Isaac Allerton, a Pilgrim from the Mayflower, had arrived in the Marblehead area in 1632 and established a fishing village on the harbor across from Marblehead Neck. Originally called Massebequash after the river which ran between it and Salem, the land was inhabited by the Naumkeag tribe. Marblehead was set off in 1649. The port became important, and many residents were involved in the Revolutionary War. The town began a long decline after the war, and when George Washington visited the town during his presidential tour of 1789, he observed that Marblehead “had the appearance of antiquity.” Fishing continued as a major industry, with 98 vessels putting to sea in 1837.
Read “Marblehead in 1700” by Sidney Perley




