December 9, 2021 Submitted by Deirdre Anderson The Hingham Historical Society
Over 450 people toured Hingham Historical Society’s downtown properties on Sunday December 5 as the Society partnered with the Garden Club of Hingham, the South Shore Conservatory and local merchants for a unique spin on one of the country’s longest running house tours. Guests toured the Society’s Benjamin Lincoln House, Old Ordinary and Hingham Heritage Museum decorated for the holidays and featuring docent-led historic tours. Dining tables at each property were decorated by local merchants including Waterhouse Decor, La Petite Maison and Trellis Home Design while musical entertainment was provided by musicians and singers from the South Shore Conservatory. The Old Ordinary Annex was transformed into a refreshment café with generous donations from Hornstra Farms, the Fruit Center Marketplace and Starbucks on Lincoln Street.
Led by the creative vision of Kerry Adams of the Garden Club, the decorating aesthetic was the popular cottagecore style of romanticized rural and farm life and a return to the comforts of home. For over three months, over 60 members of the Garden Club, led by Kerry, President Jill Setian and members Christina Farren, Penni Hughes and Elisa Fontanes sourced materials and held workshops creating and ultimately installing the décor enjoyed by tourgoers. At the Hingham Heritage Museum, ticket holders were the first to experience the new exhibition Polly Thayer Starr: Nearer the Essence produced in collaboration with the Trustees of Reservations and with generous support of the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust.
An event of this magnitude required over 100 volunteers between the Garden Club, the Historical Society and special tour day assistance from members of the Hingham High School Student Council. The Historical Society would like to sincerely thank all volunteers and in addition to the above, give special recognition to Dawn Martel, Jaye Jacobsen, Ellen Miller, Jane Shute, Gail Litchfield, Elizabeth Danis, Lissa Tully, Caroline Counselman and Erin Whitmore who lead key aspects of the program. The Society and the Garden Club would like to give special thanks to Weston Nurseries at 1099 Main Street in Hingham who generously donated the evergreens used in the tour and loaned planters and lanterns. Like all partners in this year’s endeavor, Weston Nurseries went above and beyond to make sure the tour was a success.
The Historical Society’s house tour is one of the Society’s longest running fundraisers and typically features private homes in addition to the Society’s historic properties. The tour has been canceled twice in its 96-year run – in 1942 due to World War II and in 2020 due to COVID 19. It was only through the community’s embrace of the tradition through ticket sales and the enthusiastic partnership of the Garden Club, the Conservatory, local merchants listed above, the financial support of HUB Insurance, Mary Morrison Realtor and Sally Weston Associates that the tour was possible.
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