Seaside Park (Marblehead, Massachusetts)
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Seaside Park is a coastal park located in
Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsu ...
. At a little over , it is the largest of Marblehead's four public parks, and includes an early 20th century
grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...
overlooking the baseball field. At its eastern edge, it provides fine views of Marblehead Harbor and Marblehead Neck. The park was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on June 8, 2011.


Setting

Seaside Park is located on the east side of Marblehead, occupying a parcel of land bounded on the west by Atlantic Avenue, the north by Chestnut Street, the east by Harbor View Lane and Ladys Cove, and on the south by Wyman Lane. Its principal points of access are from Atlantic Avenue, with the other roads lined by mainly residential properties. The portion of the park nearest Atlantic Avenue is flat, and has developed athletic facilities, including a paved basketball court, and a baseball diamond whose outfield area is large enough for use as a football or soccer field. Behind the diamond is the Roundy Grandstand, and tennis courts and a playground extend north, behind the adjacent Our Lady Star of the Sea church complex. Behind the grandstand and tennis courts the land rises into a wooded area, through which trails circulate and lead toward the shore. Views of Ladys Cove and Marblehead Neck are only obtained from the easternmost part of the park, the higher rocky outcrops having been obscured by trees.


History

Marblehead's first three parks, Crocker Park, Bailey's Headland, and Fort Sewall, were established between 1886 and 1890. The first land for Seaside Park was acquired in 1895, with the plan to develop it as a site for athletic activities. The inland portion, eventually increased by further acquisitions, was levelled and seeded, and improvements began to be added in the 1910s. The grandstand was built in 1916, in part at the request of a local semi-pro baseball league. The park was visited by President
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...
when he summered at Marblehead in 1925. The first tennis courts were added in the 1930s, as was an ice skating rink, whose space has since taken over by more tennis courts.
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
landed on the
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
field in a
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
. The grandstand underwent a major restoration in 1990.
Pickleball Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played i ...
courts were added in 2022.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, Massachusetts This list is of that portion of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) designated in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County, Massachusetts. The locations of these properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordin ...


References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Parks in Essex County, Massachusetts Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Marblehead, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts