Tours of Marblehead Historical Sites Among Free Essex County Events

Everything that’s great about Essex County - and the North Shore - will be celebrated with two weekends of activities and events dubbed “Trails and Sails.”

There will be more than 150 free events at historic, cultural and natural sites across the county’s 34 cities and towns in the area designated as the Essex National Heritage Area during the weekends of Sept. 19-21 and Sept. 26-28.

Each of the events are listed by community - and not date - below, so scroll through to see them all.

For all the details including specific limits of the number of participants and clothing recommendations, or to create a customized itinerary, go to the Essex National Heritage Area’s Trails and Sails website.

Marblehead

1768 Jeremiah Lee Mansion

Friday, Sept. 19; Saturday, Sept. 20; Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day

Hosted by Marblehead Museum & Historical Society, 161 Washington St.

Enjoy a guided tour of one of America’s largest and most opulent homes from the period before Independence.

Civil War and G.A.R. Museum in Marblehead

Saturday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., open doors

Hosted by Marblehead Museum and Historical Society, 1 Market Square

Visit the Marblehead Civil War & G.A.R. Museum in Marblehead’s Old Town House built in 1727. The G.A.R. Meeting Room, Marblehead Post #82, exists as a “time capsule” exactly as it did when this local veteran’s organization was disbanded in the 1930’s.

J.O.J. Frost Folk Art Gallery

Friday, Sept. 19; Saturday, Sept. 20; Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27: 10 a.m.-4 p,.m. each day, open doors

Hosted by Marblehead Museum and Historical Society, 170 Washington St.

View delightful and engaging paintings of life in Marblehead and at sea in times past, painted in the 1920s by J.O.J. Frost of Marblehead when he was in his 70s, following the death of his beloved wife Anna.

Salem

Bark Rubbings and Tracings

Saturday, Sept. 27, 1 p.m.

Hosted by Peabody Essex Museum, 144 Essex St.

Investigate the beauty and science of tree bark with bark specialist Michael Wojcek, and create an enhanced bark drawing to take home. Part of the “Branching Out, Trees as Art” exhibition opening at the Peabody Essex Museum. All other opening day activities free with museum admission.

Fish Seining Demonstration on the Beach

Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m.

Hosted by Salem Sound Coastwatch, 98 West Ave. (Forest River Park)

At this demonstration, Salem Sound Coastwatch staff and volunteers will walk a large seining net into the water and then drag it back to shore where we’ll lay it out, gather around to examine the catch, and talk about what we found.

Gardens by the Sea

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2 p.m.

Hosted by The House of the Seven Gables, 115 Derby St.

Join The House of the Seven Gables for a fabulous talk by Robyn Kanter to learn about The Gables’ historic garden. Robyn Kanter, of Kanter Design Associates, will tell the story of a garden that is one of the oldest on the North Shore, and arguably one of the oldest anywhere that has remained virtually unchanged by time and fashion.

Guided Tour of Calder and Abstraction: From Avant-Garde to Iconic

Friday, Sept. 19 and Friday, Sept. 26: 3-4 p.m. each day

Hosted by Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St.

In collaboration with the Calder Foundation, this exhibition at PEM brings together over 40 of the Alexander Calder’s mobiles (kinetic metal works propelled by air) and stabiles (dynamic monumental sculptures) to explore how Alexander Calder introduced the visual vocabulary of the French Surrealists into the American vernacular.

Lady of Salem Maritime Public Art Celebration

Friday, Sept. 19; Saturday, Sept. 20, Sunday, Sept. 21, Friday, Sept. 26; Saturday, Sept. 27 and Sunday, Sept. 28; 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. each day, open doors

Hosted by Salem Beautification Committee, 2 New Liberty St. (National Park Visitor Center)

Enjoy a community public art display of over 20 whimsically decorated ship’s figureheads adorning downtown Salem through a self-guided tour brochure available at the NPS Visitor Center in Salem.

Marine Science Experience: What is it and Why is it Important

Friday, Sept. 19, 3:30-5 p.m.

Hosted by Cat Cove Marine Laboratory, 92 Fort Ave.

Participants will tour Salem State University’s Cat Cove Marine Laboratory, learn about its relevance and gain insight into how some of their tax dollars are being spent. The visit is interactive, be prepared to feed fish, shellfish and to handle creepy crawlers.

Sail on the Schooner FAME

Sunday, Sept. 21, 10-11:45 a.m.

Hosted by Schooner Fame, 70 Wharf St.

Cruise the historic waters of Salem Sound aboard a full-scale replica of the 1812 privateer schooner FAME.

Salem in 1630: Pioneer Village

Sunday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 28; 12:30-1:30 p.m. each day

Hosted by City of Salem Pioneer Village, 98 West Ave.

Take a guided tour of the recreated village of Salem in 1630. Learn about the landing of the Winthrop fleet and lives of the early colonists.

Salem Marine Society Tour

Saturday, Sept. 20 and Sunday, Sept. 21; 1:30-3:30 p.m. each day

Hosted by Hawthorne Hotel, 18 Washington Square West

Hidden on the roof of the Hawthorne Hotel is an exact replica of a cabin from the Salem vessel Taria Topan. Join us for a very rare visit to the Salem Marine Society. Learn why this unique site has its own story to tell, and how it has been connected to the Hawthorne Hotel for over 80 years.

Salem’s Colonial Revival - A Walking Tour

Sunday, Sept. 21, 2-3:30 p.m.

Hosted by Historic Salem and Donald Friary, 426 Essex St.

Donald Friary, architectural historian and President of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts will lead a tour of two neighborhoods with fine examples of Colonial Revival buildings. Meet at the parking lot of CVS at the intersection of Essex and Warren Streets.

The Influence of Quakers in Early Salem

Saturday, Sept. 27, 10-11:30 a.m.

Hosted by Salem Award Foundation, Salem Witch Trials Memorial, Charter Street

Join the Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice as we welcome Salem State University public historians Professors Emerson “Tad” Baker and Margo Shea for a walking tour examining the history and influence of the Quakers in colonial Salem.

Witch Hunt Timeline Exhibit

Friday, Sept. 19; Saturday, Sept. 20; Sunday, Sept. 21; Friday, Sept. 26; Saturday, Sept. 27 and Sunday, Sept. 28; 1-3 p.m. each day, open doors

Hosted by City of Salem Witch House, 310 Essex St.

Exhibit featuring some of the most notorious international witch hunts and trials reaching back into ancient history.

Swampscott and Lynn

All About Murals

Saturday, Sept. 20, 9 a.m.

Hosted by Local Artist Yetti Frenke, 5 North Common St., Lynn

This three hour event includes a walk from the Lynn Public Library to the Swampscott Public Library to view murals at each location.

Swampscott

Mary Baker Eddy House Tour

Hosted by Longyear Museum, 23 Paradise Road

Tour the home where Mary Baker Eddy experienced the healing through prayer that would lead to her discovery of Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy is the first American woman to have founded a major worldwide religion. Enjoy a guided tour that engages interest and respect regardless of one’s religious background.

Saturday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 21, 1-4 p.m., open doors

Swampscott Town Hall Tour

Saturday, Sept. 20, noon-4 p.m.

Hosted by Swampscott Historical Commission, 22 Monument Ave.

Visit this beautifully restored Georgian Revival Mansion, built in 1889 by the architect James Kelley for Professor Elihu Thomson. At the center of the Olmsted Historic District, the building is now Swampscott’s Town Hall, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tour the Sir John Humphrey House

Friday, Sept. 26, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Hosted by The Swampscott Historical Society, 99 Paradise Road

Tour the Sir John Humphrey House, built in 1637 for Humphrey, Deputy Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Now a museum the house has many fascinating details, such as original floorboards, a secret passageway, and a birthing room. The house is now the home of the Swampscott Historical Society