Old Ship Church facts for kids

Old Ship Church (Old Ship Meetinghouse)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Old Ship Church
Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Main Street Hingham, Massachusetts
Built	1681
Part of	Lincoln Historic District (ID90001728)
NRHP reference No.	66000777
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	October 9, 1960
Designated CP	January 7, 1991

The Old Ship Church (also called the Old Ship Meetinghouse) is a special church built in 1681. You can find it in Hingham, Massachusetts. It's the only church from the 1600s built by Puritans that is still standing in the United States.

The people who worship here formed their group in 1635. They are officially known as the First Parish in Hingham. This church building has been used for worship longer than any other in the country. Because it's so old and important, it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

The Old Ship Church is very unique. The New York Times newspaper says it's the oldest church in North America that has been used continuously for worship. It's also the only example of the English Gothic style from the 1600s in the U.S. Later, the more common white Colonial churches with tall spires became popular.

Inside the church, the ceiling is made of huge oak beams. It looks like the upside-down frame of a ship! This special design is called a hammerbeam roof. People who built ships likely helped create this amazing ceiling. Others were from a part of England called East Anglia, where this building style was common.

History of the Old Ship Church

Interior of the church

A church window

Old Ship Parish House

The first minister for the Hingham church was Reverend Peter Hobart. He studied at the University of Cambridge in England. Peter Hobart and his family were among the first important settlers in Hingham. They came from a town also called Hingham in England.

Reverend Peter Hobart served the church for 44 years. He passed away in 1679, just before the new church building was started. His son David continued his father's diary about events in Hingham.

When the Old Ship Church was finished, Reverend John Norton became the first pastor there. He had been taught by Peter Hobart. So, while Reverend Hobart started the church group, Reverend Norton was the first to lead services in the new building.

Building the Meetinghouse

Building a new church was a big deal for the people of Hingham. Their old church was made of logs with a thatched roof. It was time for a new one!

Deacon John Leavitt strongly pushed for the new building. It took two big town meetings to decide where to build it. Finally, they chose land given by Captain Joshua Hobart, Peter Hobart's brother.

The town spent about £430 on the new church. This was a lot of money back then! People said it was as good as any church in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The new wooden building was put up in 1681. The first worship service happened there the next year.

The Old Ship Church was built simply, without much decoration. It had a plain wooden pulpit inside. This was very different from the fancy churches many settlers knew in England.

In July 1956, a celebration happened for the church's 275th anniversary. People remembered the day the church frame was raised. It was a hot day on July 26, 1681. Everyone in town helped pay for the building. They gathered to watch the "raising of the frame of the new Meeting House." It was a true community effort.

Over the years, some changes were made to the church. Side balconies were added in 1730 and 1755. At first, the church had simple wooden benches. Later, in 1755, the first box pews were put in. These were like small enclosed seating areas.

In the 1800s, during the Victorian period, the box pews were removed. Curved pews were put in instead, fanning out from the pulpit. The walls were also papered, and drapes were added to the windows. But in 1930, the church was restored. It was made to look like it did in the 1600s and 1700s again.

Current Use of the Church

Today, the Old Ship Church is still an active place of worship. The current minister is Kenneth Read-Brown. He is actually a descendant of the first minister, Reverend Peter Hobart!

The church group is now Unitarian Universalist. They are known as a "Welcoming Congregation," which means they welcome everyone. Some items still used in the church are very old. For example, the bowl used for christening babies was made before 1600. It was likely brought to America by the first settlers from England.

Old Ship Burying Ground

Behind the Old Ship Church is a large, old graveyard. It's called Hingham Cemetery, but sometimes people call it the First Settlers cemetery. This graveyard is separate from the church. It's the oldest cemetery in Hingham.

Many of Hingham's first settlers and their families are buried here. You can find names like Cushing, Hobart, Lincoln, and Leavitt. The oldest graves date back to at least 1672. This was even before the current church building was finished!

Signature of Col. Samuel Thaxter of Hingham

Some famous people buried here include:

• Thomas Joy (1618–1678): He built the first statehouse in Boston. He also helped design the Old Ship Church.
• Reverend Peter Hobart (1604–1679): He was the first pastor of the Old Ship Church. He is an ancestor of Senator John Kerry.
• Mary Revere Lincoln (1770–1853): She was the daughter of Paul Revere, a famous figure from the American Revolution.
• Governor John Albion Andrew (1818–1867): He was the Civil War governor of Massachusetts. He helped create the first Black infantry regiments in the Civil War.
• John Davis Long (1838-1915): He was also a Governor of Massachusetts and later the Secretary of the Navy.

There is a monument in the burying ground called the Settlers' Monument. It marks where the remains of Hingham's earliest settlers were moved. Their first burial place was moved when horse-drawn trolleys needed space around 1835.

Memorial Bell Tower

Hingham Memorial Bell Tower

Near the church, you'll find the Hingham Memorial Bell Tower. It was built in 1912 to celebrate 275 years since Hingham was founded. It also honors the town's founders.

The tower holds ten bells that can be rung in a special way called change ringing. These bells were made in 1912 in London. They were designed to sound like the bells in St Andrew's Church in Hingham, England. This is the church the town's founders would have heard before they came to America. The bells are even tuned to the same musical key!

Gallery

• 

  Entrance, with the date (1681)

• 

  Gravestone of Margrett Leavitt, died June 13, 1739

• 

  Sons of the American Revolution grave marker

• 

  Tomb of Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, died May 9, 1810

• 

  Gravestone of Mary Revere Lincoln, daughter of Paul Revere, died August 12, 1853

• 

  Angel of Grief, gravestone of Maria L. Hooper, died April 1, 1891

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
• First Unitarian Church in Westport
• List of the oldest churches in the United States