Marblehead City Map Poster

About Marblehead

Marblehead is one of two towns mentioned in the song "Shadrack" by Robert Johnson. The other town is Melville, Massachusetts. The first European settler was Joseph Doliber in 1629; early settlers included Englishmen and Africans (some of whom were slaves). It was home to America's first African Meeting House, founded in 1773 by Prince Hall and others as the First African Church for former slaves seeking refuge from persecution following British emancipation of enslaved Africans on August 1, 1834. A significant portion of the population today is descended from these free men and women. The town also contains a monument dedicated to those who lost their lives on September 11th 2001; it has been designated as a 9/11 memorial site by Governor Deval Patrick with an annual ceremony held there each year since 2002 at which time he speaks about how this event changed our world forever while honoring all those who perished that day including many residents whose families have lived here for generations dating back to before Marblehead became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony when they were known as "Indians".