Once a hot bed of anti-slavery activity, Marblehead hosted one of America’s most recognizable faces of the abolitionist movement, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), on at least two occasions, in 1844 and 1847 (click the link to learn more). William Lloyd Garrison’s Liberator newspaper advertised one of the events in Marblehead Douglass attended, an Essex County Anti-Slavery Society meeting on November 4, 1844.
Below are reminiscences of Douglass and his speeches at the Old Town House and the now demolished Lyceum Hall. Most of these memories were published by locals in the Marblehead Messenger after Douglass’ death in 1895.
You can still visit the Old Town House and walk the same boards Douglass trod and imagine listening to the tall, stately orator speak about one of the most divisive issues this country has ever faced.
Full texts of the newspaper articles at the bottom of the page.
Douglass Remembers Marblehead
The town must have made an impression because almost forty years later, Douglass remembered his experiences in Marblehead.
Marblehead Messenger. May 3, 1889. http://marbleheadpl.advantage-preservation.com/. Accessed 2.4.2021.
Click to enlarge. 
Click to enlarge. 
Click to enlarge.
Marblehead Messenger. Left to Right: March 1, 1895, page 2; March 8, 1895, page 2; March 22, 1895, page 2. http://marbleheadpl.advantage-preservation.com/. Accessed 2.4.2021.