Willard Hall
April 8, 2026 By Geri Duff
This is quite possibly the earliest photo of Hingham Square which must have been taken some time
before 1847. You can see the lawn of the Old Ship Church has not been pushed back. The building to
the left (north side) of the church was Willard Hall which burned down January 18, 1847. It was
described as a two-story building with a spacious attic. Originally built for education, Rev. Samuel
Willard and Luther B. Lincoln ran a private school here, preparing boys for college. At the time of the
fire, the basement and first floor were used for planing lumber and the second floor and a long low
building in the rear was used for the making of cord and tassels. The fire was so intense that the people
sitting on the steps of the First Baptist Church could feel the heat and the windows cracked on the Old
Ship Church. Today it is an empty lot. This photo is in the archives of the Hingham Historical Society.