I began collecting traditional sea shantys about 4 years ago. My name is Stephen Orne. I live in Marblehead, Massachuesetts, a town named for the granite that naturally fortifies the harbor and landscape. Marblehead is a peninsula roughly 20 miles north of Boston. In colonial times Marblehead was the 6th most important port in the Colonies.
Maritime history is alive and well here.
The harbor, the streets, the houses were all born out of the sea. It was this history that inspired me to join the colonial re-enactment group called Glover's Marblehead Regiment . We portray the merchant sailors and fisherman that took up arms in the name of liberty during the American War For Independence. We strive to educate ourselves and the public about Marblehead history, colonial history, maritime history and the Revolutionary War. One aspect of our impression is the art of the sea shanty.