The Marblehead Female Humane Society was organized on November 19, 1816 at the suggestion and with the aid of the Reverend John Bartlett, parson of the Second Congregational (later Unitarian) Church in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Rev. Bartlett was concerned with social welfare and had a keen interest in those suffering from mental illness; he did much to further the betterment of these causes during his lifetime.

Marblehead had lost many of its husbands and fathers to the War of 1812. By 1815, seven hundred residents of Marblehead had been captured and were on prison ships or in English prisons. During the year 1816, a great many storms caused numerous shipwrecks and loss of life. Many needy residents, particularly widows, in the town would be helped by the new society. The Marblehead Female Humane Society was founded as a Christian charity to aid the oppressed people of Marblehead, especially needy women in their own homes.

The founding government of the society consisted of a directress, a secretary, a treasurer (the first was Mrs. John Bartlett), and a standing committee of twelve members. The dues for members were ten cent per month. There were 125 women who were founding members. Members were able to propose candidates who they believed would benefit from the relief provided by the society. Donations of money, clothing, bed linen, and groceries were collected, and th3en anonymously distributed to the needy residents of the town. The society voted in its first year to purchase materials for spinning and weaving work to be one by residents who were housebound. The idea was that they would be able to create objects at home and then sell the articles, allowing them to earn money. The society incorporated in 1845. In 1846, it came to the aid of impoverished families who were suffering as a result of a terrible storm off the Grand Banks, which ruined Marblehead fishing for that year.

Upon its centennial, the society decided that it was time to direct its charitable work toward a home where aged gentlewomen with no family might be cared for. IN 1924, Mary E. Harris died and left her house to Everett Paine, who was the president of the National Grand Bank. Mr. Paine was also the husband of the secretary of the Marblehead Female Humane Society, and he gave the Harris home to the society. The house was located at 10 Mugford Street in Marblehead. The Mary E. Harris Home for Aged Women opened on January 14, 1925. The home was able to provide a residence for four to six women, along with a resident matron. The early residents paid four hundred dollars at their entrance to the home for life residency. The society was to provide room, board, laundry service, replacement of clothing, medical care, and burial expenses for each resident. An applicant t the home was to be a woman of 65 years of older, and she was to have resided in Marblehead for ten years prior to her application to the home. She was also to transfer her property to the home. Rules were set up for the operation of the home, which was a successful endeavor for 60 years.

By 1969 the society's funds were becoming leaner. With the advent of Social Security payments, fewer were making applications for residency to the Harris Home. By 1972 the Harris Home had become a boardinghouse. The residents were charged monthly fees and were expected to carry their own health care insurance. The society decided to close the Harris Home, which was done on September 30, 1984.

In 1987 there were 600 members of the Marblehead Female Humane Society. Dues were still $1.20 per year. They bylaws of the 1980s state that the mission of the society is "'to establish and support programs dedicated to the maintenance and care of elderly persons, and to engage in activities having a general charitable and benevolent purpose in Marblehead." The society in its post-Harris Home period has assisted the Marblehead Visiting Nurse Agency to sponsor flu shots and "'Well-Elderly" clinics, helped support the "'Meals on Wheels" program, and has also arranged temporary housing, transportation for individuals, and home aid projects for those requiring assistance.