Marblehead officials to dedicate plaque to USS Constitution

MARBLEHEAD – On Thursday, Sept. 18, “Huzzah!” will be the word of the day.That day at 4 p.m. town officials will dedicate a plaque commemorating the visits of the USS Constitution to Marblehead.Everyone is invited town-wide to take a moment and honor the times that the historic vessel visited this historic seaside community.Former Selectman and Town Clerk Thomas McNulty, local history buff Fred Goddard and former USS Constitution Commander David Cashman had the idea, and they obtained permission from the selectmen and the Fort Sewall Committee to put it into action.The plaque will be made of bronze, like the other four signs recently installed at Ft. Sewall, and printed in the same font. It will read as follows:”Huzzah! for “Old Ironsides, Marblehead citizens have embraced USS CONSTITUTION on three historic visits: 3 April 1814 when beneath the guns of Fort Sewall she found refuge from an overwhelming British force, 29-31 July 1931 when under tow on the nationwide pennies campaign tour to assure her preservation, 20-21 July 1997 when during her Bicentennial she sailed from Boston and moored here to the cheers of thousands, A safe and welcoming harbor.”The one change made by the Fort Sewall Committee was in the punctuation. They added an exclamation mark after the word “Huzzah.”McNulty, Goddard and Cashman chose the wording, and in the opinion of some locals they deserve a “Huzzah” or two themselves, with or without an exclamation mark.