Jeremiah Lee's Brick Kitchen & Slave Quarters
Now On Display (opening June 1st):
RESISTANCE & RESILIENCE: SLAVERY AND FREEDOM IN MARBLEHEAD
Explore the hidden histories of the North Shore
Featuring original documents and artifacts, “Resistance & Resilience” celebrates the humanity, agency, and contributions of those enslaved in a Colonial seaport community. Located in one of only three surviving detached slave quarters owned by a historic site in New England.
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm, March through December 24th (closed Thanksgiving Weekend).
Admission by donation.
The Mansion’s original multi-purpose out-building. Acquired in 2021 and now restored, the Brick Kitchen houses an exhibit gallery on the first floor and the Standley Goodwin Research Center and Museum offices on the second floor.
A Story Long Overlooked
Located adjacent to the Jeremiah Lee Mansion, this brick building is one of only three surviving detached slave quarters owned by a museum in all of New England. Its restoration is a $1.4 million effort to honor the lives of those who worked and lived here — and to tell a part of colonial history that has long gone untold.
The Building
Built in the 1760s as part of Jeremiah Lee’s estate, the brick kitchen served as the hub of domestic labor in the Lee household — both hired and enslaved. The building functioned as a kitchen, carriage house, and living quarters for enslaved individuals on the property.
According to tax records, three enslaved people were on the property during Lee’s tenure. The exact roles and daily lives of these individuals are still being researched by the Museum’s historians to build the most complete and accurate interpretation possible.
The Restoration
The Marblehead Museum acquired the building in April 2021 with the help of a donation from Standley Goodwin and support from Pat Lausier and National Grand Bank. Unforeseen structural issues required a substantially increased budget, but the project stayed on course.
The ground floor contains an exhibit detailing the stories of those enslaved on site and of the history of enslavement in Marblehead. The building’s second floor houses the museum’s archival materials, preserving the research that supports these stories for future generations.
History of the Building
The brick kitchen is built as part of Jeremiah Lee’s estate on Washington Street, serving as the center of domestic labor for the household.
Jeremiah Lee dies. Three enslaved individuals were on his property at the time of his death. Whether they lived in the Mansion or this adjacent building remains under research.
Lee’s estate is declared bankrupt and its assets liquidated. The building changes hands multiple times over the following decades.
The brick building goes up for auction after the Marblehead Bank ceases operations.
Photographer Fred Litchman purchases the building and transforms it into his studio and shop, eventually becoming the Litchman-Orne Print Shop.
The Marblehead Museum acquires the building, completing the restoration of Lee’s original 1768 property.
The $1.4 million restoration is celebrated at the Brick Kitchen Gala, with approximately 200 guests honoring donors, contractors, and the building committee.
The Brick Kitchen & Slave Quarters opens to the public featuring its inaugural exhibit, “Resistance and Resilience: Slavery and Freedom in Marblehead,” which tells the stories of the free and enslaved African-descended individuals in Colonial Marblehead.
Help Us Tell This Story
Your donation supports the preservation of this important piece of American history and ensures that the stories of those who lived and worked here are told for generations to come.
Land Acknowledgement
We recognize that this land was home to the Naumkeag band of the Massachusett/Pawtucket Tribes. The Marblehead Museum is committed to incorporating the study and dissemination of this land’s Native History into its mission.