Lincoln Statue
On Hingham Common sits a large bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is seated, reflective and contemplative. The statue was dedicated in 1939, placed there as a tribute not only to Lincoln’s national significance, but to a deeper, local connection.
Long before Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky or rose to lead the nation through the Civil War, his ancestors lived in Hingham. In the 17th century, Samuel Lincoln emigrated from Hingham, England, and settled in Hingham, Massachusetts. From that New England root, the Lincoln family line eventually moved westward, culminating in the birth of the 16th President. Though Abraham Lincoln himself never lived in Hingham, the town holds pride in this ancestral link.
The inscription on the sculpture recalls Lincoln’s words: “With malice toward none, with charity for all,” capturing the spirit of reconciliation that marked his Second Inaugural Address.
Hingham is known for its colonial architecture, its meetinghouse and its deep 17th-century roots. The presence of Lincoln here bridges centuries, connecting early Puritan settlement to the defining moral struggle of the Civil War.
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The Samuel Lincoln House
This house on North Street in Hingham marks the beginning of President Abraham Lincoln’s family story in America. The historical marker beside it identifies the property purchased in 1649 by Samuel Lincoln, the president’s fourth great-grandfather. Samuel Lincoln was born in England in 1622 and came to Massachusetts while still a teenager. Known as “Samuel […]
Old Ship Church
Walking through Hingham, Massachusetts, one of the oldest towns in the Commonwealth, first settled in 1633 and incorporated in 1635, it doesn’t take long to sense how deeply the past is woven into the town’s streets. No place captures that feeling more than the Old Ship Church, a building that has anchored this community for […]
A Hingham Firkin
At first glance, this blue-painted wooden bucket seems like an ordinary household object. It was made to carry water, collect grain, or store food and was one of the countless tools that quietly supported daily life in early New England. Yet in Hingham, Massachusetts, a bucket was much more than a useful container. It represented […]
