A longstanding footpath to the ocean on Marblehead Neck is now the subject of a legal review after a neighboring homeowner moved to restrict public access, raising broader questions about the status of so-called “paper streets” across town.
The path, known as Cove Lane, runs between private homes off Kimball Street and leads to a small beach overlooking Chandler Hovey Park. Though narrow and grassy, Cove Lane has been used informally for decades by residents walking to the shore — and it appears on town maps as a traditional passageway.
But in July, one of the abutters — Gerald M. Shea, of 13 Kimball St. — filed a legal notice asserting his private ownership and warning that no public rights-of-way should be presumed.
In the document, Shea stated his intent to block any claim of access “by custom, use or otherwise” by several named individuals and the general public. The notice was recorded at the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds on July 21 and posted on the property shortly after…