Fishing. Boating. Shoemaking. Partaking in the Revolutionary War. All of these industries were once booming in Marblehead. But I want to write about one less common. The original structure at 18 Sewall St. was destroyed in the fire of 1888, just a few years after being built. Before the fire, it appeared on the 1885 Sanborn Fire Insurance map of Marblehead. There, the … [Read more...] about Historic Building of the Week: 18 Sewall St.
History
Back in time to Jan. 25, 1979
So much for Dry January. It's been a wild, wet month in Massachusetts so far in 2024, with snow, wind, and rain pummeling the coast on what feels like a near-daily basis. In 1979, a late January storm wreaked havoc up and down the coast, giving residents flashbacks to the Blizzard of '78. Flooding cut off the Marblehead Neck at high tide and debris was strewn across the … [Read more...] about Back in time to Jan. 25, 1979
Historic Building of the Week: The world’s narrowest sidewalks
Last month, I hurt my ankle. I was climbing at a rock gym, fell off the wall, and landed horizontally on my typically vertical right ankle. I’ve taken to calling it my “career-ending injury,” despite my climbing career being a figment of my imagination. The issue here is that being a slightly injured recreational indoor climber is my part-time persona. Most of the time, … [Read more...] about Historic Building of the Week: The world’s narrowest sidewalks
Back in time to Jan. 17, 1984
There's just something about the third week of January. As I write this column, I'm staring out at snow-covered streets through my window, admiring the beaming white coating and also maybe looking past the brown slush that has developed on more well-trodden areas. It's winter after all, and we have to stick to the bright side. With snow on the ground, seemingly for the … [Read more...] about Back in time to Jan. 17, 1984
Historic Building of the Week: Capt. Blackler House
I don’t know about you, but the word “Washington” is so ubiquitous that I often forget it’s the last name of our first president. “Washington” pops up everywhere: the State of Washington, Washington D.C., The Washington Post, and of course, the countless number of Washington Streets across the nation. Obviously, the prevalence of Washington’s name is because he was, … [Read more...] about Historic Building of the Week: Capt. Blackler House