Marblehead landmark up for Historic designation

MARBLEHEAD – Marbleheaders will receive a history lesson about Seaside Park Wednesday, March 9 at 1 p.m., when the Massachusetts Historical Commission considers the Atlantic Avenue landmark for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. That?s when consultant Martha Lyon will read the town?s application publicly and perhaps reveal historical details that locals have wondered about for generations.Recreation and Parks Commission member Derek Norcross said Tuesday the park was created between 1900-1902 and the Elliott Roundy Grandstand was built around 1910-1912, based on a photo of a Marblehead baseball team in front of the grandstand, dated 1913.?David Rodgers and I originally went to work drumming up interest in the grandstand as an historic structure,” Norcross said. “The MHC took an interest in the park as well.”The MHC offered Lyon?s services to the town at no cost to the town, after approving Marblehead?s application.The push for historic recognition began with the “Save the Seaside Grandstand” campaign in 1990-1991, spearheaded by the family of Elliott Roundy, a local athlete and coach who died in 1997. Voters debated the demolition of the grandstand and eventually decided to let it stand and allow a fund drive to pay for renovations.Norcross said he and Rodgers compiled the history of the grandstand but he hasn?t seen the application and is looking forward to the unveiling with great interest to see what Lyon uncovered about the property.There are various stories about the site across the street from the police station, which measures about 34 acres, including 20 acres of forest behind the ballpark, all of it controlled by the Recreation and Parks Commission.One story is that it used to be a so-called Poor Farm. Another has the land, which includes a hill behind the park, used as a military observation post since the hill used to command an ocean view that ran from Gloucester Harbor to Boston Harbor.