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Abbot Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Abbot Hall, Marblehead, Massachusetts.
Location	Marblehead, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°30′8.94″N 70°51′10.04″W / 42.5024833°N 70.8527889°W / 42.5024833; -70.8527889
Built	1876
Architect	Lord & Fuller
Architectural style	Romanesque
Part of	Marblehead Historic District (ID84002402)
NRHP reference No.	74000374
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 6, 1974
Designated CP	January 10, 1984

Abbot Hall is a town hall and historical museum located at 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, Massachusetts. It is open year-round, though with restricted hours in the colder months. Constructed in 1876 and designed in the Romanesque style by Lord & Fuller architects, the Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the historic district.

History

Abbot Hall is the fourth town hall built in Marblehead, preceded by the First Meeting House (1638, Old Burial Hill), the Old Meeting House (1696), and the Old Town House (1727). Abbot Hall is named after a barrel maker and trader named Benjamin Abbot. When Benjamin Abbott died in 1872, he donated his fortune to the town of Marblehead.

In addition to serving as the seat of Marblehead's town government, Abbot Hall has holdings as a museum. It contains the original The Spirit of '76 by Archibald MacNeal Willard, which was widely reproduced, the 1684 deed to Marblehead signed by descendants of Wenepoykin, youngest son of Nanepashemet, chief or sachem of the regional Pawtucket confederation of Abenaki peoples prior to Pilgrim settlement, a bust of native son and U.S. vice president Elbridge Gerry, a painting of Marbleheaders rowing George Washington across the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War, a painting by primitivist J.O.J. Frost, and a number of other historical artifacts. A plaque on display in the Selectmen's room, discovered in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, proclaims Marblehead the "Birthplace of the American Navy."

Clock

The clock in the tower of Abbot Hall is a Howard #2S installed in 1877; it is governed by a 10 ft (3.0 m) pendulum escapement, driven by an 86 lb (39 kg) weight. The clangor escapement is governed by a flutter vane assembly and is powered by a 292 lb (132 kg) weight. The Bell was cast by Meneely & Kimberly in Troy, New York and donated by James J. H. Gregory Every week the maintenance workers ascend the tower to wind the movements. Local authors have featured the clock in numerous stories.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, Massachusetts

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
2. ^ abbothall.org
3. See Marblehead Museum or the Friends of Abbot Hall for details
4. USS Hannah -Misplaced Pages
5. "James J. H. Gregory -- SaveSeeds.org". www.saveseeds.org.
6. Bell Casting in Troy - A Family Affair, by Charles Skinner Archived 2014-06-30 at the Wayback Machine
7. "The Bell Of Abbot Hall", Text and Photos by Bill Purdin, Legend Inc.
8. "Cranking in Marblehead's Abbot Hall once more", by William J. Dowd, The Marblehead Reporter

External links

v t e Marblehead, Massachusetts
Incorporated in 1639 Based in Essex County in Massachusetts Population 19,808
General Information	Marblehead History Geography Demographics Education Points of interest Notable residents Art
Institutions	14th Continental Regiment Andrea Gail Burgess Company CW Hood Yachts Glover Elementary School Kingsport USS Marblehead 1861 C-11 CL-12 Marblehead High School Marblehead Little Theatre Race to Halifax Old Burial Hill Seatrain Winter Harbor 21
Notable Residents	Keith Ablow Frank Black Sheldon Brown William Starling Burgess Uriel Crocker Susan Estrich Shalane Flanagan Elbridge Gerry Julia Glass John Glover Tyler Hamilton Ted Hood Katherine Howe Ada Louise Huxtable Ruth Edna Kelley Harry Kemelman Peter Lynch John Nestor Rhod Sharp Joseph Story Cory Schneider Dave Silverman
Historic Houses	Elbridge Gerry Gen. John Glover Herreshoff Castle Jeremiah Lee Marblehead Colonial Raised House Old Town House Robert "King" Hooper Woodbury Point
Historic Buildings and Sites	Abbot Hall Fort Sewall Harris Farm Marblehead Historic District Saint Michael's Church Story Grammar School
v t e Neighboring towns Salem Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Salem Marblehead Atlantic Ocean Swampscott Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean
Category Town of Marblehead

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
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• Buildings and structures in Marblehead, Massachusetts
• City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
• Clock towers in Massachusetts
• Government buildings completed in 1876
• Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Massachusetts
• Maritime museums in Massachusetts
• Museums in Essex County, Massachusetts
• National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts