The history of Hingham, Massachusetts, is the history of America. Settled not many years after the Mayflower reached these shores, Hingham grew
through the efforts, faith and determination of a handful of people from Hingham, England, and other towns in the southwest part of that country, looking for a better life than they had left, one free of religious and economic
oppression. Though the exact date a settler first put down roots here isn't known, it is documented that around 1633 several families, who originally had landed in Charlestown (now part of Greater Boston), moved, after
only a few months, down the coast to a settlement called Bare Cove - as Hingham first was known due to the extensive mud flats in the harbor at low tide.
The names of early families resound in Hingham today, because of the
profound effect they had on the development of the town and because many of their descendents continue to live here, names like Hobart, Lincoln, Beal, Loring, Otis, Cushing, Gardner, Whiton
and Fearing.
For a couple of years Hingham had no leader because it had no minister. That was rectified in 1635 when Rev. Peter Hobart
arrived and established the First Parish of Hingham. Hobart led services in a rude structure that was replaced in 1681 by a handsome Elizabethan Gothic building that still stands and is Hingham's most recognizable landmark.
The
oldest church of continuous worship in the United States, Old Ship - as it's affectionately known for the vaulted ceiling that resembles the inverted hull of a ship - in the early days also was the town's meeting house, where civic
matters were discussed and decided.
Eventually, Hingham became a major port of entry, as well as a thriving fishing port, which gave rise to its major industries - coopering and cordage, the success of the former earning
it the sobriquet Bucket Town. Other industries included shoemaking, cabinetmaking, leather working and blacksmithing.
Hingham also has been in the forefront during national crises, including the Revolution, when native son
Gen. Benjamin Lincoln fought alongside George Washington, and World War II, when the Federal government established here an important shipyard that turned out hundreds of vessels for the war effort.
Today, Hingham's rich history can be savored in the elegant antique homes that line its famous Main Street, once referred to by Eleanor
Roosevelt as the most beautiful main street in America; its great swaths of open spaces that remind one of the virgin landscape that greeted the early settlers, and its lovely, protected harbor
little changed since the first settlers came here full of dreams and hopes that continue to be realized by those who have followed in their footsteps.
Brief inquiries about Hingham history will be
answered free of charge at this e-mail address:
Historian For more complex questions,
references to paid researchers will be provided.
