Dan Dixey poses next to two of the photos from his huge collection. Photo: Brooke McCarthy/WBZ NewsRadio
MARBLHEAD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Marblehead photographer is using his retirement to document the town he loves and grew up in. Dan Dixey is an 11th generation son of Marblehead, with roots that stretch back to the earliest days of colonial settlement in the little coastal town.
Dixey has amassed more than 5,000 photos in his collection, which began in the 1980's when a neighbor gave him some old glass negatives. The photos run the gamut, from town parades, to sporting events and candid shots.
He says he's had a lot of help from the community.
"People ask me today, 'How do you find this stuff?' The stuff finds me. I get calls almost weekly, someone goes 'Oh I found some old Marblehead postcard, oh I've got a couple of negatives here,' or 'Oh I've got this old scrapbook,"' Dixey said.
The photos date to the 1860's at the earliest, right through the modern era. Some of Dixey's collection is on display at the Abbot Public Library in town. Dixey is looking to finish up a documentary on fishing and lobstering in Marblehead in the coming months.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) has more:
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