National Register of Historic Places

Marblehead Historic District

Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts
Listed
January 10, 1984
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
84002402

About this property

The Marblehead Historic District is a 2,300-acre (930 ha) historic district roughly bounded by Marblehead Harbor, Waldron Court, Essex, Elm, Pond, and Norman Streets in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Among its notable features are Fort Sewall, a coastal fortification with origins dating to 1644, and two National Historic Landmarks, the General John Glover House, the Jeremiah Lee Mansion, and the Simon Bradstreet House. The district includes 988 contributing buildings and features Georgian, Federal, Queen Anne, and other styles of architecture. The area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It includes some buildings from the 1600s and about 200 houses in total that were built before the American Revolution. The National Register nomination notes that "the extraordinarily well preserved historic character of the Marblehead Historic District can be attributed to a number of factors: a deep sense of history and pride in the community; hilly terrain and historical building patterns which discourage a major thoroughfare; vigilant fire protection; and increasing preservation awareness and efforts." Some of the district was protected by creation of two local historic districts in 1968 by the town of Marblehead under the Massachusetts General Court Historic District Act, the Gingerbread Hill and the Old Town historic districts. These districts, if not the entire Marblehead Historic District, are administered by the Old and Historic Districts Commission, which governs on proposed changes to within-district structures.

Location

Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts
42.50775, -70.84659

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCEMILITARYEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTLAWPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTUREMARITIME HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Marblehead Historic District

This page lists Marblehead Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Glover, Gen. John, House
Colonial
0.2 mi
Old Town House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Fort Sewall
Early Republic
0.3 mi
St. Michael's Church
Industrial
0.3 mi
Lee, Jeremiah, House
Colonial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

USS Chesapeake vs. HMS Shannon
1813Early Republic
10.9 mi
Action at Hog Island
1775Revolutionary War
11.7 mi
Battle of Gloucester (Massachusetts, 1775)
1775Revolutionary War
12 mi
Bombardment of Gloucester 1775
1775Revolutionary War
12 mi
Raid on Gloucester (Cape Ann)
1775Revolutionary War
12 mi

Questions about this property

When was Marblehead Historic District listed on the National Register?

Marblehead Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Marblehead Historic District?

Marblehead Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Marblehead Historic District?

The period of significance for Marblehead Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Marblehead Historic District?

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