June 3, 2026 Submitted By Nina Wellford
Spirits of ‘76: A Weekend of Spirited Fun
High Spirits come out on the weekend of June 5 and 6! Old Ship Meeting House and the Hingham Cemetery are jointly sponsoring two events celebrating the Revolutionary spirit of 1776: a festive party on Friday night, and unique tours of the Cemetery Saturday morning. Join us for one or both, to raise your spirits and help preserve these two iconic places for generations to come.
Spirits of ‘76: The Party
Friday, June 5 at 7:00 pm, we meet in Old Ship Meeting House, 90 Main Street, the scene of Hingham’s town meeting from the time it was built by Puritans in 1681 until just after the Revolutionary War. Local historian and nationally-acclaimed author Jim Conroy will draw parallels between the revolutionary thinking leading up to 1776 and the times we are facing today, in a brief, thought-provoking talk. The second of Jim’s five published books, Lincoln’s White House: The People’s House in Wartime, won the prestigious Lincoln Prize, awarded to the best book of the year on Lincoln or the Civil War era, and the Abraham Lincoln Institute’s annual book award. He is an insightful thinker, with a passion for the lessons we can learn from history.
We will then make our way through the cemetery (or on the sidewalks through Hingham Square) to the Ames Chapel, the beautifully restored jewel of a chapel, originally built in 1886. There we will be treated to a toast by Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson, who recently wowed the house in the Cemetery’s “Dead of Winter” speaker series, with a signature cocktail developed especially for this occasion – the Spritz ‘76. A delicious smorgasbord of appetizers and desserts, created by Cohasset’s Fresh Feast, and selections of wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks will ensure that every party-goer leaves the evening fulfilled in body and soul. Tickets at $100 per person benefit Friends of Old Ship Meeting House and the Hingham Cemetery equally; please purchase them at www.hinghamcemetery.org by June 2.
Spirits of ‘76: The Cemetery Tours
Eileen McIntyre with granddaughter Rosie, this inspiration for the Spirits of ‘76 Cemetery Tour
On Saturday, June 6 at 10 am, Old Ship Meeting House and Hingham Cemetery dive back in time, for a fascinating glimpse into life in Hingham during the years leading up to 1776. Led by Eileen McIntyre, a Hingham resident for 26 years, trained volunteer docents will tell the stories of Hingham residents – some well-known, and some ordinary citizens – who married, raised and lost children, worked hard and built the community that we enjoy today.
Eileen has become an avid historian since she retired from a high-powered career in corporate communications. She is currently on the Board of the Friends of Old Ship Meeting House, and she ran the speaker series at Hingham Historical Society for five years. Eileen explains the origins of her idea, “On a walk at Hingham Cemetery last year with my then 6 year-old granddaughter, Rosie, she had lots of questions. I realized that beyond the well-known Hinghamites buried there, I knew very little. I researched two families to answer Rosie’s questions – and then I was hooked. With the 250th coming up I thought, why not tell the stories of some “Spirits of ‘76” buried in this historic cemetery?”
Directors of Hingham Cemetery jumped at the chance to showcase the serene grounds that the public enjoys as a park, cemetery, arboretum and important historic site. As was customary at the time of early settlement, the dead were buried around a town’s Meeting House. From 1672 for about 150 years, the land behind Old Ship Meeting House was privately-owned farmland and a cow pasture. Burials continued “among the grazing farm animals” until about the time that Adam Thaxter began to buy the land, incorporating it as Hingham Cemetery in 1838. Over the next 38 years, Thaxter and superintendent John Todd modeled the new cemetery on Mt. Auburn, the first American “Rural Garden Cemetery,” specifically designed and landscaped (and expected to be used) as a park.
With the theme of “Spirits of ‘76,” 18 fellow history buffs enthusiastically agreed to be docents, and Eileen got to work. She narrowed her research to 28 families who lived in the years surrounding the Revolutionary War. Some, like Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, live on in history books and documentary films for his role as George Washington’s 2nd in Command at the Battle of Yorktown, and later his Secretary of War. But did you know that he and his wife Mary had 11 children, and he served as Town Clerk, recording minutes of all the Town Meetings held at Old Ship Meeting House? Others, like Enoch Lincoln, contributed locally. Enoch (1721-1802), a Glazier by trade, was a Selectman, then a State Representative, and was married to Rachel Fearing. Their son Amos took part in the Boston Tea Party; son Levi became an attorney, a judge and the Attorney General of the United States. We also will “meet” mariners, surgeons, a minister, farmers, traders, a constable and the proprietor of an inn. The tour focuses on the families in graves closest to the Meeting House, but ends near the one that sparked Rosie’s attention and put the whole process in motion. Mary Revere Lincoln, Paul Revere’s daughter, had 13 children and lived to age 83.
Spirits of ‘76 begins in Old Ship Meeting House, 90 Main Street, Hingham at 10:00 am, with a brief orientation. Small groups will then head off through the historic iron gates into the cemetery, fueled by lemonade and cookies, to follow a 90 minute tour. Tour goers should be prepared to walk on uneven ground, and we encourage children to be in 4th grade or older (no strollers, please). The rain date will be Sunday, June 7 at 1:00 pm. Tickets are $25 per adult, $5 per youth; Purchase at www.hinghamcemetery.org and on-site on June 6. Proceeds will be split between Hingham Cemetery and Friends of Old Ship Meeting House, to preserve these historic places for generations to come.