Mission
Marblehead Museum is here to preserve, protect, and promote Marblehead’s past as a means of enriching the present. Marblehead Museum welcomes people of all ages to discover what makes Marblehead extraordinary through innovative learning opportunities. The Museum’s three properties and its preeminent collection serve as the catalysts for programming that connects individuals to the past and present, broadening their perspectives and understanding of Marblehead and the wider world.
History
“A century ago, a group of far-sighted trustees of the Abbot Public Library recognized the need to collect and preserve materials relating to Marblehead and its people. To accomplish this, they formed a private organization that would be continually fostered by a large and active membership and they named it the Historical Society of Marblehead…The 1879 publication of The History and Traditions of Marblehead by Samuel Roads, Jr. reinforced the town’s fierce pride in its history and the need to preserve it.” From presidents to doorkeepers and from fundraising to flower arranging, volunteers have made substantial and subtle contributions to the Marblehead Historical Society. Hundreds of willing workers have responded to its needs bringing their skills and talents to the tasks at hand.”
– from “The Marblehead Historical Society 1898-1998,” by Bette Hunt.
In 2003, the Marblehead Historical Society changed its name to the Marblehead Museum & Historical Society to reflect its museum-quality collection and professional approach to exhibits, research, preservation, and education. The name was simplified in 2013 to Marblehead Museum. The Jeremiah Lee Mansion, the J.O.J. Frost Gallery and Carolyn Lynch Education Center, Marblehead History Archives and the Grand Army of the Republic & Civil War Museum are all part of the Marblehead Museum’s exceptional collection of places, artifacts, documents, and photographs that span centuries of Marblehead history.
The Marblehead Museum is an independent 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization supported solely by membership dues and contributions.