November 18, 2021 Submitted by The Hingham Historical Society
Join the Hingham Historical Society in partnership with the Garden Club of Hingham, South Shore Conservatory and local merchants on Sunday December 5, 2021 from 11AM - 4PM for a multisensory holiday experience of downtown Hingham's iconic historic properties - the Benjamin Lincoln House, the Old Ordinary and the Hingham Heritage Museum at Old Derby. Ticket holders will enjoy touring each of these properties decorated for the holidays in cottagecore style with musical entertainment at each location and will be the first to experience the new exhibition at the Hingham Heritage Museum: Polly Thayer Starr: Nearer the Essence.
The Historical Society’s historic house tour - one of the longest running house tours in the country - typically features private homes in addition to the Society’s historic properties. Given the COVID19 pandemic, touring private homes was not an option so the Historical Society and the Garden Club of Hingham partnered to offer a new experience in the Society’s three downtown Hingham properties. Led by the creative vision of Kerry Adams of the Garden Club, the decorating aesthetic is the popular cottagecore style of romanticized rural and farm life and a return to the comforts of home. The Historical Society pairs this decorating theme with scripted docent-led tours of each property that feature rich historic anecdotes about each home or building’s inhabitants and the architectural details that surrounded them. To inspire tour goers' own holiday gatherings and table settings, local merchants including Waterhouse Antiques, Le Petite Maison and Trellis Home Design of Hingham styled select dining tables at each property while Society volunteers Dawn Martel and Jaye Jacobsen worked with the Society’s collections to set other tables. To create a multi-sensory experience, the South Shore Conservatory was approached to provide musical entertainment for tour goers at each site. Ticket Holders can expect to hear carolers, strings, harps and piano. The Annex in the rear of the Old Ordinary property will serve as a location to enjoy refreshments donated by Hornstra Farms and the Fruit Center while tour goers can bid on the fresh wreaths and floral centerpieces featured throughout the tour.
Tour Goers will be the first to enjoy the Hingham Heritage Museum’s new exhibition: Polly Thayer Starr: Nearer the Essence when they visit the Museum at Old Derby. In collaboration with the Trustees of Reservations, the exhibition in the ballroom of the Heritage Museum provides a deeper look at the 20th century artist who was a painter, a naturalist and a prolific creator. Polly Thayer Starr donated Weir River Farm to the Trustees in 1999.
The Historic House tour is one of the Society’s longest running fundraisers. As an independent non-profit, the Society is dependent upon the community’s support as members and donors for their work in collecting, preserving and promoting Hingham history including the stewardship of Hingham’s beloved Old Ordinary, Benjamin Lincoln House and the Hingham Heritage Museum at Old Derby.
Tickets are $50 per person and go on sale November 18th at hinghamhistorical.org
About the Hingham Historical Society
The Hingham Historical Society, founded in 1914, is a member-supported non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and celebrating the history of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts. We offer educational programs, exhibits, and year-round activities for all those who seek to gain a deeper appreciation of our community’s and our nation’s history. If you know the history of Hingham, you know the history of America.