A very famous American painting, The Spirit of '76, resides in Abbot Hall. The painting symbolizes the spirit of the American Revolution.
In 1876, on the 100th anniversary of our country the painting made its first appearance at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia where it "stirred the heart of the nation." Afterwards it was sent on a tour through a few major cities and then purchased by Marblehead native John H. Devereux and brought back to his hometown. The bigger-than-life painting now hangs proudly in the Selectman's Room of Abbot Hall. Abbot Hall houses many historic artifacts from the Civil War time period as well as scale models of naval ships.
On the outside of the building there is a clock tower which was installed in 1877, and is governed by a 10-foot pendulum escape, driven by a 86-lb weight. Please feel free to stop inside and learn about the town of Marblehead.