Photo Credit: Katie Ring Photography
Moved inside the Lee Mansion due to rain and wind.
Saturday, May 30th
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Jeremiah Lee Mansion Gardens
Members: $10 per Person / $25 per Family
Non-Members: $15 per Person / $40 per Family
Ages 3 & Under: FREE
Step back into the sights, sounds, and even the smells of colonial New England at the 3rd Annual Colonial Craft Fair, hosted by Marblehead Museum in the beautiful gardens of the Jeremiah Lee Mansion. This lively outdoor event brings history to life as skilled artisans and historic interpreters demonstrate the trades and traditions that shaped Marblehead and the wider region. Stroll the grounds, meet members of Glover’s Marblehead Regiment, and see 18th-century recipes come to life with a culinary historian—offering a vivid glimpse into everyday life in early New England.
Throughout the day, visitors can watch a remarkable range of traditional crafts in action. Meet a mantuamaker demonstrating the art of 18th-century dressmaking, a cabinetmaker shaping fine furniture by hand, and a leatherworker practicing techniques once essential to daily life and maritime communities. Learn how candles were made with a traditional chandler, explore the tools and skills of a master gunsmith, and see a master tinsmith at work. Discover how rope was formed for shipboard use, how flax was processed into fiber, and how basketry and tape-loom weaving supported households and trade alike. You can also observe the delicate process of copperplate engraving and printing—an essential craft in the world of early books and images.
It’s a day of hands-on history, learning, and discovery for visitors of all ages—an opportunity to experience the ingenuity, resourcefulness, and artistry that built early New England, and to meet the dedicated craftspeople who keep these remarkable traditions alive today.
Colonial Craft Fair at Lee Mansion Garden from MHTV – Marblehead TV on Vimeo.
Your Support Matters
The Colonial Craft Fair supports Marblehead Museum’s public and educational programming. A 501c3 non-profit, the Museum’s mission is 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 four 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.
——–⋅♦⋅—-⋅◊⋅—-⋅♦⋅——–
Are you able to help support the Marblehead Museum and skilled New England artisan in preserving and exhibiting historic trades and crafts? We welcome both individuals and businesses to sponsor this exciting event!
CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO DONATE VIA PAYPAL OR CREDIT CARD
Our Generous Sponsors
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
https://davebruettinsurance.com/
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
Atlantic Veterinary Hospital
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
Caponigro Construction
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
Essex Alarm & Security
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
Paradise Dental Associates
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
The Salem Witch Museum
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
Tri-City Sales
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
Weaver Orthodontics
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—
Witch City Walking Tours
—⋅♦⋅-⋅◊⋅-⋅♦⋅—