12 NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 
of street limits, make it one of the most picturesque of 
our many seaport towns. There is just enough of the 
old-time flavor td give it a distinction. Mingled with it 
is the twentieth century aroma which makes it up-to-date. 
Little wonder that it stands out so prominently among the 
New England summer resorts. Linked with the present 
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A BIT OF OLD MARBLEHEAD 
day are memories of the past that are most interesting. 
Following the road that leads by the harbor is a small 
unpretentions building used as a tea house. It is historic 
from the fact that two centuries ago robbers stored ill- 
gotten treasures within its walls. ‘The Pirate House, as 
it is familiarly known, is owned by Peter Union, the vet- 
eran boatsman of Marblehead, who for forty years ran 
the “green line of dories” back and forth during the sum- 
mer season between Marblehead and the Neck, and who 
is one of the characters of the town retaining what so few 
of them still have, the oddities of speech that characterize 
the early days. The house itself where the booty iS stored 
was in existence in 1704, when the briganteen Charles, 
Captain Daniel Plowman, left Marblehead fitted up as a 
privateer. It arrived back in 1704 with suspicious traces 
that it had been used as a pirate ship. Finding that they 
had been discovered, Quelch, the noted pirate, who was 
afterwards hanged, hid much of this booty in the little 
house in a closet that leads off the present sitting-room. 
This house was originally situated near the fort but was 
brought to its present site by Mr. Union’s grand-father. 
One of the most interesting houses is the old Lee 
mansion built by Jeremiah Lee, who was evidently a man 
of wealth, for the materials for the house-building were 
imported from England, the huge timbers forming ballast 
for his vessels. Inside this house are some of the most 
wonderful examples of wall paper in existence showing 
Grecian scenes and bits of landscape work which English 
artisans wrought years ago in the narrow lanes of London. 
That this was a goodly building is hown from the fact 
that it cost 10,000 pounds for building. 
The houses of Marblehead are not, for the greater 
part, pretentious. ‘They were the homes of the simple 
fisher folks who had neither time nor inclination to spend 
labor and money in building mansions that were more 
i they cared to afford. The houses are gen- 
erally built one and a half stories in height with the 
doors set in the corner of the front in such a fashion that 
when one of these old houses was altered and repaired the 
original front door was in the middle of the house, the hall 
being enlarged to resemble the old Colonial hall, 
Cc stly th 
Several of these old houses have sheltered men who 
were actively connected with the Revolution, most of them 
being sea-captains. It is the boast of Marblehead that. the 
navy had its birth in her harbor. Here the first vessels 
chartered by Washington to aid in the cause were fitted 
out and manned by brave fishermen, under such noted 
men as Captain Gerry, Major Pedrick, and Captain Glover. 
All these homes are still standing, familiar and honored 
land-marks in Marblehead. 
One of these is used as the summer home of Mary 
Devereux Watson, author of “From Kingdom to Colony.” 
She lives in the old Pedrick house built about the same 
time as the famous Lee mansion by one Major Pedrick an 
officer in Glover’s regiment. The house is owned by Mr. 
Henry W. Brown and is practically unchanged. The 
spacious front hall still stands where tradition says “the 
doughty major was wont to drill his soldiers during the 
winter season.” Mrs. Watson’s first ancestor, Jno. Devereux 
was one of the three who purchased from the Indian 
owners what is now the town of Marblehead, the deed 
of which purchase to-day hangs on the walls of Abbott 
Library. The Devereaux took an active part in the affairs — 
of state and they at one time occupied the Devereux 
mansion which stands by the side of the road between 
Marblehead and Nanepashemet. ‘The noted author, in 
speaking of this place says, “We are a clannish people, we 
who are Marblehead born. All my life I feel I have the 
sea, waves, and winds in my blood and when forced to 
live away from it I never see a picture of a ship or a sea 
without a curious little thrill that makes my heart beat 
more quickly, and the pictures all spell Marblehead.” 
At the turn of the road following the car track is a- 
modest little barn used now as a studio. It was from 
here that rode forth Captain John Selman of Revolutionry 
fame to take a prominent part in the battle of Bunker Hill. 
General Washington was a favorite guest at the house of 
the Captain who was in command of the Franklin, one of - 
the four vessels that sailed from Marblehead harbor on 
October 21, 1775, on the fateful and famous expedition 
to Prince Edward’s Island. Unfortunately for history 
the Captain destroyed his most valuable papers including 
many letters that bore the signature of General Washing- 
ton. 
THE OLD TOWN HOUSE AT MARBLEHEAD 
Nearing Peach’s Point is the old cemetery which is a 
point of interest to tourists and which contains many 
graves of noted people. One can almost imagine as he 
drives along, Diamond walking up and down among the 
graves shouting out to sea his directions for bringing ships 
