Marblehead Maritime Museum to be dedicated

MARBLEHEAD – Christmas Walk weekend kicks off with the traditional tree lighting celebration tonight at 7 at Abbot Hall, but there’s something historic happening at Abbot Hall Saturday as well.The Marblehead Maritime Museum will be officially dedicated at 11 Saturday morning. The Historic Commission is inviting local residents to stop by for the unveiling of the hand-carved mahogany museum sign. The museum is located on the first floor, across the hall from the selectmen’s meeting room and its contents were a special gift from Dr. Ray Cole Jr., a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War and a Historical Commission member.Dr. Cole, a retired dentist, donated his collection of Marblehead maritime memorabilia to the town in January, along with $250,000 for the upkeep of the museum room. Selectmen accepted the gift for the town and they have been invited to Saturday’s ceremonies.Commission member Wayne Butler has been hard at work cataloguing the collection since then, an on-going project. He will speak before the unveiling of the sign.The memorabilia includes paintings of Marblehead-related ships and naval events which Cole commissioned.The event is scheduled to fall between the traditional arrival of Santa Claus on a lobster boat, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the State Street Landing, and the Christmas Walk Parade at 11:45 a.m. The parade steps off from State Street Landing and follows Washington Street to Atlantic Avenue.