Lincoln Historic District

Hingham's Lincoln Historic District covers roughly 260 acres north of the town's center, beside Hingham Harbor. It follows the early streets laid out along Town Brook, including North, South, Lincoln and Main Streets. The district contains 568 contributing resources: houses, churches, a school, civic buildings, monuments and a cemetery. Twelve houses date from the 17th century, though their exteriors have been encased or rebuilt, and about sixty-seven more follow the 18th century Colonial form. Many buildings grew by additions over time, such as the General Benjamin Lincoln House, begun in 1667 and enlarged in 1715 and 1790. The Old Ship Meeting House of 1681 is described as the oldest building in ecclesiastical use in the United States, known for its "Hingham truss." The district was listed because its downtown streetscapes have survived with unusual integrity, and because Hingham builders favored conservative styles, returning repeatedly to Colonial and Colonial Revival forms.