When The Old Town House Was New: 1727

Marblehead was undergoing a great transition in and around 1727, transitioning from a fishing village to an active seaport that supported overseas commerce, says Bob Booth, a local architectural historian and author.

Look no further than the Town House, circa 1727, for evidence of changes that were afoot.

Before 1727, the land on which the Town House would be built was home to the town pound, a place where stray goats and cows and other livestock were corralled, the historian said.

Farmers sold produce at a market nearby. A tavern stood close by, as well.

When it came time to build an ambitious Georgian building on the land, the town turned to those from elsewhere to build the Town House, the historian said.

The craftsmen who would build the multipurpose building would make their reputations on the project. Both in the speed with which it was completed — some six months — and the workmanship.

The craftsmen included carpenter William Goodwin, who had moved to Marblehead some 10 years earlier, finding little competition in a town short on craftsmen with his skills, said Booth.
 
He designed and framed the Town House  — a general contractor of sorts.

The lead joiners, or finish carpenters, were out-of-towners Samuel Goodwin and Isaac Mansfield.

The plasterer was another out of towner, Joseph Stacey.

Upon completion the Town House was home to court sessions, local government meetings, and a school. The lower level housed market space during inclement weather and a place where contracts were written for the sale of fish to be transported elsewhere.

The craftsmen who built the Town House — and their reputations — would in the ensuing years build some of the more impressive homes in town, the author said.

And Marblehead would become more of a bustling seaport.