Historian Pam Peterson’s new book “A Guide to Historic Burial Grounds of Marblehead” will be available for purchase starting May 27. It will be available at the Marblehead Museum and the Abbot Hall gift shop, among other places, as well as online for $24.99.
When describing the book, Peterson said it goes through the 13 burial sites in Marblehead, including large cemeteries and family tombs. The book focuses on many individuals buried in Marblehead like Gen. John Glover, an enslaved woman whose grave is simply marked as “Agnis Negro” and Elisha Story, who took part in the Boston Tea Party.
Peterson was the executive director at the Marblehead Museum for many years, retiring in 2018. She is now the chair of the Marblehead Historical Commission. Peterson is also a longtime member of the Old Burial Hill Oversight Committee and helped to organize the Harris Street Cemeteries Oversight Committee, which was established in 2024.
Her interests in preservation led to a study of Marblehead’s cemeteries. Discovering the stories of ship captains, merchants, ministers, heroes and slaves buried in 13 burial sites throughout Marblehead led to this book.
