Pam Peterson

Pam Peterson has been a museum professional since 1968. She began her career with an undergraduate degree from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, followed by a master's degree from Boston University and a certificate from the Fogg Museum at Harvard. Early roles included cataloger at Harvard Museum, conservation technician at the Gardner Museum for eight years, training at the Fogg Museum, work in Heidelberg, Germany, and 17 years at the Peabody Essex Museum. She then directed the Marblehead Museum for 20 years, building it from a historical society into a full museum with exhibits, lectures, and programs, retiring in 2018. Since 2022, she has chaired the Historical Commission in Marblehead, overseeing preservation of town-owned historic buildings, managing projects funded by private donations, maintaining an archival database, and hosting researchers from her office in Abbott Hall. Peterson has authored two books on local history published by The History Press, Myths, Legends, and Lore of Marblehead and A Guide to the Historic Burial Grounds of Marblehead, and wrote a long-running newspaper column on Marblehead history. She maintains active memberships in the New England Museum Association and American Association of Local and State History, serves on the board of an organization supporting women and families in need, participates in Rotary, and contributes to the historic church committee at St. Michael's Episcopal Church.