February 3, 2206 By Dan Clark
As our region marks 250 years since the American Revolution and this year, America’s 250th, birthday Hingham has a front row seat to the commemoration. Our roads, shorelines, and meetinghouses tell the story of a community where neighbors debated, organized, served and ultimately shaped a new nation. This season, Hingham Little League is partnering with the Hingham Historical Society to bring that history to a place many families already gather – the baseball diamond.
Baseball has long been known as America’s pastime. It is a game built on community – families spreading blankets along the fence, volunteers dragging the infield, and kids learning that doing the little things right matters: backing up a base, cheering a teammate, and shaking hands after a tough loss. In a town that values civic life and shared traditions, baseball is one of the most visible ways we pass those values from one generation to the next. America’s 250 gives us a chance to connect those everyday lessons to the larger story of who we are and where we come from.
This year, Hingham Little League players will wear a commemorative Hingham Historical Society Rev250 patch on their jerseys. It is a small detail with a big message. Our history is not just something we read about in a book or see in a museum – it is part of our daily lives, showing up in familiar places, like a Little League game on a weekend afternoon.
The partnership is especially visible in our Senior League division for seventh-through ninth-graders, where teams will take the field with Revolution and colonial inspired names that spark curiosity and conversation. Hingham teams will include the Sons of Liberty, Minutemen, Midnight Riders, Commodores, and Knowlton’s Rangers. In a friendly nod to history from across the lines, Cohasset will be sporting the Lobsterbacks. These names are a fun way to invite questions, start conversations, and make local history feel close and real.
That curiosity is the point. Kids are natural historians when we give them the chance. A team name becomes a prompt for a quick conversation on the way to practice. Who were the Sons of Liberty? Why were the Minutemen called that? What happened on the midnight ride? A patch becomes a reason to ask what Rev 250 means to our town. A game becomes a moment to remember that the freedoms we enjoy -including the simple freedom to gather, compete, and cheer for our neighbors – were shaped by people who lived, worked, and raised families right here.
For the Hingham Historical Society, this collaboration brings local history to where so many Hingham families are in the evening or on weekends – the playing field. For Hingham Little League, it is a chance to reinforce something we already believe: youth sports are about more than wins and losses. They are about character, teamwork, learning to lead, and learning to support others. When those lessons are tied to the town’s Revolutionary heritage, they become even richer.
Over the course of the season, you will see signs of Hingham Celebrating America’s 250ththroughout Hingham, from the Common and Old Ship Church to the Hingham Heritage Museum and harbor. These events, exhibits, and programs bring our Revolutionary past to life and serve as a reminder of all that unites us. Our shared ideals of service, responsibility, courage, and standing together, are honored and celebrated this year in ways big and small. This season on the diamond, they are being played out too, one pitch, one inning, and one handshake line at a time.
As we celebrate America’s 250th here in Hingham, there are a few easy ways for families to get involved right now. Registration for Hingham Little League (ages 5–16) is open through February 28 at https://leagues.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1956093. The Hingham Historical Society memberships can be found here https://hinghamhistorical.org/join/ also has Lincoln Day coming up—details are available at https://hinghamhistorical.org/lincoln-day/. And for a full calendar of events, exhibits, and ways to participate in Hingham’s 250th Celebration, visit https://hingham250.org.
