Let's Settle This 'Header' Dispute

I live in Marblehead, pay my taxes in Marblehead, but would never claim to be a "Header." Doing so would surely prompt a local torch and pitchfork shortage.

Prior to moving to Marblehead, I can safely say I'd never heard a resident of any town refer to their neighbor as a "transplant" or "off-islander" and learned early-on that claiming false "Header" status was a local no-no.

Every so often we will run a story with the word "Header" in the headline: such as , and .

These 'Header' posts almost always initiate a discussion among our readers as to why or why not the individual we've written about is truly a Header.

In our defense, our headlines are usually written with available space in mind, meaning "Header" is a better option than "Marblehead Resident" and "Old Town" will leave more room than "Historic District."

From what I understand, in order to be a true blue Header, either you or your parents must have been born at a home in town or at Mary Alley Hospital - which closed its maternity ward in the 1960's.

Have you heard of other qualifications? Do you think living in town most of your life should be enough? How about just graduating from ? Do you think this whole discussion sounds ridiculous?

Let us know by voting in our poll below and voicing your opinion in the comments section.

Last week we settled the . Have an idea for our next Let's Settle This column? Send it to Marblehead Patch.