By: Paula Bagger for the Hingham Historical Society
Newly inaugurated President George Washington toured the New England states in the fall of 1789, arriving in Boston on October 24 to an elaborate public celebration. A triumphal arch, designed by Charles Bulfinch, was constructed in Washington’s honor at the west end of the Old State House, over what we now know as Washington Street.
Hingham's own Revolutionary War Hero, Major General Benjamin Lincoln may have stood in for General George Washington at Yorktown, accepting Lord Cornwallis’ sword, but not all of his Hingham neighbors and friends were on his side in the Revolutionary war.
A letter in our Archives from Deborah Barker of Hingham describes the reception the newly inaugurated President Washington received when he visited Boston in October 1789, leaving no question about what she thought of the new republic and its chief executive.
Click on the link below to read about Barker's letter to her mother's cousin Christian Barnes at the link below.
*All photos and content are courtesy of the Hingham Historical Society.