Marblehead is located in
Essex County 15 miles NE of
Boston on Massachusetts Bay along Highway 114 near
Salem Maritime National Historic Monument. Founded in 1629, Marblehead flourished as a commercial fishing center and by the mid-18th century was port to hundreds of ships engaged in fishing and overseas trade. Today more than 200 houses built before the American Revolution and nearly 800 constructed during the 1800s still line the town's winding streets.
Views of the ocean, islands, harbor and Marblehead shoreline can be enjoyed from Crocker Park, off Front Street downtown, and Chandler Hovey Park, at the end of Harbor and Ocean avenues. The 1896 Marblehead light tower, closed to the public is on the grounds of Chandler Hovey Park. Marblehead is part of the Boston, Massachusetts-New Hampshire metro area.