, a shoemaker. The residence remains one of a large number of well-preserved Colonial homes in the town of Marblehead, a testament to preservation planning and its effect on streetscapes and vibrant communities.

Russell-Goodwin House // c.1750

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Marblehead is one of the oldest towns in America, first settled by colonists in 1629 and incorporated twenty years later. For the following decades, the coastal community grew, and was even one of the ten largest towns and cities in the colonies in 1790! From this history, the town has worked to preserve the unique character and walkable warren of narrow streets, that makes the town feel so charming and a great place to visit. There are dozens of pre-Revolution houses in Marblehead’s downtown area, including this side-hall Georgian house on Franklin Street, with a neighboring “sister house”. The residence dates to about 1750 and was occupied early on by Richard Russell, who according to the house plaque, was a fisherman. Later, in 1850, the house was occupied by John Goodwin Jr., who fought in the Civil War, and ultimately lost his life in the Battle of Roanoke Island, on February 8, 1862, when he was killed when he was struck in the chest by a cannonball. After his death, local Marblehead veterans established the G.A.R. Hall, John Goodwin Jr. Post 82 in his honor. The Russell-Goodwin House remains one of the many charming Colonial-era houses in Marblehead’s walkable village, telling a story of the generations of families who made this coastal community home.

Reverend John Barnard House // 1717

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John Barnard (1681-1770) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and received his degrees from Harvard in 1700 and 1703, reading theology under Cotton Mather. After graduating, he was appointed one of the five chaplains for the expedition against Port-Royal, a French-colonized settlement in present-day Nova Scotia. After time in Barbados and England, Barnard was ordained by the Marblehead Congregational church on in July 1716, and served that church for the rest of his life. Upon arriving to Marblehead, he had this Georgian residence built on Franklin Street, completed by 1717. The house is said to be one of the first Georgian facades in the town, showcasing Reverend Barnard’s standing in the community and knowledge of English Georgian residences across the ocean. The early Georgian house exhibits a gambrel roof, nearly symmetrical facade with center hall plan, and high ceilings inside for its time. The house was converted into condominiums in 1988 and has retained its historic appearance, at least at the exterior, ever since.

Woodward Abrahams House // c.1768

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This Georgian-era Colonial home in Marblehead, Massachusetts was built around 1768 by Woodward Abrahams, who was appointed deputy postmaster in Marblehead ten years prior by Benjamin Franklin. Abrahams was one of the seven listed “Tories” mentioned in a town meeting of 1777, which were more loyal to the British crown than the colonies. After the war, he attempted to restore his political favor, which he did over decades, later being renamed a postmaster in 1797. The old Abrahams house was later owned by Thomas Tucker, who ran a dry goods business. In 1881, he converted the first floor to commercial space, giving the house its appearance we see today.

Homan-Devereaux House // 1764

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In 1764, Joseph Homan, a wealthy merchant, built this house on a lot that was formerly a “mowing field” in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The Georgian style home is of a more elaborate design, showcasing Mr. Homan’s wealth at the time. His wealth was not all acquired ethically, however. Joseph Homan was engaged in international trade, and enslaved Africans at his Marblehead home. In the Boston Daily Newsletters in September 1770, Homan posted a notice that Jack, one of his enslaved humans escaped. It read: “At Night, a Negro Man, named Jack, about 6 feet high, near 50 years of age, speaks bad English, and Born in Martinico [Martinique]; had on when he went away, a blue Coat with Mohair Buttons, a blue Jacket with black Glass Buttons, blue Breeches with white metal Buttons, and a red worsted Cap, but may have changed his Cloaths [sic], as he had more at Beverly.-Whoever shall take up said Negro, and deliver him to Mr. Brown, Deputy-Sheriff, in Salem, shall have Two Dollars Reward, and all necessary Charges paid them. All Masters of Vessels, and others, are cautioned against carrying said Negro off, as they would avoid the Penalty of the Law.” Homan would later sell the property to Elbridge Gerry, who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison, and who Gerrymandering is named after. Gerry gifted the house to his sister Elizabeth, who married Burrell Devereaux a year later. Burrell was a sea captain that later was a privateer.

Grader Block // 1885

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Commercial districts and Main Streets in historic New England towns are full of amazing architecture that is meant for pedestrians. Strolling through these areas, the varied styles, materials, storefronts, and signage provides a sense of artistry and community that is impossible to achieve in suburban strip-malls and shopping centers. Historic buildings serve not only as visible anchors to communities, but are more often occupied by local, women, and/or minority-owned businesses compared to modern buildings and districts. Marblehead has many historic (sometimes Revolutionary-era) buildings that are commercial and contribute so much to the town’s vibrancy. This building was constructed in 1885 as a high-style Italian Renaissance Revival style commercial block, replacing a late 18th or early 19th century building. The Grader Block features a rounded corner, scored siding to resemble ashlar masonry construction, and Classically inspired design features like pilasters and pediments. Today, the storefronts are occupied by local small businesses.

Franklin Street Fire Station // 1886

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When your town grows organically without zoning, fire prevention becomes even more important to the preservation and protection of the town. Before paid firemen worked for the town, volunteers would either be stationed or rush to the aid of those in trouble via these neighborhood stations. The Franklin Street Firehouse in Marblehead, Massachusetts, was constructed in 1886 by local contractors Ramsdell Brothers replacing the former on the same site with plans drawn by Nathan P. Sanborn. The station was built to house a horse-drawn handtub and the horses were stabled nearby. The wood-frame structure blends Second Empire and Stick style detailing elegantly and is one of my favorite old buildings in Marblehead.